H3C Technologies H3C WX6000 Series Access Controllers - Manual (Page 311)

32-2
As shown in Figure 32-1 , the concepts involved in WLAN mesh are described below.
Concept Description
Access controller (AC) A device that controls and manages all the APs in the WLAN.
Mesh point (MP)
A wireless AP that connects to a mesh portal point (MPP) through a
wireless connection but cannot have any client attached
Mesh access point (MAP) An AP providing the mesh service and the access service concurrently
Mesh portal point (MPP) A wireless AP that connects to an AC through a wired connection
Mesh link A wireless link between MPs
Advantages of WLAN Mesh
The WLAN mesh technology allows operators to easily deploy wireless networks anywhere and
anytime. WLAN mesh has the following advantages:
1) High performance/price ratio
In a mesh network, only the MPPs need to connect to a wired network. In this way, the dependency on
the wired network is reduced to the minimum extent, and the investment in wired devices, cabling, and
installation is greatly reduced.
2) Excellent scalability
In a mesh network, the APs can automatically discover each other and initiate wireless link setup. To
add new APs to the mesh network, you just need to install these new APs and perform the related
configurations on them.
3) Fast deployment
Since only the MPPs need to connect to a wired network, WLAN mesh greatly reduces the network
deployment time.
4) Various application scenarios
The mesh network is applicable to enterprise, office, and campus networks, which are common
application scenarios of traditional WLANs, and also applicable to large-sized warehouse, port, MAN,
railway transportation, and crisis communication networks.
5) High reliability
In a traditional WLAN, when the wired upstream link of an AP fails, all clients associated with the AP
cannot access the WLAN. Comparatively, in a mesh network, all APs are fullly meshed. There are
multiple available wireless links for a mesh AP to reach a portal node in the wired network, thus avoiding
single point failure effectively.
Deployment Scenarios
This section covers deployment scenarios of WLAN mesh, which come into two categories: one is for
subway networking and the other is for normal networking.