Basic WLAN Configuration

When creating or modifying a WLAN, the Basic Configuration screen is the first screen that displays as part of the WLAN configuration screen flow. Use this screen to enable a WLAN and to and define its SSID, client behavior, and VLAN assignments.

To define a WLAN's basic configuration:

1. Select Configuration > Wireless.
2. Select Wireless LAN Policy to display a high-level display of the existing WLANs.
3. Select Add to create an additional WLAN, or select an existing WLAN then click Edit to modify its properties.

   RFS 4000 controllers support a maximum of 32 WLANs. An NX 95XX & NX 96XX series service platform supports up to 1000 WLANs. Access points support a maximum of 16 WLANs per model.

4. Refer to the WLAN Configuration field to define the following:

   WLAN	If adding a new WLAN, enter its name in the space provided. Spaces between words or characters are not permitted. The name could be a logical representation of the WLAN support function (engineering, marketing etc.). If editing an existing WLAN, the WLAN's name appears at the top of the screen and cannot be modified. A WLAN name cannot exceed 32 characters.
   SSID	Enter or modify the Services Set Identification (SSID) associated with the WLAN. The maximum number of characters that can be used for the SSID is 32.
   Description	Provide a textual description for the WLAN to help differentiate it from others with similar configurations. The description can be up to 64 characters.
   WLAN Status	Select the Enabled radio button to make this WLAN active and available to clients on all radios where it has been mapped. Select the Disabled radio button to make this WLAN inactive, meaning even if the WLAN is mapped to radios, it is not available for clients to associate and use.
   QoS Policy	Use the drop-down menu to assign an existing QoS policy to the WLAN or select the Create icon to define a new QoS policy or select the Edit icon to modify the configuration of the selected QoS Policy. QoS helps ensure each WLAN receives a fair share of the overall bandwidth, either equally or per the proportion configured. For information on creating a QoS policy that can be applied to WLAN, see WLAN QoS Policies.
   Bridging Mode	Use the drop-down menu to specify a bridging mode for the WLAN. Available bridging policy modes are Local, Tunnel or split-tunnel.
   DHCP Option 82	Select this option to enable DHCP option 82. DHCP Option 82 provides additional information about the physical attachment of a client. This setting is disabled by default.
   DHCPv6 LDRA	Select this option to enable the DHCPv6 relay agent. The DHCPv6 LDRA (Lightweight DHCP Relay Agent) allows for DHCPv6 messages to be transmitted on existing networks that do not currently support IPv6 or DHCPv6.
   Bonjour Gateway Discovery Policy	Select an existing Bonjour configuration to apply to the WLAN configuration. Bonjour provides a method to discover services on a WLAN. Bonjour allows users to set up a network without any configuration. Services such as printers, scanners and file-sharing servers can be found using Bonjour. Bonjour only works within a single broadcast domain. However, with a special DNS configuration, it can be extended to find services across broadcast domains.

5. Refer to the Other Settings field to define broadcast behavior within this specific WLAN.

   Broadcast SSID	Select this check box to enable the wireless controller to broadcast SSIDs within beacons. If a hacker tries to isolate and hack a client SSID via a client, the ESSID will display since the ESSID is in the beacon. This feature is enabled by default.
   Answer Broadcast Probes	Select this check box to associate a client with a blank SSID (regardless of which SSID the wireless controller is currently using). This feature is enabled by default.

6. Refer to the VLAN Assignment field to add or remove VLANs for the selected WLAN, and define the number of clients permitted. Remember, users belonging to separate VLANs can share the same WLAN. It's not necessary to create a new WLAN for every VLAN in the network.

   Single VLAN

   Select the Single VLAN radio button to assign just one VLAN to this WLAN. Enter the name of the VLAN within the VLAN parameter field when the Single VLAN radio button is selected. Utilizing a single VLAN per WLAN is a more typical deployment scenario than using a VLAN pool.

   VLAN Pool

   Select the VLAN Pool radio button to display a table with VLAN and wireless client columns (representing configurable options). Define the VLANs available to this WLAN. Additionally, define the number of wireless clients supported by each VLAN. Use the radio button's on the left-hand side of the table to enable or disable each VLAN and wireless client configuration for the WLAN. Select the + Add Row button to add additional VLANs to the WLAN.

7. Select the Allow Radius Override check box in the RADIUS VLAN Assignment to allow an override to the WLAN configuration. If, as part of the authentication process, the RADIUS server returns a client's VLAN-ID in a RADIUS Access-Accept packet, and this feature is enabled, all client traffic is forward on that VLAN. If disabled, the RADIUS server returns VLAN-ID is ignored and the VLAN configuration (defined earlier) is used.
8. Use the URL Filter field to configure user access restrictions to resources on the controller or service platform managed Internet. User access is controlled with URL Filters. Use the URL Filter drop down menu to select a preconfigured URL Filter. To create a new URL Filter, use the Create button. To edit an existing URL Filter, use the Edit button.
9. Select OK when completed to update the WLAN's basic configuration. Select Reset to revert the screen to the last saved configuration.