How does a client select an access point in order to get associated?
A. Access point selection is performed on the machine radio of the client. Based on the manufacturer, driver, and type of card, the client can use different metrics to make the selection. The most common access point affiliation mechanism used in most clients is based on the signal strength received by the client from the access points. The 802.11 standard requires only that the wireless client card uses a simple metric called Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) in order to report signal strength. The client then associates with the access point with the strongest signal. It is known that these algorithms can lead to poor performance. The main reason is due to a lack of knowledge of the load on different access points.
