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Professional Access Point
Administrator Guide
Wireless Distribution System - 154
and West Wing access points with a WDS link to create a single network for clients in both areas.
Using WDS to Extend the Network Beyond the Wired Coverage Area
An ESS can extend the reach of the network into areas where cabling would be difficult, costly, or
inefficient.
For example, suppose you have an access point which is connected to the network by Ethernet and
serving multiple clients in one area ("East Wing" in this example) but cannot reach other clients which are
out of range. Suppose also that it is too difficult or too costly to wire the distant area with Ethernet cabling.
You can solve this problem by placing a second access point closer to second group of stations
("Poolside" in this example) and bridge the two APs with a WDS link. This extends your network wirelessly
by providing an extra hop to get to distant stations.
Backup Links and Unwanted Loops in WDS Bridges
Another use for WDS bridging, the creation of backup links, is not supported by the Professional Access
Point. The topic is included here to emphasize that you should not try to use WDS in this way; backup links
will result in unwanted, endless loops of data traffic.
If an access point provides Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), WDS can be used to configure backup paths
between access points across the network. For example, between two access points you could have both
WDS Bridge
Client Station
Client Station
Client Station
"Conference Room" AP
"West Wing" AP
Client Station
LAN Segment 2
LAN Segment 1
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WDS Bridge
Client Station
Client Station
Client Station
"East Wing" AP
"Poolside" AP
Client Station
LAN
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