5 ms·

Surely 802.11r has a purpose, yes?

betterunix2 6y ago
Faster handoffs between APs.
cassianoleal 6y ago
Yes, roaming by sharing SSID and passcode is a world of pain. 802.11r solves all those pains, I've been using it on OpenWRT for months without a glitch.
- synergy20 6y ago
  how do you enable 802.11r on openwrt? on which model of router
  - mikehotel 6y ago
    Install the wpad pkg and 802.11r should show up in wireless config screens. See https://forum.openwrt.org/t/802-11r-fast-roaming-in-luci/11730 https://forum.openwrt.org/t/802-11r-fast-roaming-in-luci/117...
    - cassianoleal 6y ago
      Pretty much that. It's also very simple nowadays. you just tick the box on the Wireless Security tab, and check that the mobility domain match between all the APs - it should by default, I think it's derived from the SSID.
  - kelnos 6y ago
    Be aware that there might be compatibility issues. I enabled it on a pair of OpenWRT-running APs, and the handoff worked fine for my laptop, but my phone would claim to be successfully associated/authenticated with the new AP, but traffic wouldn't flow. Turning off 802.11r fixed the issue completely, and it turns out I don't really need it after all, as my devices seem to roam properly and the reauth is pretty quick.
- slmkbh 6y ago
  I have a couple of AP AC Lites running openwrt and 802.11r, works fine except on Xiaomi phones apparently... I never tried the unifi though, flashed openwrt within 15 minutes of receiving the APs
- fullstop 6y ago
  Yes, it's why I use 802.11r. It works with most devices, although the one which does not support it makes me laugh. Nintendo Switch will not switch from one AP to another. It holds on, tooth and nail, to whichever BSSID it used when it first connected. My kids have to go into settings, reconnect, and move on.
  - tmottabr 6y ago
    afaik that is a design decision by nintendo. i think it did support roaming in the past and they disabled it in an OS update.
azernik 6y ago
It's a performance thing. With standard 802.11 roaming, you have to reassociate and reauthenticate to the new AP. While this process is underway, you can't pass any traffic. For open networks or simple auth schemes like WPA2 single-password, this isn't very noticeable; however, for heavier-weight auth schemes like 802.1x this pause is substantial and is especially noticeable on voice/video calls. 802.11r is a scheme for caching the authentication info, letting you avoid the 802.1x round-trip to a central auth server. For a 5-AP network, usually with shared-password WPA2, it's not necessary.

Faster handoffs between APs.

Yes, roaming by sharing SSID and passcode is a world of pain. 802.11r solves all those pains, I've been using it on OpenWRT for months without a glitch.

synergy20 6y ago
how do you enable 802.11r on openwrt? on which model of router
- mikehotel 6y ago
  Install the wpad pkg and 802.11r should show up in wireless config screens. See https://forum.openwrt.org/t/802-11r-fast-roaming-in-luci/11730 https://forum.openwrt.org/t/802-11r-fast-roaming-in-luci/117...
  - cassianoleal 6y ago
    Pretty much that. It's also very simple nowadays. you just tick the box on the Wireless Security tab, and check that the mobility domain match between all the APs - it should by default, I think it's derived from the SSID.
- kelnos 6y ago
  Be aware that there might be compatibility issues. I enabled it on a pair of OpenWRT-running APs, and the handoff worked fine for my laptop, but my phone would claim to be successfully associated/authenticated with the new AP, but traffic wouldn't flow. Turning off 802.11r fixed the issue completely, and it turns out I don't really need it after all, as my devices seem to roam properly and the reauth is pretty quick.
slmkbh 6y ago
I have a couple of AP AC Lites running openwrt and 802.11r, works fine except on Xiaomi phones apparently... I never tried the unifi though, flashed openwrt within 15 minutes of receiving the APs
fullstop 6y ago
Yes, it's why I use 802.11r. It works with most devices, although the one which does not support it makes me laugh. Nintendo Switch will not switch from one AP to another. It holds on, tooth and nail, to whichever BSSID it used when it first connected. My kids have to go into settings, reconnect, and move on.
- tmottabr 6y ago
  afaik that is a design decision by nintendo. i think it did support roaming in the past and they disabled it in an OS update.

azernik 6y ago

It's a performance thing. With standard 802.11 roaming, you have to reassociate and reauthenticate to the new AP. While this process is underway, you can't pass any traffic. For open networks or simple auth schemes like WPA2 single-password, this isn't very noticeable; however, for heavier-weight auth schemes like 802.1x this pause is substantial and is especially noticeable on voice/video calls. 802.11r is a scheme for caching the authentication info, letting you avoid the 802.1x round-trip to a central auth server. For a 5-AP network, usually with shared-password WPA2, it's not necessary.