Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
As a comparison, we have dual band radios in all locations. We have disabled 802.11b and enabled band preferencing on all APs. I manually manage radio transmit power settings and as a general rule, the 5G radio is set to operate 3dbm higher than the 2.4G one. As I type, this is how our network breaks down today: bgn: 38% g: 20% a/n: 22% a: 2% unknown: 18% (clients that are no longer active but haven't timed out of our system yet) I too am disappointed that dual band is not the standard. However, as we're really only trying to get a 50-50 split between 2.4 and 5g, I suppose the optimist in me says we're half way there at 24%. My stats also tell me that 60% of all our associated users this week had an Apple OUI, which presumably means dual band capable (iPhone 3gs and up/iPad are dual band as well as recent MacBook Pros). I think there are more gains to be made in rf design (beefing up the relative strength of 5g signal strengths), but mostly waiting for the market to catch up like everyone else. Regards, Craig SFU SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Network Services Craig Simons Network and Systems Administrator Phone: 778-782-8036 Cell: 604-649-7977 Email: craigsim...@sfu.ca Twitter: simonscraig - Original Message - From: "Rich Fulton" To: WIRELESS-LAN@listserv.educause.edu Sent: Monday, 26 September, 2011 08:32:09 Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients Is anyone using the various band steering methods to nudge clients over to the 5ghz band? On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 10:14 AM, Brian Helman < bhel...@salemstate.edu > wrote: I think the newer Macs and iOS devices are dual band. The problem is you can’t tell them which band to use, so they connect to the strongest signal. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean the “better” signal. -Brian From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU ] On Behalf Of Coehoorn, Joel Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 10:11 AM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients There was another thread on this same listserv -a month or two back basically complaining about the lack of consumer laptops with 5ghz radios. When your average student or parent goes to buy a laptop for college, pretty much everything they see is still 2.4Ghz. Even if they're looking for 5Ghz (and few do), most laptops just advertise for b/g/n and don't otherwise tell you what spectrum it will use. The result is exactly what you're seeing: the cleaner 5Ghz band is barely used, and students complain about throughput on 2.4Ghz. Hopefully by next year's buying season we're seeing more 5Ghz laptops in the market, but even then it will take a while before your upperclassmen have the technology. Joel Coehoorn IT Director 402.363.5603 On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Jennifer Francis Wilson < jfwils...@uclan.ac.uk > wrote: Anyone happy with the numbers of 5ghz clients connecting to their networks, compared to 2.4ghz clients? I'm only seeing around 25% of clients on 5ghz, despite having a decent density of dual radio 2.4/5ghz APs with band select switched on. A reasonable percentage of the 5ghz clients are from laptops we loan out which we know connect to 5ghz most of the time. Most clients seem to either not be 5ghz capable or their wireless NICs/drivers aren't choosing the 5ghz signal. (we have 802.11n on both 2.4 and 5ghz, with 20mhz channels on 5ghz and use the same ssids on both bands) Jen. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/ . ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/ . ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/ . -- /rf ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
We also see low 5GHz uptake (<20% campus-wide). But I think the numbers are skewed by smartphones which tend to only use 2.4GHz. We installed dense coverage in two large auditoriums this summers (521 and 420 seats) and in those we were seeing 40% 5GHz uptake by users the first two weeks of class. Now those are special environments. In order to get 2.4GHz to work even marginally, we were playing lots of games to reduce and absorb the 2.4GHz signal strength to deal with the limited number of channels. While at 5GHz all APs were left full power, and there were a lot more of those APs. Students were asked to bring their laptops/tablets to class (tablet meaning iPad predominantly on our campus which are 5GHz) and leave their phones off or in airplane mode. As the semester has progressed we are down to 28% 5GHz uptake -- presumably as the students forgot/ignore their syllabus instructions. -William ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. smime.p7s Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature
Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
I'm seeing about 10% of our clients using 5 GHz in our ResHalls and that's about it. I don't have complete 5 GHz deployment across our campus though, and were I do I still don't see the numbers improving any. Heath On 9/25/2011 9:05 AM, Jennifer Francis Wilson wrote: Anyone happy with the numbers of 5ghz clients connecting to their networks, compared to 2.4ghz clients? I'm only seeing around 25% of clients on 5ghz, despite having a decent density of dual radio 2.4/5ghz APs with band select switched on. A reasonable percentage of the 5ghz clients are from laptops we loan out which we know connect to 5ghz most of the time. Most clients seem to either not be 5ghz capable or their wireless NICs/drivers aren't choosing the 5ghz signal. (we have 802.11n on both 2.4 and 5ghz, with 20mhz channels on 5ghz and use the same ssids on both bands) Jen. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. -- Heath Barnhart, CCNA Information Systems Services Washburn Univeristy Topeka, KS 66621 ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
Is anyone using the various band steering methods to nudge clients over to the 5ghz band? On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 10:14 AM, Brian Helman wrote: > I think the newer Macs and iOS devices are dual band. The problem is you > can’t tell them which band to use, so they connect to the strongest signal. > Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean the “better” signal. > > ** ** > > -Brian > > ** ** > > *From:* The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto: > WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU] *On Behalf Of *Coehoorn, Joel > *Sent:* Sunday, September 25, 2011 10:11 AM > *To:* WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU > *Subject:* Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients > > ** ** > > There was another thread on this same listserv -a month or two back > basically complaining about the lack of consumer laptops with 5ghz radios. > When your average student or parent goes to buy a laptop for college, > pretty much everything they see is still 2.4Ghz. Even if they're looking for > 5Ghz (and few do), most laptops just advertise for b/g/n and don't otherwise > tell you what spectrum it will use. The result is exactly what you're > seeing: the cleaner 5Ghz band is barely used, and students complain about > throughput on 2.4Ghz. Hopefully by next year's buying season we're seeing > more 5Ghz laptops in the market, but even then it will take a while before > your upperclassmen have the technology. > > > > > Joel Coehoorn > > IT Director > > 402.363.5603 > > > > > > On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Jennifer Francis Wilson < > jfwils...@uclan.ac.uk> wrote: > > Anyone happy with the numbers of 5ghz clients connecting to their networks, > compared to 2.4ghz clients? > > I'm only seeing around 25% of clients on 5ghz, despite having a decent > density of dual radio 2.4/5ghz APs with band select switched on. > > A reasonable percentage of the 5ghz clients are from laptops we loan out > which we know connect to 5ghz most of the time. > > Most clients seem to either not be 5ghz capable or their wireless > NICs/drivers aren't choosing the 5ghz signal. > > (we have 802.11n on both 2.4 and 5ghz, with 20mhz channels on 5ghz and use > the same ssids on both bands) > > Jen. > > ** > Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent > Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. > > ** ** > > ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE > Constituent Group discussion list can be found at > http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** ** > ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE > Constituent Group discussion list can be found at > http://www.educause.edu/groups/. > > -- /rf ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
We are testing a practice of having the 5GHz N package have a separate SSID - one with "-N" to try and focus on the higher bandwidth. Results have been mixed due the issue of seeing the stronger signal as well. Harry Rauch Sr. Network Analyst Eckerd College 4200 - 54th Ave S St. Petersburg, FL 33711 On 9/26/11 10:14 AM, Brian Helman wrote: I think the newer Macs and iOS devices are dual band. The problem is you can't tell them which band to use, so they connect to the strongest signal. Unfortunately, that doesn't always mean the "better" signal. -Brian *From:*The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU] *On Behalf Of *Coehoorn, Joel *Sent:* Sunday, September 25, 2011 10:11 AM *To:* WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU *Subject:* Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients There was another thread on this same listserv -a month or two back basically complaining about the lack of consumer laptops with 5ghz radios. When your average student or parent goes to buy a laptop for college, pretty much everything they see is still 2.4Ghz. Even if they're looking for 5Ghz (and few do), most laptops just advertise for b/g/n and don't otherwise tell you what spectrum it will use. The result is exactly what you're seeing: the cleaner 5Ghz band is barely used, and students complain about throughput on 2.4Ghz. Hopefully by next year's buying season we're seeing more 5Ghz laptops in the market, but even then it will take a while before your upperclassmen have the technology. Joel Coehoorn IT Director 402.363.5603 On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Jennifer Francis Wilson mailto:jfwils...@uclan.ac.uk>> wrote: Anyone happy with the numbers of 5ghz clients connecting to their networks, compared to 2.4ghz clients? I'm only seeing around 25% of clients on 5ghz, despite having a decent density of dual radio 2.4/5ghz APs with band select switched on. A reasonable percentage of the 5ghz clients are from laptops we loan out which we know connect to 5ghz most of the time. Most clients seem to either not be 5ghz capable or their wireless NICs/drivers aren't choosing the 5ghz signal. (we have 802.11n on both 2.4 and 5ghz, with 20mhz channels on 5ghz and use the same ssids on both bands) Jen. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
Betr.: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
Jen, We see exactly the same on our wifi-networks. For economy class mobile equipment it'still cheaper to go for 2.4 Ghz radios only + i believe i have read / heard that 5 Ghz radios are also more battery-consuming. For students complaining about wlan performance (either face-to-face or via social networks) we offer the dual band capable use wifi adapters for loan via our helpdesks to experience the difference. Also our faq on wlan describes the advantages of choosing a dual band capable device, but it's an 'uphill battle'. Best regards, Kees. >>> Jennifer Francis Wilson 9/25/2011 4:05 PM >>> Anyone happy with the numbers of 5ghz clients connecting to their networks, compared to 2.4ghz clients? I'm only seeing around 25% of clients on 5ghz, despite having a decent density of dual radio 2.4/5ghz APs with band select switched on. A reasonable percentage of the 5ghz clients are from laptops we loan out which we know connect to 5ghz most of the time. Most clients seem to either not be 5ghz capable or their wireless NICs/drivers aren't choosing the 5ghz signal. (we have 802.11n on both 2.4 and 5ghz, with 20mhz channels on 5ghz and use the same ssids on both bands) Jen. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. --- Op deze e-mail zijn de volgende voorwaarden van toepassing: The following conditions apply to this e-mail: http://emaildisclaimer.avans.nl --- ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
RE: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients
I think the newer Macs and iOS devices are dual band. The problem is you can't tell them which band to use, so they connect to the strongest signal. Unfortunately, that doesn't always mean the "better" signal. -Brian From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU] On Behalf Of Coehoorn, Joel Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 10:11 AM To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Disappointing numbers of 5ghz clients There was another thread on this same listserv -a month or two back basically complaining about the lack of consumer laptops with 5ghz radios. When your average student or parent goes to buy a laptop for college, pretty much everything they see is still 2.4Ghz. Even if they're looking for 5Ghz (and few do), most laptops just advertise for b/g/n and don't otherwise tell you what spectrum it will use. The result is exactly what you're seeing: the cleaner 5Ghz band is barely used, and students complain about throughput on 2.4Ghz. Hopefully by next year's buying season we're seeing more 5Ghz laptops in the market, but even then it will take a while before your upperclassmen have the technology. Joel Coehoorn IT Director 402.363.5603 On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Jennifer Francis Wilson mailto:jfwils...@uclan.ac.uk>> wrote: Anyone happy with the numbers of 5ghz clients connecting to their networks, compared to 2.4ghz clients? I'm only seeing around 25% of clients on 5ghz, despite having a decent density of dual radio 2.4/5ghz APs with band select switched on. A reasonable percentage of the 5ghz clients are from laptops we loan out which we know connect to 5ghz most of the time. Most clients seem to either not be 5ghz capable or their wireless NICs/drivers aren't choosing the 5ghz signal. (we have 802.11n on both 2.4 and 5ghz, with 20mhz channels on 5ghz and use the same ssids on both bands) Jen. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
