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WirelessTransparentBridgingWithWDS|GregSowellConsulting

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WirelessTransparentBridgingWithWDS

WDS(WirelessDistributionSystem)isameanstotransparentlybridgewirelessAPs.Whatexactlydoestransparentbridgingmean?Atransparent
bridgeisbasicallyturningyourwirelesslinksintoanethernetcable.Ittakesanythingputintoonesideandspitsitoutontheother.
Thisisgreatforconnectingtwolocations.ThisisoftenusedfortowersthatutilizearouterinthecenterthatdoesPPPoEaggregationwithseparate
radiostobringinclients.AnothernoteisthatWDSimplementationsdoesntspanvendors.Vendorsusetheirownproprietaryversions.

GenerallyyourunonesideasanAPwithWDSandtheothersideasastationWDSclient.YoucangenerallyconnecttwoAPsrunningWDS,but
thisisusuallyunnecessary.

Mikrotik
InMikrotikwehavetocreateabridgeinterface.Wethenaddourdesiredethernetinterfacestothebridge.OncetheradiosconnectaWDSinterface
isautomaticallycreatedandaddedtoourbridge.Thiswillconnecttheethernetinterfacesacrossthewirelessvialayer2.
APRadio

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Createabridgeinterface

Addabridgeport.Thiswillbe
theethernetinterfacethatisto
bebridged.

SetthemodetoAPbridge.

SetWDSmodetodynamic
withbridgeinterfacesettoour
newlycreatedbridge.
StationRadio

Createabridgeinterface

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Addabridgeport.Thiswillbe
theethernetinterfacethatisto
bebridged.

Setthewirelessmodetostation
wds.

SetWDSmodetodynamic
withbridgeinterfacesettoour
newlycreatedbridge.

Ubiquiti
Inubiquitiwedonthavetogothroughthetroubleofcreatingbridgesandsuch,wejustmakesuretoleavethenetworkmodeinitsdefaultbridge
modeandthenconfiguringthewirelessinterfacesasfollows.
APRadio

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StationRadio

IfyoulikethisarticleyoucanleavemeacommentifyouhateitblameTimPaynecauseitwashisideahehehehe
Like 6peoplelikethis.Bethefirstofyourfriends.

FiledunderMikrotik,Networking
14Comments
leaveacomment
1.JustinWilson/May22011

WDSisthewaytogoforsure
2.Greg/May22011

Itisthebreakfastofchampions.YoucanalternatelydoEOIPtunnelsorVPLS,butitaddsoverheadandcomplexity.
3.JustinM/May22011

IvereadthatyoutakeaperformancehitwithWDSduetotheimplementationinherentin802.11.Whatisyourtakeonthat?
WevebeendoingMPLS/VPLSbridges.Itsbeenworkingoutgoodsofarbutitismorecomplex.Wehavehadsomeissuewiththewireless
linkcomingbackbuttheVPLStunnelnotreestablishingitself.CouldnotgetthetunnelbacksoIrebootedbothdevicesanditworkedafter
that.Anyideahowtoresolvethatinthefuturewithoutreboots?
4.Robert/May32011

OnethingIvenoticedintestingMikrotikversusUbiquitigearisthateveninWDSmode,theUbiquitigearhasproblemswithmulticast
traffic.
Iwastestingsendingjust2mbitofmulticastvideooverawirelesslinktoastationwithaSTBprototypeandconsistentlywithUbiquitigearI
wasgettingdropouts.
RocketM2NanoStationM2andNSM2NSM2both,inWDSandnonWDSmodes,Airmaxonandoff,etc5.2.1andcurrentstable5.3
branchsoftwares
Noneofthemworkedproperly.
Then,forgrins,IsetupaMikrotikSXTinWDSmodeanditworksbeautifully.Notasingledropoutatseveralmulticaststreamsuptoand
passing10mbit.EvenwhentheUnicasttrafficisrunningseveraldozenmbitatthesametime.
5.Greg/May32011

@Robert
IveheardofissueswithUBNTandmulticastspecificallyhowitpacmansOSPFmulticasttraffic.Iwasundertheimpressionthatthiswas
rectified,thoughfromyourreportstheyarestillworkingoutthekinks.IhaveyettotestanyoftheSXTstuffIvenothadanydistributors
crazyenoughtosendmereviewsampleshehe.
PerhapsJJcanchimeinheconstantlyhashisUBNTgearinfluxtesting.
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6.Greg/May32011

@Justin
Youmaytakeasmallhit,butthatisasmallpricetopay.Ifyourgetting75Mbfullduplexonyourlinkandyourinternetconnectionbackat
theborderisonly45Mb,thenyouwontreallynoticetheperformacehit
7.JustinWilson/May42011

AirmaxradiosdohaveissueswithOSPF.5.3seemstohavefixedtheissuesIhavebeeseeing.BeforethatIwasrunningEOIPtunnelsand
runningOSPFacrossthem.
8.Greg/May42011

@Justin
ThebestwaytoworkaroundtheissueistodisableOSPFsdefaultbehaviorofusingmulticastandswitchingittounicast.UndertheOSPF
interface,setthetypetoNBMA(nonbroadcastmultiaccess).Youthensetallofthepeersintheneighbortable.Thiswillcausetherouterto
sendallcommunicationsunicast,thusbypassingthemulticastissues.
9.Jim/May42011

Willthisworkinapointtomultipointconfiguration?Forexample,usingMikrotik,couldtherebeoneradiosettoAPBridgeandtwo
radiosindifferentlocationssettostationWDS?Thiswouldsimplyaverysmallcustomernetworkifitwouldwork.Thanksinadvance.
10.Greg/May42011

@Jim
Thiswillindeedworkpointtomultipoint.
11.JustinM/May42011

@gregourborderis200mbitwithasprawlingbackhaulthatspans7linkslong,~15miles,andover30building.Thefurtherawayabuilding
isfromourborder,themoreimportantitisforeachlinktobeatpeakoperation.
Wevegotabout8or9SXTsoutinthefieldandtheyaregoodforlessthen1milelinksinanurbanenvironment.
WehavesomeUBNTgearbutswappeditoutforMT.Besttobestandardized.UBNTalsorebootswaytoomuch.
12.Greg/May42011

@Justin
IassumeyouaredoingNv2onyourSXTlinks?
13.JustinM/May42011

Yeah,NV2withmpls/vpls.DualpolN.20Mhzchw/control.Betweenradiointerfaceswecando196MbpsUDPinlab.Wehavedeployed
linksdoing130MbpsUDPtest.(SXTtoDualPolSector)
14.Greg/May42011

@Justin
UDPisdeadtome!Itinnowayreflectsrealistictraffic,butisfuntosee.Itsurewillmaxoutalink,though.
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