B0.0 – BLACKWIRE – RUCKUS UNLEASHED: RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES – 200.10.10.5.253

Version 3.0, Release Date 11/24/2021

B0.1 – Intro

Welcome to the Blackwire Ruckus Unleashed Setup & Best Practices version 3.0!  This guide will walk you through the basic Ruckus Unleashed Best Practices, including System Setup, AP Setup, and creating 3x fully optimized WLANs to help you get the best possible design and performance out of your Unleashed Network. 

Log into the Unleashed Dashboard using a Web Browser, https://, and the IP Address of your Master Access Point to get started.  We do not recommend using the Unleashed Mobile App, use the Web GUI for the best results.

Note: This is the second Guide in our Ruckus 101 series.  You should have already completed the “Getting Started” guide before proceeding with this guide.

B0.2 – Some Important Notes:

Important: Blackwire currently recommends Unleashed firmware version 200.10.10.5.253 as the most stable current firmware. Please be sure to check the Blackwire Ruckus 101 main page regularly for the best-recommended firmware version.

Important: Turn off the wifi on your computer and plug directly into the network switch with an ethernet cable for the duration of this setup. As you configure the Unleashed System, there will be several interruptions to the WiFi Network.  Attempting to use wifi can result in system errors and corrupt firmware images.

 

B0.3 – Follow the Instructions in Order!

*Note: It is highly recommended to complete this entire Best Practices setup, in this exact order, on a single AP, before adding additional APs, and before joining client devices.  Joining client devices to a partially configured network can result in certain client devices blacklisting your network and refusing to join! 

If you are rip-and-replacing an older network, you will achieve the best results by deleting and re-adding the old SSID and password from your client devices, even if the SSID and password are exactly the same*

All of the settings covered in Section I: Global Configurations will be found under the Admin & Services section of the Unleashed Web User Interface

B1.1 - COUNTRY CODE:

First we need to set the Country Code.  This affects channel utilization and many other settings and must be done first.  *This guide is based on the United States only.  Your settings may differ if you are in another country.*

Go to Admin & Services > System > Country Code and select Optimize for Performance. Hit Apply

B1.2 – Reboot after Country Code

Warning: this will reboot your entire WiFi Network, expect a few minutes of downtime.  Click YES to continue

B1.3 - SYSTEM INFO:

For the next few settings, navigate to Admin & Services > System > System Info

B1.4 – Name the System

If you want, change the name of your system here.  We recommend just keeping “Ruckus” or “Unleashed” in the name so that it shows up on an IP Scanner, Domotz, or OVRC (if your local DNS setup is resolving local hostnames correctly)

Hit Apply to Continue

B1.5 – Preferred Master AP

Next, on this page, you can set a preferred Master AP.  By default this will be the first AP you plug in, but if you need to change it later, this is where to do it.  We already have an AP named “AP Closet” so we will set it to that.  Naming AP’s is covered later in this guide.  

The Best Practice is to set the Primary Preferred Master as an AP in a low traffic area, like the basement AV Closet, not the Living Room where there are many users and a high demand on the AP.  The same principle applies to the Secondary Preferred Master.  This is the next AP that will take over as the Master if the Master AP goes offline.

Hit Apply to continue

B1.5.2 – Switch Approval

Before leaving this section, make sure that the Approval box is checked under the Switch Approval section so that all Ruckus ICX switches will join the Unleashed Interface for statistics and some “lite” management functions

*Note: The Unleashed Interface is not yet a replacement for using the Command Line with a Ruckus Switch.  You should still become proficient with Putty and the CLI

B1.6 - MASTER AP STATIC IP SETTINGS

Note: You MUST set static IPs on your Ruckus Unleashed APs and ALL other critical network infrastructure equipment.  Do not use DHCP Reservations for Ruckus APs or anything else you need to stay online 100% of the time.

Setting Static IP Addresses for Member APs is covered later in this guide, but first let’s set the Static IP for the System and for the entire Unleashed System.  This is called the IPv4 Management Interface, and will always be the primary AP for logging into the entire system even if the Master AP goes offline.  

Navigate to Admin & Services > IP Settings > Management Interface.  We like to use a nice even number for this, in this example our Management Interface IP will be 192.168.101.10 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.  Check the box to Enable IPv4 Management Interface, type in your preferred IP address and the bitmask 255.255.255.0

Hit Apply to continue

Next, let’s backtrack slightly to the left to the IP Settings tab. 

This is where we set the IP Address for the Master AP.  This is the only AP that gets set here.  We do this second just to demonstrate that we will use an even number for the Management Interface, 192.168.101.10 in this example.  And then we will use 192.168.101.11 for our Master AP.  The reasons for this will become more apparent as you use Ruckus Unleashed over time.

Set the Master AP’s IP Address here, in this example 192.168.101.11.  Then set the default gateway to the IP address of your router, here we are using 192.168.101.1.  For primary DNS, use the router’s IP again, and for secondary DNS, use 8.8.8.8 as a just-in-case backup.

Hit Apply to continue

B1.7 - SYSTEM TIME

This Concludes the Section I: Global Configurations section.  Please move onto the tab entitled Section II: Setting Up WLANs to continue with this guide

B1.7 – SYSTEM TIME:

The Unleashed System will automatically use the Ruckus NTP Server (Network Time Protocol) by default, but we need to tell the system which Time Zone we are in.

To select a Time Zone, go to Admin & Services > System > System Time > Select time zone for your location, and select your Time Zone.  

You can choose whether or not to check the box to Automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes based on whether or not your locality practices Daylight Savings Time.  When you are done, hit Apply

B1.8 - RADIO CONTROL

To optimize Unleashed to automatically adjust the radio channels of your WiFi Network, go to Admin & Services > Services > Radio Control > Self Healing

Change the settings for Automatically adjust 5GHz channels to ChannelFly, then hit Apply

 

Note: In a Residential Network, the neighborhood radio environment is always changing.  Unless you have a very good reason to set static channels, you should always let Ruckus choose your channels for you.  Remember to only use channels 1, 6, and 11 for the 2.4 GHz spectrum in all of your networks.

B1.9 - BACKGROUND SCANNING

Before leaving the Radio Control menu, select the tab for Background Scanning.  Change the settings for “Run a background scan every…” to 300 Seconds and hit Apply. 

This will increase the performance of your WiFi Networks by reducing the resources devoted to scanning the radio environment, decreasing overall Network Overhead, and stabilizing your channel selection so that devices stay connected for longer periods of time.  This is a good setting for most sites and can be considered a “best practice”

*Note: If your site is in an overpopulated radio environment, ie New York City, you might want to set this to a lower interval like 20 or 60 seconds.  If your site is in a Rural area, ie. you are a long way from any neighbors or any other wifi networks, you can set this to something longer, ie. 3600 seconds. 

Finished! Move on to Section III

This Concludes the Section II: Creating WLANs section.  Please move onto the tab entitled Section III: AP Settings to finish setting up your Unleashed Network

Blackwire recommends 3 standard WLANs, and we will show you how to set these WLANs up, step by step:

  1. 5 GHz “Homeowner” Wireless Network.  This should be your first and primary WiFi network.  When you went through the Quick Start guide, this should be the SSID you created first (will not be 5 GHz only by default, we will make that change later).  By setting this WLAN to 5 GHz only, this will guarantee that devices on this SSID will have a clean, clear radio channel with a lot of available airtime for WiFi calling and low interference for high speeds.
  2. 2.4 GHz “IoT” Wireless Network.  This will separate control systems, IoT, low bandwidth, and even legacy devices (ie 802.11b) from the high speed 5 GHz Homeowner network.  Also, because 2.4 GHz travels further through architecture, this will guarantee that your critical Control System and IoT devices get connected to the network, and stay connected to the network. 
  3. 5 GHz Guest Network.  This will allow the owners of the network to allow guests on their network without access to the rest of the system.  They will only have access to the internet and wifi calling services.  You can even set a lease time, such as 12 hours, so that guests are removed from the network after a certain interval.  We will use 5 GHz for this network with a narrow bandwidth (20 MHz, 40 MHz) because there are more 5 GHz channels available, avoiding co-channel interference with the rest of your network.

Note: If all client devices were the same, this would be easy!  But they aren’t, so it’s not.  These 3x WLANs will cover 95% of use cases but not 100%, this is not unique to Ruckus, this is true of any enterprise WiFi system.

Follow the instructions first, update your client device software and firmware, delete and re-add the SSID in the client device, and if you are still having issues with a specific device not cooperating, call us.

B2.1 - DISABLE UNUSED 2.4 GHZ CHANNELS

B2.1

To get started on creating the Blackwire Standard 3x Recommended WLANs, we will take a brief detour to the Access Points panel in the Unleashed Interface to disable unnecessary 2.4 GHz radio channels. 

Navigate to Access Points > Select the “Group View” Icon > System Default > Edit

B2.1.2

Under Radio (2.4G) de-select every channel except for 1, 6, and 11. Your 2.4 radio settings should look like this before you click Finish

*Note: You MUST change the Country Code before you do this, changing the Country Code after resets all of your channels.  See Section I for Country Code settings and instructions*

B2.2 - HOMEOWNER 5GHZ WLAN

B2.2.1 – Now, let’s set up the primary Homeowner 5GHz WiFi network.

B2.2.1

When you went through the initial setup wizard, you created a WiFi network.  By default, this network will have both 2.4 and 5 GHz radios enabled.  For this example, our wifi network will be called “Homeowner 5GHz” for clarity, but you can choose any name you like.

Navigate to WiFi Networks > Select the First and Only Network > Click Edit

B2.2.2

The main panel for this WLAN should look like this.  Name the network whatever you want, we recommend putting 5GHz in the title to help users other than yourself understand that this is the 5GHz network.  

If you only have devices made in the last year or two, you can use WPA2/WPA3 mixed, but if you have a device that is a few years older, or if you are in doubt, just use WPA2 as your Encryption Method

B2.2.3

Next, expand the Show Advanced Options triangle at the bottom, select the Radio Control tab, and under Enable WLAN on, select 5 GHz only.  Don’t click the OK button yet

B2.2.4

Next, select the Others tab.  There are some VERY important settings here.  Set the DTIM Interval to 3.  This will help preserve battery life on sleeping devices by reducing the frequency of beacons sent to wake them up.

Next, set the Directed MC/BC Threshold to 0.  This is the secret sauce to making Ruckus work with IoT, such as Sonos, Lutron, Ring, Chime, Printers, and many other devices that require directed multicast to be disabled.  If this is not done, systems such as Sonos will have their multicast traffic converted to unicast, and you will not be able to join or communicate with these types of very common systems.

Hit OK to finalize the Homeowner 5GHZ WLAN

B2.3 IOT 2.4 GHZ WLAN

B2.3 IOT 2.4 GHZ WLAN

Next, let’s create our IoT 2.4GHz WiFi Network.  On the WiFi Networks page, hit Create

B2.3.2 – IOT WLAN MAIN PANEL

This page will look exactly like it did on the 5GHz network, give it a different name.  We recommend putting 2.4GHz in the name so that users other than yourself understand that this is a 2.4 GHz network for control systems and IoT devices; not their phones and personal devices.  ALWAYS set a password for your network.  

Expand the Show Advanced Options to continue

B2.3.3

The Advanced Options settings will be the same as before, except this time under Radio Control > Enable WLAN on > 2.4 GHz Only.  Don’t hit OK yet

B2.3.4 – IOT ADVANCED > OTHERS

Next, select the Others tab.  Again, set the DTIM Interval to 3.  Set the Directed MC/BC Threshold to 0.  Hit OK to finalize your IoT 2.4 GHz WLAN. 

Note: DO NOT set up wifi calling on this network, you need those network resources and airtime saved for the Homeowner 5GHz network!

B2.3.5 – IOT WLAN QR CODE

If the Unleashed Interface asks if you want to Save or Print the QR code for the wifi network… sure!  You could print it out, put it in a little gold picture frame on a hallway table, your customers will be impressed

B2.3.6 – YOU ARE FINISHED WITH THE IOT 2.4 GHZ WLAN!

Now, if you don’t need a Guest Network, you can skip ahead to the next full Section III – Access Point Settings.  

B2.4 - GUEST WLAN

2.4.1 – GUEST WLAN

To create a Guest Network, from the WiFi Networks page, hit Create

2.4.2 – GUEST WLAN

There will be more settings to pay attention to on this page than before:

  • Give your network a name, such as Guest WiFi 5GHz
  • Change the Usage type to Guest Access, this will automatically isolate clients on this network from everything else on the LAN (Internet Access only)
  • Set Guest Authentication to None (this does not disable a wifi password, only more advanced Guest Pass or Social Media login options that are not supported by this guide)
  • If you want, enable the Grace Period and set it to an interval.  The default is 480 minutes which is 8 hours, change it to however long you like.  This will prevent someone who was granted temporary access from using your wifi for free after this interval
  • Set the Encryption Method to WPA2.  The same principles apply as before: if you have older devices you need WPA2, but one day when all your devices are made in the year 2021 or after, you will want to change this to WPA3
  • Set a Password

Expand the Show Advanced Options tab

2.4.3 – GUEST WLAN

Under Advanced Options > Radio Control > Enable WLAN on set the Guest WiFi 5GHz to 5 GHz only

Note: This is our recommended setting to keep your radio environment as clear as possible by using 5 GHz channels, however, if this WLAN needs to extend further through your site, you may want to use 2.4 GHz or both 2.4 and 5 GHz.  

If you need WiFi Calling on your Guest Network, it will work better on 5 GHz only.

B2.4.4 – GUEST WLAN

On the Others tab, set the DTIM interval to 3 again, but this time, leave the Directed MC/BC Threshold set to 1 to preserve network resources.  Users on the Guest Network are not supposed to talk to Sonos anyways. 

*Note: You will notice that under Wireless Client Isolation the box is checked for “Isolate wireless clients”, guaranteeing that clients on the Guest Network have complete network isolation from everything except Internet Access.

B2.4.5 – GUEST WLAN

When you hit Next, you will see this page pop up.  This is the page for Captive Portal settings.  A “Captive Portal” is that pop up screen you see when you join a network at Whole Foods.  Usually in a residential network, we don’t want this, so you can uncheck the Enable box next to Captive Portal.

B2.4.6

After disabling the Captive Portal, you can hit the OK button.

B2.5.1 – FINISHED 3x WLANS

Congratulations!!!  You have just designed 3 wonderfully optimized WLANs for your customers on a top of the line Ruckus Network!  

There are some remaining settings for Access Points, continue to Section III: Access Point Settings when you are finished.

Finished! Move on to Section II

*Note: Adding each additional SSID adds a LOT of network overhead, so if you don’t really need it, don’t add it.  Or… add it but disable it for later, we will show you how

If you have finished Section I and Section II, you can now add APs to your system!  It is still best to finish Section III and Section IV of this guide before you start joining devices to your network. 

If your AP’s are on the correct firmware, and they are in a factory default state, all you need to do is plug them into the network on the same subnet with a DHCP server and wait a few minutes.  They will join and adopt the existing configuration automatically!

Section III focuses on Master and Member Access Point Settings, every setting in this section will be under the Access Points menu on the main Unleashed UI page

NAME YOUR AP'S

It is important to name your AP’s and give them a description and location for organization, setup, statistics, and troubleshooting purposes.  Pro tip: write down the last 4 of the MAC addresses before you install them in place

To name your AP’s, navigate to Access Points, select an AP, and hit the Edit button.  Under the General tab, we can give our device a Name, a Description, and a Location. 

 

We recommend keeping the Name and Description the exact same, as this info will appear in other sections of the Unleashed Interface. 

B3.2 SETTING AP STATIC IP ADDRESS

The Unleashed System will automatically use the Ruckus NTP Server (Network Time Protocol) by default, but we need to tell the system which Time Zone we are in.

To select a Time Zone, go to Admin & Services > System > System Time > Select time zone for your location, and select your Time Zone.

You can choose whether or not to check the box to Automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes based on whether or not your locality practices Daylight Savings Time. When you are done, hit Apply.

 

Different countries and localities have different regulations for the 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands. In this menu, we can optimize our network for the United States.

Go to Admin & Services > System > Country Code and select Optimize for Performance. Hit Apply.

Warning: this will reboot your entire WiFi Network, allow for 5-7 minutes of downtime

Warning: this will reboot your entire WiFi Network, allow for 5-7 minutes of downtime

Preferred Master

During the Initial Setup, the first AP we plugged in was designated as the Preferred Master Access Point. If you wish to change which AP is acting as the Master, you can do this from Admin & Services. When you Apply the settings on this page, it will reboot the system while the new Master Access Point takes over the Unleashed System

Pro Tip: For large systems with 10 or more Access Points, we recommend purchasing an extra AP, assigning it as the Master, and disabling WiFi on the Master AP so that it can use all its available resources for controlling the Unleashed Network. Ruckus does not recommend using an entry-level AP such as the R320 as a controller for higher performance APs such as the R750.

  1. To change the Preferred Master AP, go to Admin & Services
  2. Next, go to System Info
  3. Select Your Primary and Secondary Preferred Master Access Points
  4. If you have a Large System and you want to disable WLAN service (turn off wifi) on the Master AP, check the box for Disable WLAN Service on Master AP
  5. Click Apply
  6. *Warning*: This will reboot your Unleashed System, allow for 5-7 minutes of network downtime

Unleashed Master IPv4 Management Interface

In the Ruckus Unleashed System, if the Master AP goes offline, another AP will immediately take over as the Master. Because of this, we recommend using an optional feature known as the IPv4 Management Interface as the primary IP address you will use for accessing your Unleashed System.

Go to System > IP Settings > Management Interface, check the box to enable the interface and set your Management Interface IP Address and Subnet Mask. Remember when we set our demo system to 192.168.101.11, saving that 192.168.101.10 IP address for later? This is so we can always connect to the Unleashed System at 192.168.101.10, no matter what other AP’s are plugged in or unplugged.

Note: if you are using SNMP for any advanced features in Domotz or OVRC, you must enable the Management Interface IP for SNMP Services

After hitting “Apply”, you can now navigate to the newly assigned Management Interface IP and login to the Unleashed System again:

 

 

Note: If you run a new network scan with Angry IP Scanner or LanScan, you will see an extra IP address, and the Master Access Point’s MAC address will be duplicated. This is because the IPv4 Management Interface IP is a virtual IP, and the associated MAC Address will change if a different AP becomes the Master

Unleashed Master Static IP Settings

Our Ruckus Unleashed Setup Tutorial recommends assigning a static IP address. If you did not do that you can do that now. 

  1. IP Settings
  2. Select Manual
  3. Fill out the boxes with your networks information
  4. Click Apply

Note: If this has not been set this will reboot the primary AP and take down the network and any additional APs until they find the master on its new AP. This will take 5-7 minutes.

*Important Note: The Ruckus Unleashed WiFi Calling setup process has not changed over several firmware versions, so we have not updated screenshots as with other portions of this guide.  Your UI may differ very slightly, but the steps, process, and calling servers are all the same*

Ruckus W-Fi calling creates an ecosystem for Voice that is not only best-in-class in service and reliability but is also on the leading edge of the Voice over Wi-Fi standard.

In a normal Wi-Fi calling scenario, the client device connects to the local WLAN and a call is established, usually without any issues. However, when that device leaves the WiFi Network and attempts to transition to the LTE Cellular Network, the call is dropped. This is due to the lack of visibility of the carrier system to the client traffic before the device establishes a cellular LTE link.

Ruckus provides the ability to identify a Voice Wi-Fi call through Ruckus QOS and establish a tunneled connection to the local carrier’s Packet Data Gateway. These settings allow a client device to successfully roam from the Wi-Fi network, to a cellular LTE connection, during a WiFi Calling session, without any drops or interruptions.

The Data flow can be seen in the two Network Diagrams below. The connectivity to the carrier is maintained just as it is in standard LTE networks by using the Ruckus Wi-Fi calling feature enabled on any WLAN deployed on a Ruckus Unleashed system.

Warning: WiFi Calling also may require certain settings on your device for certain carriers and localities, do not forget to enable WiFi Calling on the device itself and double-check any other settings that will allow your device to call successfully.

Also, if your Firewall or Router has settings such as “Preserve IKE Port” or “IPSec Passthrough”, make sure that these are enabled, that you understand these settings, and have researched the best WiFi Calling settings for your Firewall Router.

Finally, make sure you do not have a Double NAT setup: ie. your router plugged into another ISP modem/router that is also routing; use bridge mode whenever possible to disable routing on the modem.

  1. Go to Admin & Services
  2. Click on Services
  3. Select WiFi Calling
  4. Select the Profiles tab
  5. Hit Create
  1. Add the name of the Cellular Carrier (ie. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint)
  2. Click on Create New

1. Add the carrier Domain Name

2. Click on Save

NOTE: some carriers use multiple Domain Names. You must press save and then the create new button again to add multiple lines. 

Verizon:

  • wo.vzwwo.com

ATT:

  • epdg.epc.att.net

Sprint:

  • primgw.vowifi2.spcsdns.net

TMobile:

  • epdg.epc.mnc260.mcc310.pub.3gppnetwork.org
  • ss.epdg.epc.mnc260.mcc310.pub.3gppnetwork.org
  • ss.epdg.epc.geo.mnc260.mcc310.pub.3gppnetwork.org

When you are finished you will see a page like this listing all of the profiles you have added. 

Now exit out of the Admin & Services area and go to the Wifi Networks section and click on your Wifi network and then click Edit to edit the WLAN settings.  
  1. Click Show Advanced Options (Will change to Hide after you click it)
  2. Click the check box to Enable Wifi Calling
  3. Click Edit so you can enable the profiles on this SSID
  1. Using the shift key select all of the networks and then click the Right pointing arrow to move them to the Selected Profiles side.
  2. Click OK

You can now see the profiles on the right side

Click OK to close the window

You can now see the profiles on the page

Click OK

Congratulations you are done!! 

Head back over to Admin & Services – Services – Wi-fi Calling

You will now see a Summary page. When ever devices are using Wifi calling or have used it you will see information in here.

NOTE: You will not instantly see devices show up here. That does not mean Wi-Fi calling is not working. 

There are a few options for further optimizing your 5 GHz network in Ruckus Unleashed via the Command Line.  To execute these commands, you will need the Putty application for Windows or the Terminal application built into Mac OS, as well as the skills and experience to open and connect via SSH.  You will also want to make sure you do not have any gaps in coverage between zones of your WiFi Network before you run these commands: there is no command line magic trick to fix the need for an additional AP to fill those gaps in coverage.

*This guide does not include instructions for establishing an SSH or Console connection in Putty or the Mac OS terminal app.  If you do not have this experience, you will want to spend a few hours in the office or at home becoming proficient with Putty and/or Terminal before attempting this on a customer’s live network.  Troubleshooting your SSH or Console connection is not supported by Blackwire Designs*

Here are the simple instructions for running these commands.  If you want a more detailed explanation as to how why this helps your 5 GHz WLANs, you will find that further down on this page:

  • Open Putty or Mac OS Terminal and SSH into the IP Address of your Ruckus Unleashed System.  If you set up the IPv4 Management Interface earlier in this guide, use that IP.  If not, use the IP address of your Master AP
  • If this is the first time you have connected to this IP and MAC address via SSH, you will see a security warning.  Hit “Accept” to continue”.
  • Log into your Unleashed System using the username and password you set earlier.  You will type the username twice, once for “login as”, and again for “please login”.
  • When you type the password, the cursor will not move or show typing.  Type in the password and hit the enter/return key to connect.
  • From the ruckus> prompt, type enable and hit enter to go into enable mode.  You have limited rights in this mode.
  • From the ruckus# prompt, type conf and hit enter to go into global configuration mode.  You have all rights in this mode. 
  • From the ruckus(config)# prompt, type in wlan followed by the name of your main 5GHz WLAN in quotation marks.  Your spelling must be exact here.  The quotes will prevent you from accidentally creating a new WLAN.  
  • Pro Tip: hitting enter a few times in the command line window will separate your last command from your next command.  This just makes things easier to look at in Putty or Terminal, especially whenever you are running a number of commands all at once.  Notice how we hit enter 3 times before loading our wlan in quotes.
  • Once you have loaded your 5 GHz wlan, you will see the ruckus(config-wlan)# prompt
  • From the ruckus(config-wlan)# prompt, type in the command ofdm-only and press enter
  • From the ruckus(config-wlan)# prompt, type in the command bss-minrate 12 and press enter
  • From the ruckus(config-wlan)# prompt, type in the command exit and press enter
  • You are done!  Either repeat this process for your 5 GHz Guest Network (if you have one), or from the ruckus(config)# prompt type in the command end to save your work and finish the command line session. 
  • Reboot your entire network and all client devices to solidify and guarantee the success of this process.
  • See the detailed explanation below for further considerations on how and why these commands fully optimize your 5 GHz WLANs for UDP services and seamless roaming

How and Why these Commands Help with 5 GHz Performance:

A Smart Home network is a dynamic entity: your customers have the password to their own wifi network and they will add and remove devices.  Hence, the workload and performance of that network will change over time.  For this reason alone, we will run the ofdm-only command on our 5 GHz networks to prohibit any device or network traffic other than 802.11ac and 802.11ax (WiFi-6) from being allowed on our network.  This will ensure that all contention for the WiFi radio medium is as fast and efficient as possible. 

The effect of this setting is improved performance for applications with a high demand for Airtime and UDP services: WiFi Calling, FaceTime, Zoom, and streaming video over Apple TVs, Roku’s, and Video Doorbells.  Once these commands are in place, the customers will not be able to join a legacy device to this WLAN even if they try to. 

*Be cautious however: once you run this command, any legacy device will be forcefully removed from this network.  Make sure you take account for all devices, and if there are any legacy devices that still need WiFi, either replace them with a more modern device or join them to your 2.4 GHz Only WiFi Network.  If your customer has legacy devices but complains about poor WiFi Calling and Zoom Calls, tell them that they can’t have it both ways!  They need to add AP’s to fix gaps, or upgrade those legacy devices, or connect them to a 2.4 only network!*

How and Why these Commands help with Seamless Roaming:

Because it is ultimately the wireless client device (not the Ruckus Unleashed System) that decides when and how it roams from one AP to another, we are not always in full control of when or how roaming takes place.  Because of this, we can improve the frequency and chances of successful, fast, seamless roaming by disabling the lowest data rates on our 5 GHz WLANs.  This is accomplished via the bss-minrate 12 command. 

By executing this command: if a device moves away from an AP, once it reaches a data rate below 12 Mbps, it will be forcefully disconnected from the WiFi Network.  If your customer goes to walk their dog, and they remain connected to their WiFi network from 500′ down the block, they probably are not using the wifi network.  Regardless, if they remain connected, this will result in dropped packets, retransmissions, and poor performance for other devices on that WLAN. 

Additionally, if you have ever had the experience that “this device is 10 feet away from the Living Room AP, but it is still connected to the Laundry Room AP 100 feet away”, this command will fix almost all of these issues.  Usually, this is because a “smart” device had a temporary issue with an AP or SSID and has decided to blacklist it so that it can stay connected to the cloud.  Setting the minimum data rate to 12 Mbps, rebooting your network, and rebooting that device will fix this in 99% of all scenarios.

*Be cautious: If you have gaps in your wifi coverage, you might have a reason to leave your 2.4 and 5 GHz networks combined to help fill in these gaps.  If this is the case, you should skip running these commands while you figure out how to run another wire or add a mesh AP to fix those gaps.  Combining 2.4 and 5 GHz networks, or leaving gaps in coverage is not ideal.  And there is no command-line magic trick to substitute for adding another necessary AP to your network.*

Some other important considerations for optimizing your 5 GHz network:

  1. Do not join devices to a partially configured network.  This can result in certain devices temporarily blacklisting your SSIDs and BSSIDs.  Wait until you have completed this entire guide, plugged in all of your AP’s, and tested with your personal devices before joining your IoT and customer’s devices.  
  2. Devices such as an Apple TV or Ring Doorbell may work just fine on the 2.4 GHz network.  If you have many streaming video IoT devices, try them on your 2.4 GHz WLAN first.  If they have buffering/streaming issues, then move them over to your 5 GHz WLAN.  The idea here is to preserve as much Network Performance & Resources for your customers’ phones, laptops, and tablets.  *Always double check your IoT device’s datasheet and knowledge bases to verify whether a device prefers 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz WiFi*
  3. After you run these commands, reboot the entire network, and all client devices.  This will make sure that any devices that have blacklisted an SSID or BSSID will give that WiFi network a fresh chance, as well as make sure all devices connect to the nearest, best Access Point for their location. 
  4. Finally, if you replaced old equipment with new Ruckus equipment, but you are using the exact same SSID name and/or password, delete and re-add that network to those devices.  Some devices will struggle with automatically accepting the new network equipment on the same old SSID.