The current roaming algorithm is incorrect. The main issue is the
presence of roaming gaps in specific regions of the defined signal
levels in wpa_supplicant_need_to_roam(). The following table
illustrates these gaps.
These gaps are introduced due to the comparison of absolute integer
values instead of a signed comparison. For example, in the preferred
5 GHz signal level range (-80,-75) roaming will occur at delta
(selected - current) levels of -2, -1 and > 1 dBm. In this case, no
roaming is permitted with the delta value equal to 0. Similar
circumstances occur in the range (-75,-70).
The second issue is related to the handling of positive signal levels.
Although, this is not a physically common use case due to the limit on
the WiFi signal power level. Nevertheless, it is being handled
incorrectly by the algorithm. First, for the preferred 5GHz signal
levels, roaming will happen at any value, as the calculated absolute
|current - select| is never < 0. Second, when operating frequency is
similar, i.e. both are 5 or both 2.4 GHz, roaming with positive signal
level will occur at a signal level delta of <-2 and >2. Hence, a gap
is present where no roaming is possible at -1, 0 and 1 dBm.
Current Broken State
====================
Standard Roam Criteria (both select and current frequences are either
2.4 or 5 GHz)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Level < -85 selected - current >= 1 min_diff = 1
-85 < Current Level < -80 selected - current >= 2 min_diff = 2
-80 < Current Level < -75 selected - current >= 3 min_diff = 3
-75 < Current Level < -70 selected - current >= 4 min_diff = 4
-70 < Current Level < 0 selected - current >= 5 min_diff = 5
Current Level > 0 selected - current >= 2 min_diff = 2
( Roams at delta < -2, > 2 , gap at delta -1 0 1 )
Preferred 5GHz ( current channel frequency 2.4 and select frequency is 5.0 GHz)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Level < -85 selected - current >= -2 min_diff = 0
-85 < Current Level < -80 selected - current >= -2 min_diff = 0
-80 < Current Level < -75 selected - current >= 1 min_diff = 1
( roams at delta -2, -1 and > 1, does not roam at delta 0 )
-75 < Current Level < -70 selected - current >= 2 min_diff = 2
( roams at delta -2 and > 2, does not roam at delta -1 0 1 )
-70 < Current Level < 0 selected - current >= 3 min_diff = 3
Current Level > 0 selected - current >= any min_diff = 0
The proposed fix in the attached patch eliminates incorrect roams.
The following data was collected from the revised algorithm
implementation.
Proposed Fix
============
Standard Roam Criteria (both select and current frequences are either
2.4 or 5 GHz)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Level < -85 selected - current >= 1 min_diff = 1
-85 < Current Level < -80 selected - current >= 2 min_diff = 2
-80 < Current Level < -75 selected - current >= 3 min_diff = 3
-75 < Current Level < -70 selected - current >= 4 min_diff = 4
Current Level > -70 selected - current >= 5 min_diff = 5
Preferred 5GHz ( current channel frequency 2.4 and select frequency is 5.0 GHz)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Level < -85 selected - current >= -2 min_diff = -2
-85 < Current Level < -80 selected - current >= -2 min_diff = -2
-80 < Current Level < -75 selected - current >= 1 min_diff = 1
-75 < Current Level < -70 selected - current >= 2 min_diff = 2
Current Level > -70 selected - current >= 3 min_diff = 3
Signed-off-by: Iyad Qumei <iyad.qumei@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
wpa_supplicant/events.c | 6 +++---
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/wpa_supplicant/events.c b/wpa_supplicant/events.c
index fb77f1d..64a2a54 100644
--- a/wpa_supplicant/events.c
+++ b/wpa_supplicant/events.c
@@ -1700,7 +1700,7 @@ static int wpa_supplicant_need_to_roam(struct
wpa_supplicant *wpa_s,
cur_est = current_bss->est_throughput;
sel_est = selected->est_throughput;
min_diff = 2;
- if (current_bss->level < 0) {
+ {
if (current_bss->level < -85)
min_diff = 1;
else if (current_bss->level < -80)
@@ -1734,9 +1734,9 @@ static int wpa_supplicant_need_to_roam(struct
wpa_supplicant *wpa_s,
if (min_diff > reduce)
min_diff -= reduce;
else
- min_diff = 0;
+ min_diff = -2;
}
- diff = abs(current_bss->level - selected->level);
+ diff = (selected->level - current_bss->level);
if (diff < min_diff) {
wpa_dbg(wpa_s, MSG_DEBUG,
"Skip roam - too small difference in signal level (%d < %d)",
--
2.7.4
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