In a LAN network with multiple Access Points, if one of them is awful, broken or old, will the others, shiny new and happy, be hurt? Will the entire network be affected somehow by that bad AP?
2 Answers
Access points don't "wear out." Generally speaking, they either work or they don't.
That being said, if your old AP can't run newer protocols, it will keep others from operation at higher data rates. A 802.11b AP will prevent newer APs from operating at g or n speeds.
Access points can (and will) interfere with each other if they are on the same channel and within range of each other. A rule of thumb is to keep the signal level from an adjacent access point below -85 dBm within the cell area of the neighboring AP on the same channel.
Possibly if the AP is jumping channels constantly or isn't providing consistent connectivity to clients or the controller. Are the APs all from the same manufacturer?
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Also, they are set to defined channels, so they couldn't be jumping, I guess.– fiatjafJun 1, 2016 at 16:30
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1I would recommend going with a set of devices that are centrally managed to provide smooth transitions from AP to AP for clients. If you have a mix match of APs that are within range of each other, the hand-offs won't be smooth on the client side. Jun 1, 2016 at 16:36