Layer-3 roaming is one of them. Because that there is no controller, the hive will anchor the connection to the AP where the client initially made the connection. As you can imagine in a HiEd environment, that could have some scaling and traffic issues if WiFi clients don't disconnect but roam to other access points. The anchor AP has to tunnel all the traffic to the AP that the client is currently associated with, which may result in unnecessary a zig-zagging of packets across the campus network. Which only exacerbates itself in an 802.11n world of higher traffic volumes.
Aerohive does have approaches to reduce this problem - keeping a hive to a certain building, such that clients reconnect in other buildings. Another idea, which I don't know if they've done, is for them to change the anchor AP to the associated AP if the client is "idle" and the currently associated AP is on the same VLAN as the client initially was on. I can't imagine what the ramifications to STP are and the like. =) Frank From: Lee H Badman [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 2:37 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: RE: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aerohive 340AP Hi Frank- Any idea about what aspects of the AeroHive model the other guys pick on? Lee _____ From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Frank Bulk Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 3:34 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aerohive 340AP I've have had several opportunities to talk to AeroHive. Competitors like to poke holes at their product, but my (un-tested) impression is that it's pretty solid. If you ask for references, they do have some small to medium-sized build outs, but I'm not sure if they have any 500+ AP installations, yet. Frank From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lee H Badman Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 2:31 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aerohive 340AP I have been contacted by Aerohive recently (www.aerohive.com <http://www.aerohive.com/> ) and had never heard of them before. Is interesting- they are a controller-less model, that *seems* to scale and compete with controller-based functionality based on the glossy. No idea how they are on the likes of fast roaming, etc. But part of my brain yearns for the days when there were no controllers, and wireless life was a lot simpler. (You never see WLAN controllers in Norman Rockwell paintings). Is anyone using Aerohive, even on a small scale? Lee Lee H. Badman Wireless/Network Engineer Information Technology and Services Syracuse University 315 443-3003 _____ From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Joseph Clark Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 2:32 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Aerohive 340AP Is anyone currently using Aerohive AP's in a classroom deployment? In particular their 802.11N 340AP. I am interested in how they handle a large number of users in a large auditorium style classroom. Thanks, Joseph Clark ********** 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/.
