Controller, Cloud Managed and Standalone WiFi Deployments, Oh My!

Hello all, the speaking.

In the WiFi world, there are three major types of wireless deployments. These are, as the title says, Controller Based, Cloud Managed, and Standalone; They are all different, and each one has its correct application, benefits, and vices. It has come to my attention that the differences among these groups aren’t understood well. Usually people are more interested in the brand name rather than the group it falls in. And that’s okay, I am here to help you choose the correct WLAN solution for your needs. Just to clarify, I will NOT be going into a discussion of which manufacturer falls into which category, or which one is better. That type of battle is best left alone for another day.

1. Standalone APs:

The first and most popular type is the Standalone deployment. I want to clarify: Standalone does not necessarily mean a single Access Point (AP). All it means is that each AP is its own entity and acts separately from any other device. You can have many Standalone APs, but they will not ‘talk’ and ‘share’ information with each other. They can even have the same SSID, password, encryption type, etc., but they would still be considered Standalone, as you would need to manage all the devices separately, instead of from a centralized location.

The Standalone deployment fits perfectly in any small sized area, where 1 or 2 APs provide good coverage. Consequently, these deployments are very popular in small retail stores, branch offices, and homes. Just as an example, almost everyone has a wireless enabled router providing WiFi at home. While you may call that device a “router”, “modem” or any other name, it is in fact one of the previously mentioned devices with an integrated AP.

Some of the benefits and disadvantages of Standalone APs are listed below.

Pros:

• Low Cost: The main benefit of Standalone AP deployments as you can imagine, is the low cost. Usually only the APs is needed, and sometimes a relatively inexpensive license.

• Easy Deployment – Standalone APs, are generally easier to deploy, as the configuration is usually simple and intuitive. In addition, there will usually be only 1 or 2 APs in total that need to be configured/managed.

Cons:

• No Centralized Management – If you have multiple AP and want to make one little change, you would have to make the change on each AP separately, which I think is a waste of precious time. It may not sound like it, but managing more than 2-3 Standalone APs will prove difficult and problems will arise very fast.

• APs will Not Play Nice – Because each AP acts as its own boss, they will likely try to overpower each other in the race to provide better signal to its clients. Some of the issues that may arise are: Constant switching of channels (if channel selection is set to Auto), increasing power output which causes more interference, and so on. Autonomous APs can even attack each other if they have misconfigured Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (ISP). It is possible to have a full on Denial of Service (DoS) war between your own APs, which I think would be absolutely amusing.

• No Roaming – Roaming is the smooth transition from one AP to the next as you walk from one coverage cell to the next. As autonomous APs do not talk to each other, roaming will not work. Basically, you will be stuck on one AP until the signal drops off completely. It is very likely to stand under a new AP which has excellent signal, yet you are still connected to another AP that is far away and barely receiving any signal.

• Broadcast/Multicast Services May Not Function Correctly – Services which rely on broadcast and multicast may be affected. For example, if you are connected to an AP, and trying to talk to your Apple TV in the other room, chances are it will not work, even though both devices are on the same network.

• Limited Configuration Settings – With Standalone APs, you often get many less possible settings you can configure. While you will certainly be able to set up a basic network environment, a Controller or Cloud managed solution will have many, many more settings and options to tweak and play with.

• Not Scalable – Because the Standalone solution is mainly for very few APs, it obviously wouldn’t scale well. I mean, no one will stop you from buying 200 Standalone APs and throwing them in your environment, but be ready to also create 600 IT helpdesk positions as well. I do not recommend more than 2-3 standalone APs per deployment, and if you have more than that you are better off just getting a controller or a cloud managed solution.

     2. Controller Based Deployment

And no, we aren’t referring to video games

We mean these controllers:

When people started deploying multiple APs in a single location, they realized how cumbersome it was to manage all the APs individually. The masses demanded a way of managing multiple APs from a single location, and so the Controller was born. A Controller is just what the name says: a device that ‘controls’ and manages all the APs you have. You would plug your APs either directly into the controller, or have the Controller and all APs connected to a switch. Once the APs have established a connection to the Controller, firmware updates, settings and so forth are all done once, and from one location.

Let’s take a look at some Pros and Cons of Controller deployments.

Pros:

• Simplified Control – A Controller solves the configuration and management problem of multiple APs. You can now do the configuration once, and it gets pushed to all APs.

• Many Settings – Controllers bring more functionality to the table with features like roaming, QoS, load and client balancing, RF environment monitoring, WLAN overview, troubleshooting, as well as many more depending on the make and model. (Some of the afore-listed features are available on standalone APs as well, but if you compare the amount of settings you can change on a Standalone AP vs. a Controller, you will see what I am going on about).

• You own your equipment – There is a certain appeal to paying once for something and knowing you own it forever. While a license may be needed in certain cases, most controllers will work without up-to-date support licenses just fine. This is often a requirement by old timers.

• Physical Security – Because the Controller device is located on your own premise, you may secure it any way you want. Certain entities want to have physical control of their equipment and squint at the idea of having anything in the cloud.

Cons:

• Single Point of Failure Unless Redundant Controllers are Purchased –  Nothing is perfect, and neither are controllers.  A problem with the introduction of a controller is it creates a single point of failure. If the controller malfunctions, all of your APs stop working as well. Sure you can buy redundant controllers for high availability, but now you have to purchase an extra controller, which brings me to my next point.

• High Initial Cost – Controllers are pricey pieces of hardware, and more often than not require additional support and licensing, even if it’s a one-time cost. If you decide to purchase a redundant controller, it only raises that initial cost.

• Low Scalability – With controllers, you have to predict and plan very carefully for growth. Controllers have a maximum number of APs supported, such as 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, etc. If you need to add 1 AP more than what your controller supports, you have to purchase a whole new higher end model controller. As we already went through this, controllers are very pricey, and buying a new one every 4 months isn’t a great idea. And if you are thinking about getting the controller with the highest amount of supported APs, well, you can do that, except those high end controllers also come with a high end price tag.

• Having Multiple Locations is Difficult – Managing APs at different locations becomes very difficult. One way to do it is to have controllers in each branch, which will add unnecessary cost to the project. The best option is to have the APs connect to a controller in HQ.  In this case, you will most likely need to have the same VLAN spanning on all locations where you want to place APs. The reason for that  is that the controller will need a way of communicating with the APs, and it usually means Layer 2 connectivity. Smaller branch offices with less than 5 persons usually just do not have the hardware equipment capable of establishing such a connection to HQ. Latency is also a factor that should be considered – If it’s too high, the APs will not be able to function.

     3. Cloud Managed Deployment

Cloud managed solutions are something fairly new in the wireless world. Well, not that new since they have been out there for a few years now – but still pretty new.

At some point, manufacturers realized there is a way to provide all the functionality of controllers, without customers having to purchase the expensive devices. The way it works is you buy the APs, and connect them to the manufacturer’s cloud. The manufacturer has Virtual Machines (VMs) running virtual controllers for you to use — at a cost of course.  The best analogy I can use to explain how Cloud managed solutions work is you are leasing the ‘controller’ for a certain amount of time.

To manage and control your APs, you need to first connect them to the internet. Then open an internet browser and log in to the manufacturer’s portal webpage. You may now start configuring! Simple right?

Like the other ones, here is the Good and the Bad!

Pros:

• Many Settings – Just like physical controllers, Cloud Managed solutions bring more functionality to the table.

• Simplified Control – Same functionality as a physical controller; Cloud Managed solutions solve the configuration and management problem of multiple APs.

• Scalability – A huge benefit of cloud managed deployments is scalability. If your company starts growing exponentially and starts branching off, all you need to do is purchase more APs and licenses. More branch offices? No problem! Layer 2, or any layer of connectivity for that matter, is not needed to HQ. As long as there is an active internet link, buy those APs and license and enjoy the WiFi!

• Low Initial Cost – All the benefits of a physical controller without the initial cost. All you need to do is purchase the number of APs and licenses you need.

• High Availability – Cloud managed solutions do not have a single point of failure, so you automatically get high availability. The manufacturer from whom your purchased your Cloud Managed APs will have equipment in data centers that is built with redundancy in mind, as well as several data centers for redundant sites as well.

Note: A common question is  “Well since the controller is in the cloud, what if my internet connection stops working?”  The answer is, your APs will continue to work as usual. You will still be able to access your local resources, and new devices will be able to associate.

Cons:

• License Based – Pay to Play – you need to have a license. Without licenses, the APs you just purchased will be nothing more than paper weights. If you have a license but it expired, depending on the make, your APs will either lose the ability to be managed/configured or completely stop working. “I can name fingers and point names” as Captain Jack Sparrow would say, but I have already done this in another blog post.

• No Configuration/Management Without Internet – If the internet link goes down, configuring, managing, and adding new APs to the network will not work. If you are at a different location with an internet access, any settings and configuration changes you make will be applied to the APs when their internet connectivity is restored.

• Management/Control is in the Cloud – This is often viewed as a negative by financial institutions, or anyone who is paranoid about security. It is important to understand that only control and management traffic is being sent from the APs to the cloud, and NO data whatsoever. In addition, Cloud Managed solutions are PCI and HIPAA compliant. Even with all that however, I have to put this in the Cons section as I am yet to see a financial company using a Cloud managed WLAN.

• May Be More Expensive Over Time – Because you are ‘leasing’ the controller function, over several years it may become more cost effective to have purchased a physical Controller. The period at which Cloud Managed solutions become more expensive varies on many factors like number of APs, length of license purchased, controller model being compared, and many more.

Which one of the above deployments is right for you? Well, it really depends on your requirements and personal preferences. Hopefully  I was able to make your choice a little bit easier.

If you have any questions, we are here to help, so give us a call at 866-725-1025!

Peter Yordanov, Signing Out.