®
ISL36356A-APDK
Application Note
Introduction to the
Wireless Distribution
System (WDS) and
Features
This document explains the Wireless Distribution System
(WDS) and its features as implemented in the APDK
versions 1.2, 2.0, and higher. A WDS allows you to make a
completely wireless infrastructure. Normally, the access
points must be connected with a wire (LAN). These access
points create cells allowing a wireless connection. The WDS
feature allows the access points to be wirelessly connected.
This feature is normally used in large, open areas where
pulling a wire is restricted or not cost effective and in
residential circumstances.
If the structure utilizing an access point is too large to cover
using one AP, a second AP would be used as a wireless
repeater. The WDS feature as shown below in Figure 1,
uses a single radio in the access point both for the wireless
cell and the connection to another access point (backbone
connection).
LAN 1
LAN 2
BSS 1
WDS LINK
ACCESS ACCESS
POINT 1 POINT 2
FIGURE 1. WDS BRIDGE SETUP
Wireless Bridge
The first use for AP-to-AP communication is the creation of a
wireless bridge between two wired networks. AP1 can be
configured to forward all data to AP2 and vice versa.
Both APs apply the same wireless parameters, thus
enabling the two to communicate. As a bridge, both APs
learn the network devices which are connected to their
respective Ethernet ports to limit the amount of data
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May 2002 AN1007
forwarded. Data destined for stations that are known to
reside on the peer Ethernet, multicast data, or unknown
destination must be forwarded to the peer AP. The fact that
the data is being bridged is completely transparent; i.e., the
data received by the LAN station is identical to data that
would be received if both LAN stations had been connected
to the same wire.
Wireless Repeater
The WDS has forwarding functionality for extending the
range of an AP. By setting up an extended service set (ESS)
between access points 1 and 2 and manually configuring the
WDS peers, stations can intersect with any AP of this ESS
and move between the coverage of both APs while the
higher layer network connection remains intact. This is
similar to the mobility provided in an ESS environment with a
wired distribution system (see [802.11]). This means that the
WDS link is used as the distribution system.
As in the bridging set-up, you can add several WDS links for
extending greater area coverage. One drawback is the
possibility that loops in the network can be created. It is
imperative for the AP to communicate with other APs to
handle network loops. This is accomplished by way of a
spanning tree algorithm as seen in Figure 2 below. Another
drawback of this functionality is the degradation of the
performance by half as the data is transmitted twice in order
to reach the destination.
WIRED LAN
BSS 2
ACCESS
POINT 1
BSS 2
WDS LINK ACCESS
POINT 2
STATION C
STATION A
STATION B
FIGURE 2. WDS REPEATER SETUP
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 Application Note AN1007

The repeater function is configured in the web server. To

enable the repeater mode, you would configure two APs with
TABLE 1. TYPICAL THROUGHPUT PERFORMANCE OF TWO
each other’s MAC address. The MAC address you give both WIRELESS APs CONNECTED BY WDS
APs has an identical SSID and ACL list (just as if they were
WIRELESS WIRED CLIENTS AT ONE
wire connected). You can use up to eight APs in the WDS
WIRELESS CLIENTS ON AP, WIRELESS CLIENTS
mode, but because their functionality resides on the same CLIENTS ONLY BOTH APs ON OTHER AP
channel as both a WDS unit and an AP, throughput will go
4.8 1.5 2.5
down (see Tables 1 and 2).

WDS and Security

As previously discussed, the AP supports WDS links for TABLE 2. TYPICAL THROUGHPUT PERFORMANCE OF
establishing links between APs. These links should use the THREE WIRELESS APs CONNECTED BY WDS
same security methods as regularly associated stations. If WIRELESS CLIENTS ON
the privacy method in use is an open system or WEP, then WIRED CLIENTS ONLY ALL THREE APs
the WDS links can be set-up accordingly. For WEP, both (THROUGHPUT) (THROUGHPUT)
peers should know the secret WEP key. 2.5 1.4

Spanning Tree Algorithm

One drawback of transparent bridging lies in network
topologies with loops due to multiple bridges. Data could Interoperability
potentially be forwarded and duplicated endlessly. This can
The WDS feature is not completely specified in IEEE or Wifi
be prevented by discovering other bridges in the network
standards. Therefore interoperability between 802.11
topology and establishing forwarding rules such that one
products of different vendors is not guaranteed.
bridge forwards data between network segments. This is
done by using the spanning tree algorithm (STP).
WDS Configuration
The spanning tree algorithm makes it possible to handle In versions 1.2 and 2.0 of the APDK, the WDS link can be
more than two LAN segments. It is possible to have multiple configured by entering the peer Access Point MAC address
segments form a large network by point-to-multipoint in each other’s AP configuration application.
connections. This implies that the AP is able to set-up
multiple WDS links. In the APDK 1.2 and 2.0 versions, there Further, the settings of the two (or more) APs must be the
is a maximum of 8 WDS links. same (as in the radio channel).

If you want to use the AP only as a wireless bridge, you can • For making a point-to-point link between two WDS APs,
Each AP’s MAC address must be entered in the ACL list
deny regular wireless stations to join with the bridging APs
of the corresponding AP. As a result, other clients are not
and thereby avoid pollution of the wireless medium with
allowed on both APs.
undesired data traffic, e.g., by using the access control list
(ACL list). • Configuring WDS links and using the repeater mode is
described in the APDK end user manual under
Finally, a wireless bridge is commonly used to connect the Configuring WDS Links with an Intersil APDK.
LANs of different sites from one and the same company. The
distance between those sites normally exceed the maximum
range of the AP. For deploying the AP as a wireless bridge, it
is necessary to be able to adjust transmission settings like
the transmit power and maximum delay for increasing the
outdoor range of the AP. The APDK 1.2 and 2.0 can be used
for this, but the sample firmware and web server do not
expose this functioanlity. The customer can easily develop
this in the open source code of these products.

WDS and Performance

A normal Bridge link will have the same performance as
when using the AP with a client (see Tables 1 and 2). Using
the AP both as WDS link and with a client will cause a
throughput drop by 50 % when either a wireless client is
added or a WDS AP is added.

2
 Application Note AN1007

• In Figure 3, peer APs can be added by clicking on the add Configuring WDS Links with an Intersil
button. The window in Figure 4 (below) will then pop up.
APDK
The Mac address of the peer AP must be entered with
separators between every two characters. In Figure 4, peer APs can be added by clicking on the “add”
button. The window as shown in Figure 4 will then pop up.
The Mac address of the peer AP must be entered with
separators between every two characters.

FIGURE 3. SCREENSHOTS OF CONFIGURING WDS LINKS

WITH AN INTERSIL APDK FIGURE 4. ADD PEER ACCESS POINTS

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