In one embodiment, a supervisory device in a network forms a virtual access point (VAP) for a node in the network whereby a plurality of access points (APs) in the network are mapped to the VAP as part of a VAP mapping. The node treats the APs in the VAP mapping as a single AP for purposes of communicating with the network. The supervisory device determines a data traffic management strategy for the node based on traffic associated with the node. The supervisory device instructs the APs in the VAP mapping to implement the data traffic management strategy for the node.