Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) FAQ
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A. Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) is an advanced cloud-based system for coordinating spectrum sharing with incumbents in the 6-GHz band. AFC allows Cisco® Wi-Fi 6E access points to operate at standard power in the 6-GHz band, both indoors and outdoors.
Q. What is standard power?
A.
Standard power (SP) is a class of wireless LANs that allows access points to operate at a maximum transmit power (Effective Isotopic Radiated Power, or EIRP) of 36 dBm and a maximum spectral density of 23 dBm per MHz in the unlicensed 6-GHz band using AFC. The FCC requires outdoor access points to operate in SP mode when using the 6-GHz band. Indoor access points can operate in both SP and low power indoor (LPI) modes.
Q. Which Cisco platforms and versions support AFC?
A. AFC is supported by both the Cisco Catalyst™ and Meraki® wireless stacks. The feature is available on Catalyst access points via Cisco IOS® XE 17.12.3 and on Meraki access points with firmware release R30.7.
Q. Which access points support the AFC feature?
A. All Cisco Wi-Fi 6E access points are standard power certified by the FCC and support AFC:
● Catalyst 9163E Access Point (CW9163E)
● Catalyst 9166D1 Access Point (CW9166D1)
● Catalyst 9166I Access Point (CW9166I)
● Catalyst 9162I Access Point (CW9162I)
● Catalyst 9164I Access Point (CW9164I)
● Catalyst 9136I Access Point (C9136I)
● Meraki MR57 access point
● Catalyst IW9167I Heavy Duty Access Point
Q. Which licenses are required for the AFC feature?
A. AFC is available as part of Cisco DNA Essentials for Catalyst and Meraki Enterprise for Meraki.
Q. Does standard power require configuration?
A. The Catalyst 9163E outdoor access point has standard power service enabled by default in DNA management mode. When using Meraki mode, standard power needs to be enabled. For other access points, standard power should be enabled based on customer needs. Height parameters must be manually configured for indoor and outdoor access points.
Note: Outdoor access points operating in the 6-GHz band are not allowed to use LPI mode; standard power is required for outdoor 6-GHz operation.
Q. How is standard power enabled?
A. The feature is configured on the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers by enabling standard power under the 6-GHz radio frequency (RF) profile and by configuring the height parameters of the access points. These settings can be configured via the WebUI or command-line interface. Standard power RF profiles can be assigned to specific access points as needed.
Geolocation information is obtained from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module or through geolocation propagation techniques.
Note: The Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers need cloud connectivity to access the AFC service. No additional configuration is required to reach the AFC service except basic IP configuration to have internet connectivity and HTTP proxy, if required.
Q. What is required to obtain geolocation information?
A. The Catalyst 9163E outdoor access point has built-in GPS, whereas indoor access points require a USB GNSS module. Not all access points in the deployment need a GNSS module plugged in. See below.
Q. How is the GNSS module configured? How do you determine the minimum number of GNSS modules needed per deployment?
A. The GNSS module is a USB-based device that can be plugged directly into the access point’s USB port to obtain latitude and longitude. Depending on the position of the access points, an external GNSS antenna and cable of up to 10 m can be plugged into the access point.
Minimum requirements: On a typical floor, we recommend that access points at the corner of the building (anchor point access points) have a GNSS module with clear visibility to the sky for satellite communication. The access points in the middle obtain their location from geolocation propagation techniques, wired or wireless:
● Wired: We recommend having a minimum of one access point per switch with a GNSS module, with an additional module for redundancy.
● Wireless: We recommend having at least one hop neighbor with a GNSS module.
Figure 1.
GNSS module dimensions: 1.09 x 4 x 0.63 in. (2.77 x 10.16 x 1.6 cm)
Figure 2.
Deployment of access points with GNSS modules at building corners
Note: In most cases, geolocation information derived through wireless techniques provides less uncertainty. The wireless controller automatically selects the best method to achieve the least uncertainty.
Q. How are the GNSS module and external antenna cable ordered?
A. The modules can be ordered via Cisco Commerce (CCW) under smartbuy.cisco.com.
GNSS module product ID: CW-ACC-GPS1=
External antenna product ID: CW-ANT-GPS2-S-00
Q. How is AFC performance monitored?
A. The overall health of the AFC service can be monitored via the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller using the WebUI under
monitoring/services/AFC and at the access point level under
monitoring/wireless/access point statistics/AFC statistics. The AFC response per access point is also available under the 360-degree view/AFC tab.
For cloud-managed deployments using the Meraki dashboard, the AFC response per access point is available under
Wireless/Monitor/Access points – select
AP/AFC.
Q. Which wireless controllers support AFC?
A. AFC is supported via Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers and the Meraki dashboard.
Q. Is AFC available via Cisco Catalyst Center?
A. AFC is not currently available on Catalyst Center.
Q. Where can information on configuring AFC be found?
A. The AFC chapter of the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide is available at
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/9800/17-12/config-guide/b_wl_17_12_cg/m_afc.html
The AFC chapter of the Meraki dashboard Software Configuration Guide is available at:
https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Deployment_Guides/Automatic_Frequency_Coordination