Nebula Configuration with 2 access points NWA50BE

Hi @Tomatoman,

Thank you for reaching out to the Zyxel Community. It sounds like you're experiencing some roaming issues with your OnePlus 11 switching to mobile data despite having two NWA50BE access points. This is a common challenge with wireless client devices.

Here are some steps you can take to optimize your Nebula configuration for better roaming:

• Optimize AP Placement and Signal Overlap: Ensure there is about 15-20% signal overlap between your two NWA50BE access points for seamless transitions. If the signals do not overlap sufficiently, clients may disconnect when moving between APs. Conversely, excessive overlap can lead to interference. You may need to adjust AP placement or output power. Aim for a signal strength around -65 dBm in overlapping areas.

• Enable 802.11k/v/r Roaming Features: These standards help devices intelligently select the best available Wi-Fi network and facilitate faster, smoother transitions between APs.

  • Navigate to Configure > Access Point > SSID Advanced setting in Nebula.
  • Enable 802.11k (Radio Resource Management) and 802.11v (Wireless Network Management).
  • Enable 802.11r (Fast Basic Service Set Transition) for faster roaming, especially with WPA2-Enterprise. However, note that some older client devices may not fully support these advanced roaming features.

• Configure Smart Steering Threshold Settings: Smart steering encourages devices to roam to a stronger signal.

  • Go to Configure > Access points > Radio settings > Smart steering.
  • Adjust the "Station Signal Threshold" and "Disassociation Station Threshold." These should be set lower than the RSSI in your overlapping areas. If set too low, clients may stick to an AP despite a better one being available. If set too high, clients might disconnect even if no better AP is nearby.

• Band Select: It is generally recommended to disable "Band Select" as it can sometimes cause roaming delays and interruptions for time-sensitive applications.

Regarding your question about VLAN IDs, while VLANs are crucial for segmenting network traffic and creating separate networks for different SSIDs (e.g., guest, IoT, private), they are not directly related to client roaming issues between access points broadcasting the same SSIDs. Your current setup with two SSIDs (2.4GHz and 5GHz) for each NWA50BE can utilize VLANs if you intend to isolate traffic for these SSIDs, but it won't resolve the client's decision to jump to mobile data instead of roaming to another AP.

To further investigate and provide more specific recommendations, please provide the following information:

• Enable Zyxel Support Access: Go to Help > Support Request in your Nebula console and enable Zyxel Support Access. This allows our support team to view your cloud environment configuration, significantly shortening troubleshooting time.
• Organization and Site Name: Please provide the name of your Nebula Organization and Site.
• Screenshot of your current Smart Steering settings: This will help us understand your current configuration.
• Mobile device model and OS version: Your OnePlus 11's specific model and software version can sometimes impact roaming behavior.