6 GHz Radio Power AFC

When the 6 GHz SP Spectrum cannot be obtained from the AFC server, the AP behavior depends on the AP model and its configuration.

AP4020/AP5020

You can configure the AP4020/AP5020 to fall back to LPI if obtaining the SP Spectrum channel plan from the AFC server fails.

  • Low Power Indoor (Default)

    In low power indoor (LPI) mode, 6 GHz radios use a predefined compliance table and the AP does not require AFC spectrum. The AP goes into service immediately after it boots. LPI operates over U-NII 5,6,7, and 8. A radio that is configured with LPI mode is not an AFC AP, and does not appear on the AFC tab.

  • Standard Power (with fallback to LPI)

    In standard power (SP) mode, AP4020/AP5020 6 GHz radios can operate at SP or LPI. The SP power level depends on geo-location coordinates of the AP and on receiving AFC spectrum from the AFC server. If AFC spectrum is not available, the radio falls back to the LPI power level. In SP mode the channel list is limited to U-NII 5, and 7 (in the US). As soon as ExtremeCloud IQ determines the geo-location for the AP and receives AFC spectrum from the server, the 6 GHz radio transitions to the SP power level. If the AFC spectrum cannot be renewed, the 6 GHz radio falls back to the LPI power level.

    The list of supported channels in LPI fallback mode is limited to the channels supported by SP mode. This way, the AP will not have to change channels when switching between SP and LPI modes.

AP5050
The AP5050 tries first to derive geo-location coordinates from the AFC indoor group of APs in order to query the AFC server in the 6 GHz spectrum. If it is unable to derive coordinates, the AP5050 uses its integral GPS coordinates to present to the AFC server. After the AFC server responds by allocating SP spectrum, Smart-RF automatically selects the channel and power level and the AP5050 starts the 6 GHz radio in SP mode.