Optimize Radio Usage

Management frames such as beacons, and probe and association requests and responses, consume airtime that might otherwise be used to transmit user data. Configure the following settings to minimize management traffic by using higher data rates, and suppressing and reducing probe and association responses under certain circumstances.

Note

Note

Use caution when configuring radio optimization settings. When device configuration limits specific clients, there is a risk that end user clients will deny access to the WLAN.​ Extreme Networks provides default values for each setting. Modifying the radio configuration is optional and should be done with caution.
  1. Go to Configure > Common Objects > Policy > Radio Profiles.
  2. Select an existing radio profile, and then select Edit, or select Add.
  3. Choose High data rates to transmit management frames at the highest basic data rate specified in an SSID or Low data rates to use the lowest basic data rate.
  4. Select Suppress successive requests within the same beacon interval to enable APs to suppress responses to repeated probe requests from the same client received within a single beacon interval.
  5. Select Suppress response to broadcast probes by to reduce responses to broadcast probe requests by enabling only one of several SSIDs to respond, in rotation, or reduce responses from specific client device types.
    With this feature enabled, select a suppression method:
    1. Select Allowing only one SSID to respond at a time to enable a single SSID to respond at a time.
    2. For Reducing responses to certain client device types select the add icon to add a new MAC OUI.
    Note

    Note

    The suppression setting is disabled by default when high-density WLAN optimization is enabled.
  6. Enable Band Steering and select a mode from the menu.
  7. Use the slider to set the Allowed percentage distribution of 2.4 and 5.0 GHz clients.
  8. Enable Client Load Balancing and configure the threshold settings.
    Table 1. Load balance clients based on
    Airtime Number of clients
    Ignore probe and association requests per device when threshold exceeds:
    • CRC Error Rate
    • RF Interference
    • Average Airtime Per Client
    Ignore probe and association requests from clients associated with other Extreme Networks devices until:
    • Anchor Period Elapses
    • Query neighbors about client load every
    Ignore probe and association requests from clients associated with other Extreme Networks devices until:
    • Anchor Period Elapses
    • Query neighbors about client load every
  9. Enable Radio Load Balancing and specify the Number of Connection Attempts.
  10. Enable Weak Signal Probe Request Suppression and specify the Signal-to-Noise Threshold in dB.
  11. Enable Safety Net and specify the time elapse, in seconds or minutes, before a device again responds to association requests after an overload incident.
  12. Configure Configure Radio Settings.
  13. Select SAVE RADIO PROFILE.