Access Point Radio Configuration

1. Select Configuration > Devices > System Profile from the web UI.
2. Expand the Interface menu and select Radios.
3. Review the following radio configuration data to determine whether a radio configuration needs to be modified to better support the network:

   Name	Displays whether the reporting radio is radio 1, radio 2 or radio 3. AP 6522, AP 6522M, AP 6532, AP 6562, AP 8132, AP 8232, AP 7161, and AP 7181 models have 2 radios.
   Type	Displays whether the radio has been designated as a typical WLAN radio or if the radio has been designated as a sensor.
   Description	A brief description provided by the administrator when the radio's configuration was added or modified.
   Admin Status	A green check mark means the radio is enabled for client or sensor support. A red “X” means the radio is currently disabled.
   RF Mode	Displays whether each listed radio is operating in the 802.11a/n or 802.11b/g/n radio band. If the radio is a dedicated sensor, it will be listed as a sensor to define the radio as not providing typical WLAN support. If the radio is a client bridge, it provides a typical bridging function and does not provide WLAN support. The radio band is set in the Radio Settings tab.
   Channel	Lists the channel setting for the radio. Smart is the default setting. If set to Smart, the access point scans non-overlapping channels listening for beacons from other access points. After the channels are scanned, it selects the channel with the fewest access points. In the case of multiple access points on the same channel, it selects the channel with the lowest average power level.
   Transmit Power	Lists the transmit power for each radio. The column displays smart if Smart-RF is used to set the transmit power for this radio.
   Overrides	Click Clear to clear overrides made to this radio interface. This field is blank if there are no overrides for this radio.

4. If required, select a radio configuration and click Edit to modify or override portions of its configuration.
   The Radio Settings tab displays by default.
5. Define or override the following radio configuration Properties:

   Description	Provide or edit a description (1 - 64 characters in length) for the radio that helps differentiate it from others with similar configurations.
   Admin Status	Select Active or Shutdown to define this radio‘s availability. When defined as Active, the access point is operational and available for client support, Shutdown renders it unavailable.
   Radio QoS Policy	Use the drop-down menu to specify an existing QoS policy to apply to the access point radio in respect to its intended radio traffic. If no existing policy is suitable for this radio‘s intended operation, select the Create icon to define a new QoS policy.
   Association ACL	Specify an existing Association ACL policy to apply to the radio. An Association ACL is a policy-based Access Control List (ACL) that either prevents or allows wireless clients from connecting to an access point radio. An ACL is a sequential collection of permit and deny conditions that apply to packets. When a packet is received on an interface, the fields in the packet are compared to applied ACLs to verify the packet has the required permissions needed to be forwarded. If a packet does not meet any of the ACL criteria, the packet is dropped. Select the Create icon to define a new Association ACL.

6. Set or override the following Radio Settings for the selected access point radio:
   

   Note

   Most access point models can support up to 256 clients per access point or radio.

   RF Mode	Set the mode to either 2.4 GHz WLAN or 5.0 GHz WLAN depending on the radio‘s intended client support. Set the mode to sensor if you are using the radio for rogue device detection. Set the mode to client-bridge to configure the radio as a client bridge. A client bridge enables the access point to connect to a third party access point and bridge frames to it.
   Lock RF Mode	Select this option to lock Smart RF calibration functions for this radio. The default setting is disabled.
   Channel	Select the channel of operation for the radio. Only a trained installation professional should define the radio channel. Select Smart for the radio to scan non-overlapping channels to listen for beacons from other access points. After channels are scanned, the radio selects the channel with the fewest access points. In case of multiple access points on the same channel, it selects the channel with the lowest average power level. The default value is Smart. Channels with a “w” appended to them are unique to the 40 MHz band.
   DFS Revert Home	Select this option to enable a radio to return to its original channel. Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) prevents a radio from operating in a channel where radar signals are present. When radar signals are detected in a channel, the radio changes its channel of operation to another channel. The radio cannot use the channel it has moved from for the next 30 minutes. When DFS Revert Home is selected, the radio can return back to its original channel of operation when the 30-minute period is over. When not selected, the radio cannot return back to its original channel of operation ever after the mandatory 30-minute evacuation period is over.
   Transmit Power	Set the transmit power of the selected access point radio. If the access point has two radios, each radio should be configured with a unique transmit power in respect to its intended client support function. Select smart to use Smart RF to determine output power. smart is the default value.
   Antenna Gain	Set the antenna between 0.00 - 15.00 dBm. The access point‘s Power Management Antenna Configuration File (PMACF) automatically configures the access point‘s radio transmit power based on the antenna type, its antenna gain (provided here) and the deployed country‘s regulatory domain restrictions. Once provided, the access point calculates the power range. Antenna gain relates the intensity of an antenna in a given direction to the intensity that would be produced ideally by an antenna that radiates equally in all directions (isotropically), and has no losses. Although the gain of an antenna is directly related to its directivity, its gain is a measure that takes into account the efficiency of the antenna as well as its directional capabilities. Only a professional installer should set the antenna gain. The default value is 0.00.
   Antenna Mode	Set the number of transmit and receive antennas on the Access Point. 1x1 is used for transmissions over just the single “A” antenna, 1x3 is used for transmissions over the “A” antenna and all three antennas for receiving. 2x2 is used for transmissions and receipts over two antennas for dual antenna models. The default setting is dynamic, based on the access point model and its transmit power settings.
   Enable Antenna Diversity	Select this option for the radio to dynamically change the number of transmit chains. This option is enabled by default.
   Adaptivity Recovery	Select this option to switch channels when an access point‘s radio is in adaptivity mode. In adaptivity mode, an access point monitors interference on its set channel and stops functioning when the radio‘s defined interference tolerance level is exceeded. When the defined adaptivity timeout is exceeded, the radio resumes functionality on a different channel. This option is enabled by default.
   Adaptivity Timeout	Set the adaptivity timeout from 30 to 3,600 minutes. The default setting is 90 minutes.
   Wireless Client Power	Select this option to enable a spinner control for client radio power transmissions in dBm. The available range is 0 - 20 dBm.
   Dynamic Chain Selection	Select this option to allow the access point radio to dynamically change the number of transmit chains. The radio uses a single chain/antenna for frames at non 802.11n data rates. This setting is disabled by default.
   Rate	Once the radio band is provided, the Rate drop-down menu populates with rate options depending on the 2.4 or 5.0 GHz band selected. If the radio band is set to Sensor or Detector, the Data Rates drop-down menu is not enabled, as the rates are fixed and not user configurable. If 2.4 GHz is selected as the radio band, select separate 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n rates and define how they are used in combination. If 5.0 GHz is selected as the radio band, select separate 802.11a and 802.11n rates define how they are used together. When using 802.11n (in either the 2.4 or 5.0 GHz band), Set a MCS (modulation and coding scheme) in respect to the radio‘s channel width and guard interval. An MCS defines (based on RF channel conditions) an optimal combination of 8 data rates, bonded channels, multiple spatial streams, different guard intervals, and modulation types. Clients can associate as long as they support basic MCS (as well as non-11n basic rates). For more information on 802.11n MCS rates, see “MCS Data Rates".
   Radio Placement	Specify whether the radio is located Indoors or Outdoors. The placement should depend on the country of operation selected and its regulatory domain requirements for radio emissions. The default setting is Indoors.
   Max Clients	Set the maximum permissible client connections for this radio. Set a value from 0 - 256. Most access point models can support up to 256 clients per access point or radio.
   Rate Selection Methods	Specify the algorithm to use for rate selection. Select Standard to use the standard rate selection algorithm. Select Opportunistic to use the Opportunistic rate selection algorithm.

7. Set or override the following WLAN Properties for the selected access point radio:

   Beacon Interval	Set the interval between radio beacons in milliseconds (either 50, 100 or 200). A beacon is a packet broadcast by adopted radios to keep the network synchronized. Included in a beacon is the WLAN service area, radio address, broadcast destination addresses, a time stamp, and indicators about traffic and delivery (such as a DTIM). Increase the DTIM/ beacon settings (lengthening the time) to let nodes sleep longer and preserve battery life. Decrease these settings (shortening the time) to support streaming-multicast audio and video applications that are jittersensitive. The default value is 100 milliseconds.
   DTIM Interval	Set a DTIM Interval to specify a period for Delivery Traffic Indication Messages (DTIM). A DTIM is periodically included in a beacon frame transmitted from adopted radios. The DTIM indicates broadcast and multicast frames (buffered at the access point) are soon to arrive. These are simple data frames that require no acknowledgment, so nodes sometimes miss them. Increase the DTIM/ beacon settings (lengthening the time) to let nodes sleep longer and preserve their battery life. Decrease these settings (shortening the time) to support streaming multicast audio and video applications that are jitter-sensitive.
   RTS Threshold	Specify a Request To Send (RTS) threshold (from 1 - 65,536 bytes) for use by the WLAN's adopted access point radios. RTS is a transmitting station's signal that requests a Clear To Send (CTS) response from a receiving client. This RTS/CTS procedure clears the air where clients are contending for transmission time. Benefits include fewer data collisions and better communication with nodes that are hard to find (or hidden) because of other active nodes in the transmission path. The default value is 65,536 bytes. Control RTS/CTS by setting an RTS threshold. This setting initiates an RTS/ CTS exchange for data frames larger than the threshold, and sends (without RTS/CTS) any data frames smaller than the threshold. Consider the tradeoffs when setting an appropriate RTS threshold for the WLAN's access point radios. A lower RTS threshold causes more frequent RTS/CTS exchanges. This consumes more bandwidth because of additional latency (RTS/CTS exchanges) before transmissions can commence. A disadvantage is the reduction in data-frame throughput. An advantage is quicker system recovery from electromagnetic interference and data collisions. Environments with more wireless traffic and contention for transmission make the best use of a lower RTS threshold. A higher RTS threshold minimizes RTS/CTS exchanges, consuming less bandwidth for data transmissions. A disadvantage is less help to nodes that encounter interference and collisions. An advantage is faster data-frame throughput. Environments with less wireless traffic and contention for transmission make the best use of a higher RTS threshold.
   Short Preamble	If you are using an 802.11bg radio, select this option for the radio to transmit using a short preamble. Short preambles improve throughput. However, some devices (SpectraLink phones) require long preambles. This option is disabled by default.
   Guard Interval	Specify a Long or Any guard interval. The guard interval is the space between characters being transmitted. The guard interval eliminates inter-symbol interference (ISI). ISI occurs when echoes or reflections from one character interfere with another character. Adding time between transmissions allows echo's and reflections to settle before the next character is transmitted. A shorter guard interval results in shorter character times which reduces overhead and increases data rates by up to 10%. The default value is Long.
   Probe Response Rate	Specify the data rate used for the transmission of probe responses. Options include highest-basic, lowest-basic, and follow-probe-request. The default value is follow-probe-request.
   Probe Response Retry	Select this option to retry probe responses if they are not acknowledged by the target wireless client. This option is enabled by default.

8. Use the Feed WLAN Packets to Sensor drop-down menu to allow the radio to send WLAN packets to the sensor radio.
   Options include Off, Inline, and Promiscuous. The default setting is Off.
9. Select the WLAN Mapping / Mesh Mapping tab.
10. Refer to the WLAN Mapping/Mesh Mapping field to set WLAN BSSID assignments for an existing access point deployment.
    Administrators can assign each WLAN its own BSSID. If using a single-radio access point, there are 8 BSSIDs available. If using a dual-radio access point there are 8 BSSIDs for the 802.11b/g/n radio and 8 BSSIDs for the 802.11a/n radio. Each supported access point model can support up to 8 BSS IDs.
11. Select Advanced Mapping to list all the available BSSIDs for the radio.
12. Select Create New WLAN to open a dialog where a new WLAN are created. For more information on creating a WLAN, see Wireless LAN Policies.
13. Select Create New MeshPoint to open a dialog where new mesh points are created. For more information on creating a Mesh Point, see MeshConnex Policies.
14. Select the OK button located at the bottom right of the screen to save the changes to the WLAN Mapping. Select Reset to revert to the last saved configuration.
15. Select the Legacy Mesh tab.
    Use the Legacy Mesh screen to define how mesh connections are established and the number of links available amongst access points within the Mesh network.
16. Define the following Mesh Legacy Settings:

    Mesh	Set the mesh mode for this radio – either Client, Portal, or Disabled. Select Client to scan for mesh portals, or nodes that have connection to portals, and connect through them. Portal operation begins beaconing immediately and accepts connections from other mesh supported nodes. In general, the portal is connected to the wired network. The default value is Disabled.
    Mesh Links	Specify the number of mesh links (1 -6) an access point radio will attempt to create. The default setting is 3 links.
    Mesh PSK	Use the field to define the shared key for mesh. From the drop-down, select the type of the key. Click Show to display the characters used in the key.

17. Refer to the Preferred Peer Devices table to add mesh peers.
    Click + Add Row to define MAC addresses representing peer devices for preferred mesh connection. Use the Priority spinner control to set a priority (1 -6) for connection preference.
18. Click OK to save the changes and overrides to the Mesh configuration.
    Click Reset to revert to the last saved configuration.
19. Select the Client Bridge Settings tab to configure the selected radio as a client-bridge.
    

    Note

    Before configuring the client-bridge parameters, set the radio's rf-mode to bridge.

    An access point's radio can be configured to form a bridge between its wireless/wired clients and an infrastructure WLAN. The bridge radio authenticates and associates with an infrastructure WLAN Access Point. After successful association, the Access Point switches frames between its bridge radio and wired/wireless client(s) connected either to its GE port(s) or to the other radio, thereby providing the clients access to the infrastructure WLAN resources. This feature is supported only on the AP 6522, AP 6562, AP 7532, AP 7562, AP 7602, and AP 7622 model access points.

    

    Access Point Radio - Client Bridge Settings tab

    
20. Select the Advanced Settings tab.
21. Refer to the Aggregate MAC Protocol Data Unit (A-MPDU) field to define or override how MAC service frames are aggregated by the access point radio.

    A-MPDU Modes	Specify the A-MPDU mode. Options include Transmit Only, Receive Only, Transmit and Receive, and None. The default value is Transmit and Receive. Using the default value, long frames can be both sent and received (up to 64 KB). When this option is enabled, define a transmit limit, a receive limit, or both.
    Minimum Gap Between Frames	Specify the minimum gap between A-MPDU frames (in microseconds). The default value is auto, which indicates that the minimum gap between frames is selected automatically. The other values are 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16.
    Received Frame Size Limit	If a support mode is enabled allowing A-MPDU frames to be received, define an advertised maximum limit for received A-MPDU aggregated frames. Options include 8191, 16383, 32767, and 65535 bytes. The default value is 65535 bytes.
    Transmit Frame Size Limit	Use the spinner control to set a limit on transmitted A-MPDU aggregated frames. The available range is from 0 to 65535 bytes. The default value is 65535 bytes.

22. Use the Aggregate MAC Service Data Unit (A-MSDU) drop-down menu to set the supported A-MSDU mode.
    Available modes are Receive Only and Transmit and Receive. Using Transmit and Receive, frames up to 4 KB can be sent and received. The buffer limit is not configurable.
23. Use the Airtime Fairness fields to configure wireless access to devices based on their usage.
    Select Enable Fair Access to enable this feature. Select Prefer High Throughput Clients to prefer clients with higher throughput (802.11n clients) over clients with slower throughput (802.11 a/b/g) clients. Use the spinner control to set a weight for the higher throughput clients.
24. Set or override the following Aeroscout Properties for the selected access point radio.

    Forward	Select this option to enable forwarding of Aeroscout packets.
    MAC to be forwarded	Enter the MAC address that is incorporated in the Aeroscout packets that are forwarded.

25. Set or override the following Ekahau Properties for the selected access point radio.

    Forwarding Host	Specify the IP address of the host to which Ekahau packets are forwarded.
    Forwarding Port	Set the Ekahau forwarding port number..
    MAC to be forwarded	Enter the MAC address that is incorporated in the Ekahau packets that are forwarded.

26. Set or override the following Non-Unicast Traffic values for the profile‘s supported access point radio and its connected wireless clients:

    Non-Unicast Transmit Rate	Use the Select drop-down menu to launch a sub-screen to define the data rate for broadcast and multicast frame transmissions. If you are not using the same rate for each BSSID, seven different rates are available – each with a separate menu.
    Non-Unicast Forwarding	Define whether client broadcast and multicast packets should always follow DTIM, or only follow DTIM when using Power Save Aware mode. The default setting is Follow DTIM.

27. Refer to the Sniffer Redirect (Packet Capture) field to define or override the radio‘s captured packet configuration.

    Host for Redirected Packets	If packets are redirected from a controller or service platform‘s connected access point radio, specify the IP address of a resource (additional host system) used to capture the redirected packets. This address is the numerical (non DNS) address of the host used to capture the redirected packets.
    Channel to Capture Packets	Specify the channel used to capture redirected packets. The default value is channel 1.

28. Refer to the Channel Scanning field to define or override the radio‘s captured packet configuration.

    Enable Off-Channel Scan	Select this option to scan across other channels in the radio band. This option is disabled by default.
    Off Channel Scan list for 5GHz	Select the list of channels for off-channel scans using the access point's 5GHz radio.
    Off Channel Scan list for 2.4GHz	Select the list of channels for off-channel scans using the access point's 2.4GHz radio.
    Max Multicast	Set the maximum number (from 0 - 100) of multicast/broadcast messages used to perform off-channel scanning.
    Scan Interval	Set the interval (from 2 - 100 dtims) between off-channel scans.
    Sniffer Redirect	Specify the IP address of the host to which captured off-channel scan packets are redirected.

29. These fields are specific to AP7161 access points:

    Enable Antenna Downtilt	Antenna Downtilt is used where there need to be a separation between the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bands. The 2.4 GHz band is tilted by 15 degrees (up/ down tilt) using software. Select to enable downtilt.
    Extend Range	Select to enable extending the range of the access points. The access point uses various technologies to extend their service range. Use the spinner to set the range of service. Range can be 1 - 25 Kilometers.

30. Select the OK button located at the bottom right of the screen to save the changes to the Advanced Settings screen. Select Reset to revert to the last saved configuration.