Which is the traffic flow when using a Controller?

[guibarati]

I have a little doubt and I didn't find an answare at cisco.com. I whant to know which is the flow of the data in a Wireless LAN when you are using a controller? I mean, if I have a computer connected to wireless lan, when i get or send data through the network this traffic goes through the contrloller ? or goes straigh from the computer on WLan to a computer in the lan?

[Aaron Harrison]

Hi

If you are using a Wireless LAN Controller (2006, 440x or 4100) then all traffic is routed through the controller via an LWAPP tunnel... The exception to this is 1030 APs running in REAP mode that can bridge locally (i.e. direct from WLAN to LAN...

Regards

Aaron

Please rate helpful posts...

[o-ziltener]

Not true. The traffic through the controller is not routed, just simple bridged.

Perhaps you mean that the lwapp traffic is routable.

best regards

Oliver

[jakew]

Wireless client data traffic flows through the controller. It is encapsulated in LWAPP between the AP and controller.

[johnruffing]

Short answer: Unless you are running an access point in REAP mode (a mode typically used in a small remote branch office with no more than a few APs at that branch), wireless client traffic is tunnelled to the controller using LWAPP where it is de-encapsulated and placed on the designated VLAN on the network.