Re: Wired vs wireless - comm trace needed

Jeff,

When attached wireless, labels print in fits and starts.


First, I'd determine if signal strength is part of the issue. If you
temporarily move one of the printers to relatively close to one of the APs,
does it pause less? If so, there are at least three choices:

1) Replace the AP antennas with higher gain and (if practical) directional
ones -- maybe with an amplifier too
2) If the printer has an external antenna lead, try a different antenna on
the printer
3) Take another WAP54G, config to "AP client mode", then cable it and
printer(s) to small switch

This third option is one way of doing the "wireless bridge" previously
mentioned. The WAP54G can be used a number of ways if you have a pair of
them:

1) As a normal AP, where individual clients connect wirelessly to the AP
2) Wireless bridge (only) mode. Think of this as a virtual cable between
two switches:

switch --> WAP54G (bridge mode) <---------> WAP54G (bridge mode)
--> switch

Wired clients can be hooked to any switch. In bridge mode, no wireless
clients can connect to the WAP54G. You configure each with the MAC address
of the other unit and they *only* talk to each other.

3) One WAP54G in normal AP mode, the second in "AP client mode".

This is a combination of 1 and 2. The first unit acts as a normal AP, so
clients can still connect. The second WAP54G is placed in AP client mode,
and connects as a bridge to the main AP. It then leads to a switch to
connect an entire wired segment to the original AP.

The advantages to method 3 are that you gain dual diversity antennas on the
second WAP54G, can position it where it has better signal strength, can use
better antennas, yada, yada. It also knows what AP to connect to, because
you configure the MAC address as part of the client mode setup of the
WAP54G.

The reason this may be significant is that the firmware used in some
wireless clients will periodically stop transmit / receive and rescan for
available networks to see if it can hop to another one with better
strength. While doing so, other TCP traffic will be suspended. This really
shows up when doing streaming video, because it acts just like what you are
describing. Normal traffic, then a pause, more traffic, a pause, etc.

If both printers are relatively close to each other, consider trying another
WAP54G configed to "AP client mode", run it to a small switch, and attach
both printers to it. The config on the main AP will not need to change.

Doug