If your ClickShare Buttons are not able to connect to the Base Unit or are being disconnected during sharing sessions the most likely causes of these issues are likely caused by the following:
- Wireless channel congestion
- Low signal strength
- Outside RF interference
- Rogue Wi-Fi mitigation
- Dynamic channel load-balancing Corporate network integration
Note: If you're an end user and encounter difficulty performing specific troubleshooting tips provided here, please contact your ClickShare admin with details of the issue, including reference to KB5431, for the necessary assistance.
A. Wireless channel congestion
The ClickShare Buttons connect to a wireless network that is generated by the Base Unit. If the Base Unit's wireless network is sharing a channel with other wireless SSIDs there may be enough congestion on that channel to prevent the Base Unit from connecting or destabilize a connection that has already been established, resulting in disconnection.
The Recommended settings for a ClickShare Base Unit are to use a 5Ghz channel that is not occupied by any other SSIDs. This will give the Base Unit the full amount of bandwidth of the channel and allow it to work at peak performance. It is important to use the 5GHz frequency band to avoid adjacent-channel interference encountered in the often crowded 2.4Ghz frequency band. In order to check for congestion please follow the directions for using Wi-Fi scanning software in this article: Will ClickShare interfere with other wireless devices?.
For more detailed recommendations on configuring the Base Unit's wireless network please check the Recommendations for Wi-Fi configuration section of the ClickShare Network Deployment Whitepaper (available in the Downloads section below).
B. Low signal strength
Low signal strength can be another source of issues with connecting or staying connected. If there are any physical obstructions between the Base Unit and the Button during use you can try removing them to see if the performance of the system improves. Obstructions include but are not limited to TVs that the base unit may be installed behind equipment racks, podiums, desks, and any other object that is directly between the Base Unit and the Button.
C. Outside RF interference
The frequency bands used by the ClickShare and other 802.11 compliant wireless devices are full of other kinds of transmissions that can interfere with the operation of ClickShare but are not visible in Wi-Fi scanning software because they are not Wi-Fi signals. Devices such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, audio/video transmitters, PIR motion sensors, video monitors, and drones. Examples of these devices and their use of the 2.4 GHz frequency band is available here:
https://www.metageek.com/training/resources/wifi-and-non-wifi-interference
D. Rogue Wi-Fi mitigation
Some enterprise-grade wireless systems have security features (for example: Cisco Air Marshal) that allow for the containment of unauthorized Wi-Fi networks within the footprint of the enterprise wifi installation. If you are having issues with newly installed ClickShare in a corporate environment please consult with the IT department to ensure that the ClickShare Base Unit's wireless network is not inadvertently being contained.
See KB 4909 for information on ClickShare SSID detected rogue Wi-Fi.
E. Dynamic channel load-balancing Corporate network integration
Other equipment (e.g. CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine Express, Meraki, Extreme, or Aruba Networks) may also use dynamic allocation of wireless channels, resulting in intermittent congestion issues.
If the Button is not choosing the best Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) in a corporate network, it’s most likely that the Clickshare Base Units are being load-balanced by the AP’s.
AP’s with load balancing enabled will lower their power to make clients roam to another AP. The Clickshare Button will not roam, it will disconnect if the channel is changed by the AP.
When a Button starts scanning and the closest AP has a temporary lower power output the Button will lock to the higher power option, which may be further away and not the optimal AP.
After connecting the Button will not auto switch back to the closest AP, even when the closest AP is outputting higher power again.
For optimum ClickShare performance, align with your IT admin to disable AP load balancing and reserve a free channel for ClickShare.
There are a plethora of methods to connect the Buttons via a corporate wireless network, see the ClickShare Corporate Network Integration and/or ClickShare Network Integration whitepaper in the Downloads section below for detailed administration and guidance on Corporate Network integration.
If re-pairing the Button does not work as a last resort, factory reset the Base Unit, flash the Base Unit firmware again, and then re-pair the Buttons.
See KB 4887 for related information on Button disconnection due to load balancing.
Note: If you're experiencing any other issues related to Button disconnection, please contact Barco Helpdesk by creating a service ticket (how to: see KB 6024).
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