You can configure RF grouping in the following modes:

• auto—Sets the RF group selection to automatic update mode.

  Note	This mode does not support IPv6 based configuration.

• leader—Sets the RF group selection to static mode, and sets this Cisco WLC as the group leader.

  Note	Leader supports static IPv6 address.

  Note	If a RF group member is configured using IPv4 address, then IPv4 address is used to communicate with the leader. The same is applicable for a RF group member configured using IPv6 too.

• off—Sets the RF group selection off. Every Cisco WLC optimizes its own access point parameters.

  Note	A configured static leader cannot become a member of another Cisco WLC until its mode is set to “auto”.

  Note	A Cisco WLC with a lower priority cannot assume the role of a group leader if a Cisco WLC with a higher priority is available. Here priority is related to the processing power of the Cisco WLC.

  Note	We recommend that Cisco WLCs participate in automatic RF grouping. You can override RRM settings without disabling automatic RF group participation.

1. In the Cisco WLC Name text box, enter the Cisco WLC that you want to add as a member to this group.

2. In the IP Address (IPv4/IPv6) text box, enter the IPv4/IPv6 address of the RF Group Member.

3. Click Add Member to add the member to this group.

   Note	If the member has not joined the static leader, the reason of the failure is shown in parentheses.

• auto—Sets the RF group selection to automatic update mode.

• leader—Sets the RF group selection to static mode, and sets this Cisco WLC as the group leader.

  Note	If a group member is configured with IPv4 address, then IPv4 address is used to communicate with a leader and vice versa with IPv6 also.

• off—Sets the RF group selection off. Every Cisco WLC optimizes its own access point parameters.

• restart—Restarts the RF group selection.

  Note	A configured static leader cannot become a member of another Cisco WLC until its mode is set to “auto”.

  Note	A Cisco WLC with a lower priority cannot assume the role of a group leader if a Cisco WLC with higher priority is available. Here priority is related to the processing power of the Cisco WLC.

• config advanced {802.11a | 802.11b} group-member add controller-name ipv4-or-ipv6-address

• config advanced {802.11a | 802.11b} group-member remove controller-name ipv4-or-ipv6-address

show advanced {802.11a | 802.11b} group

The name of the RF group to which this Cisco WLC belongs appears at the top of the page.

config ap mode local Cisco_AP or config ap mode monitor Cisco_AP

config wps ap-authentication threshold

Valid values are between 0 and 60000 milliseconds; the default value is 100 milliseconds. If you sent the time to 0, the scan deferral does not happen.

The scan defer time is common for all priorities on the same WLAN and the scan is deferred if a packet is transmitted or received in any one of the defer priorities.

config wlan channel-scan defer-priority priority-value {enable | disable} wlan-id

Valid priority value is betweeen 0 and 7 (this value should be set to 6 on the client and on the WLAN).

Use this command to configure the amount of time that scanning will be deferred following an UP packet in the queue.

config wlan channel-scan defer-time time-in-msecswlan-id

The time value is in miliseconds (ms) and the valid range is between 0 and 60000 ms (60 seconds); the default value is 100 ms. This setting should match the requirements of the equipment on your WLAN. If you sent the time to 0, the scan deferral does not happen.

The scan defer time is common for all priorities on the same WLAN and the scan is deferred if a packet is transmitted or received in any one of the defer priorities.

• Automatic—Causes the controller to periodically evaluate and, if necessary, update the channel assignment for all joined access points. This is the default value.

• Freeze—Causes the controller to evaluate and update the channel assignment for all joined access points, if necessary, but only when you click Invoke Channel Update Once.

  Note	The controller does not evaluate and update the channel assignment immediately after you click Invoke Channel Update Once. It waits for the next interval to elapse.

• OFF—Turns off DCA and sets all access point radios to the first channel of the band, which is the default value. If you choose this option, you must manually assign channels on all radios.

  Note	For optimal performance, we recommend that you use the Automatic setting.

• Low—The DCA algorithm is not particularly sensitive to environmental changes.

• Medium—The DCA algorithm is moderately sensitive to environmental changes.

• High—The DCA algorithm is highly sensitive to environmental changes.

The default value is Medium. The DCA sensitivity thresholds vary by radio band, as noted in the table below.

• 20 MHz—The 20-MHz channel bandwidth.

  • 40 MHz—The 40-MHz channel bandwidth

    Note	If you choose 40 MHz, be sure to choose at least two adjacent channels from the DCA Channel List in Step 13 (for example, a primary channel of 36 and an extension channel of 40). If you choose only one channel, that channel is not used for 40-MHz channel width.

    Note	If you choose 40 MHz, you can also configure the primary and extension channels used by individual access points.

    Note

    To override the globally configured DCA channel width setting, you can statically configure an access point’s radio for 20- or 40-MHz mode on the 802.11a/n Cisco APs > Configure page. if you then change the static RF channel assignment method to WLC Controlled on the access point radio, the global DCA configuration overrides the channel width configuration that the access point was previously using. It can take up to 30 minutes (depending on how often DCA is configured to run) for the change to take effect.

    Note	If you choose 40 MHz on the 802.11a radio, you cannot pair channels 116, 140, and 165 with any other channels.

• 80 MHz—The 80-MHz bandwidth for the 802.11ac radios.

• 160 MHz—The 160-MHz bandwidth for 802.11ac radios.

• best—It selects the best bandwidth suitable. This option is enabled for the 5-GHz radios only.

This page also shows the following nonconfigurable channel parameter settings:

• Channel Assignment Leader—The MAC address of the RF group leader, which is responsible for channel assignment.

• Last Auto Channel Assignment—The last time RRM evaluated the current channel assignments.

The ranges are as follows: 
802.11a—36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 132, 136, 140, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165, 190, 196
802.11b/g—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

The defaults are as follows:
802.11a—36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 132, 136, 140, 149, 153, 157, 161
802.11b/g—1, 6, 11

1. Choose Wireless > 802.11a/n/ac or 802.11b/g/n > Network to open the Global Parameters page.

2. Check the 802.11a (or 802.11b/g) Network Status check box.

3. Click Apply.

• All Channels—RRM channel scanning occurs on all channels supported by the selected radio, which includes channels not allowed in the country of operation.

• Country Channels—RRM channel scanning occurs only on the data channels in the country of operation. This is the default value.

• DCA Channels—RRM channel scanning occurs only on the channel set used by the DCA algorithm, which by default includes all of the non-overlapping channels allowed in the country of operation. However, you can specify the channel set to be used by DCA if desired. To do so, follow instructions in the Dynamic Channel Assignment.

1. In the Channel Scan Interval box, enter (in seconds) the sum of the time between scans for each channel within a radio band. The entire scanning process takes 50 ms per channel, per radio and runs at the interval configured here. The time spent listening on each channel is determined by the non-configurable 50-ms scan time and the number of channels to be scanned. For example, in the U.S. all 11 802.11b/g channels are scanned for 50 ms each within the default 180-second interval. So every 16 seconds, 50 ms is spent listening on each scanned channel (180/11 = ~16 seconds). The Channel Scan Interval parameter determines the interval at which the scanning occurs.The valid range is 60 to 3600 seconds, and the default value is 60 seconds for 802.11a radios and 180 seconds for the 802.11b/g radios.

   Note	If your Cisco WLC supports only OfficeExtend access points, we recommend that you set the channel scan interval to 1800 seconds for optimal performance. For deployments with a combination of OfficeExtend access points and local access points, the range of 60 to 3600 seconds can be used.

2. In the Neighbor Packet Frequency box, enter (in seconds) how frequently neighbor packets (messages) are sent, which eventually builds the neighbor list. The valid range is 60 to 3600 seconds, and the default value is 60 seconds.

   Note	If your Cisco WLC supports only OfficeExtend access points, we recommend that you set the neighbor packet frequency to 600 seconds for optimal performance. For deployments with a combination of OfficeExtend access points and local access points, the range of 60 to 3600 seconds can be used.

3. In the Neighbor Timeout Factor box, enter the NDP timeout factor value in minutes. The valid range is 5 minutes to 60 minutes with the default value being 5 minutes.

   If you are using Release 8.1 or a later release, we recommend that you set the timeout factor to default 20. If the access point radio does not receive a neighbor packet from an existing neighbor within 60 minutes when the default NDP interval of 180s is in use, Cisco WLC deletes the neighbor from the neighbor list.

   Note	The Neighbor Timeout Factor was hardcoded to 60 minutes in Release 7.6, but was changed to 5 minutes in Release 8.0.100.0.

This page shows all the 802.11a/n/ac or 802.11b/g/n access point radios that are joined to the Cisco WLC and their current settings. The Channel text box shows both the primary and extension channels and uses an asterisk to indicate if they are globally assigned.

• Global—Choose this to specify a global value.

• Custom—Choose this and then select a value from the adjacent drop-down list to specify a custom value.

1. From the Antenna Type drop-down list, choose Internal or External to specify the type of antennas used with the access point radio.

2. Select and unselect the check boxes in the Antenna text box to enable and disable the use of specific antennas for this access point, where A, B, and C are specific antenna ports. The D antenna appears for the Cisco 3600 Series Access Points. A is the right antenna port, B is the left antenna port, and C is the center antenna port. For example, to enable transmissions from antenna ports A and B and receptions from antenna port C, you would select the following check boxes: Tx: A and B and Rx: C. In 3600 APs, the valid combinations are A, A+B, A+B+C or A+B+C+D. When you select a dual mode antenna, you can only apply single spatial 802.11n stream rates: MCS 0 to 7 data rates. When you select two dual mode antennae, you can apply only the two spatial 802.11n stream rates: MCS 0 to 15 data rates.

3. In the Antenna Gain text box, enter a number to specify an external antenna’s ability to direct or focus radio energy over a region of space. High-gain antennas have a more focused radiation pattern in a specific direction. The antenna gain is measured in 0.5 dBi units, and the default value is 7 times 0.5 dBi, or 3.5 dBi.

   If you have a high-gain antenna, enter a value that is twice the actual dBi value (see Cisco Aironet Antenna Reference Guide for antenna dBi values). Otherwise, enter 0. For example, if your antenna has a 4.4-dBi gain, multiply the 4.4 dBi by 2 to get 8.8 and then round down to enter only the whole number (8). The Cisco WLC reduces the actual equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) to make sure that the antenna does not violate your country’s regulations.

4. Choose one of the following options from the Diversity drop-down list:

   Enabled—Enables the antenna connectors on both sides of the access point. This is the default value.

   Side A or Right—Enables the antenna connector on the right side of the access point.

   Side B or Left—Enables the antenna connector on the left side of the access point.

The transmit power level is assigned an integer value instead of a value in mW or dBm. The integer corresponds to a power level that varies depending on the regulatory domain in which the access points are deployed. The number of available power levels varies based on the access point model. However, power level 1 is always the maximum power level allowed per country code setting, with each successive power level representing 50% of the previous power level. For example, 1 = maximum power level in a particular regulatory domain, 2 = 50% power, 3 = 25% power, 4 = 12.5% power, and so on.

1. Choose Wireless > 802.11a/n or 802.11b/g/n > Network to open the 802.11a (or 802.11b/g) Global Parameters page.

2. Select the 802.11a (or 802.11b/g) Network Status check box.

3. Click Apply.

config {802.11a | 802.11b} disable Cisco_AP

config {802.11a | 802.11b} chan_width Cisco_AP {20 | 40 | 80 | 160}

where

• 20 allows the radio to communicate using only 20-MHz channels. Choose this option for legacy 802.11a radios, 20-MHz 802.11n radios, or 40-MHz 802.11n radios that you want to operate using only 20-MHz channels. This is the default value.

• 40 allows 40-MHz 802.11n radios to communicate using two adjacent 20-MHz channels bonded together. The radio uses the primary channel that you choose as well as its extension channel for faster throughput. Each channel has only one extension channel (36 and 40 are a pair, 44 and 48 are a pair, and so on). For example, if you choose a primary channel of 44, the Cisco WLC would use channel 48 as the extension channel. If you choose a primary channel of 48, the Cisco WLC would use channel 44 as the extension channel.

  Note	This parameter can be configured only if the primary channel is statically assigned.

  Note

  Statically configuring an AP’s radio for one of the available modes overrides the globally configured DCA channel width setting (configured using the config advanced 802.11a channel dca chan-width-11n {20 | 40 | 80 | 160 | best} command). If you ever change the static configuration back to global on the access point radio, the global DCA configuration overrides the channel width configuration that the access point was previously using. It can take up to 30 minutes (depending on how often DCA is configured to run) for the change to take effect.

• 80 sets the channel width for the 802.11ac radios to 80 MHz.

• 160 sets the channel width for the 802.11ac radio to 160 MHz.

• best sets the channel width for the 802.11ac radio to best suitable bandwidth.

config {802.11a | 802.11b} 11nsupport antenna {tx | rx} Cisco_AP {A | B | C} {enable | disable}

where A, B, and C are antenna ports. A is the right antenna port, B is the left antenna port, and C is the center antenna port. For example, to enable transmissions from the antenna in access point AP1’s antenna port C on the 802.11a network, you would enter this command:

config 802.11a 11nsupport antenna tx AP1 C enable

config {802.11a | 802.11b} antenna extAntGain antenna_gain Cisco_AP

High-gain antennas have a more focused radiation pattern in a specific direction. The antenna gain is measured in 0.5 dBi units, and the default value is 7 times 0.5 dBi, or 3.5 dBi.

If you have a high-gain antenna, enter a value that is twice the actual dBi value (see Cisco Aironet Antenna Reference Guide for antenna dBi values). Otherwise, enter 0. For example, if your antenna has a 4.4-dBi gain, multiply the 4.4 dBi by 2 to get 8.8 and then round down to enter only the whole number (8). The Cisco WLC reduces the actual equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) to make sure that the antenna does not violate your country’s regulations.

config 802.11a {global | ap ap-name} {enable | disable}

config {802.11a | 802.11b} channel ap Cisco_AP channe l

For example, to configure 802.11a channel 36 as the default channel on AP1, enter the 
config 802.11a channel ap AP1 36 command.

The channel you choose is the primary channel (for example, channel 36), which is used for communication by legacy 802.11a radios and 802.11n 20-MHz radios. 802.11n 40-MHz radios use this channel as the primary channel but also use an additional bonded extension channel for faster throughput, if you chose 40 for the channel width.

config {802.11a | 802.11b} txPower ap Cisco_AP power_level

For example, to set the transmit power for 802.11a AP1 to power level 2, enter the
config 802.11a txPower ap AP1 2 command.

The transmit power level is assigned an integer value instead of a value in mW or dBm. The integer corresponds to a power level that varies depending on the regulatory domain in which the access points are deployed. The number of available power levels varies based on the access point model. However, power level 1 is always the maximum power level allowed per country code setting, with each successive power level representing 50% of the previous power level. For example, 1 = maximum power level in a particular regulatory domain, 2 = 50% power, 3 = 25% power, 4 = 12.5% power, and so on.

In certain cases, Cisco access points support only 7 power levels for certain channels, so that the Cisco Wireless Controller considers the 7th and 8th power levels as the same. If the 8th power level is configured on those channels, the configuration would fail since the controller considers the 7th power level as the lowest acceptable valid power level. These power values are derived based on the regulatory compliance limits and minimum hardware limitation which varies across different Cisco access points.

config {802.11a | 802.11b} enable Cisco_AP

config {802.11a | 802.11b} enable network

show ap config {802.11a | 802.11b} Cisco_AP

Information similar to the following appears:

Cisco AP Identifier.............................. 7
Cisco AP Name.................................... AP1
...
Tx Power
Num Of Supported Power Levels ............. 8
      Tx Power Level 1 .......................... 20 dBm
      Tx Power Level 2 .......................... 17 dBm
      Tx Power Level 3 .......................... 14 dBm
      Tx Power Level 4 .......................... 11 dBm
      Tx Power Level 5 .......................... 8 dBm
      Tx Power Level 6 .......................... 5 dBm
      Tx Power Level 7 .......................... 2 dBm
      Tx Power Level 8 .......................... -1 dBm
      Tx Power Configuration .................... CUSTOMIZED
      Current Tx Power Level .................... 1

Phy OFDM parameters
      Configuration ............................. CUSTOMIZED
      Current Channel ........................... 36
      Extension Channel ......................... 40
      Channel Width.............................. 40 Mhz
      Allowed Channel List....................... 36,44,52,60,100,108,116,132,
        ......................................... 149,157
      TI Threshold .............................. -50
      Antenna Type............................... EXTERNAL_ANTENNA
      External Antenna Gain (in .5 dBi units).... 7
      Diversity.................................. DIVERSITY_ENABLED

802.11n Antennas
        Tx
         A....................................... ENABLED
         B....................................... ENABLED
        Rx
         A....................................... DISABLED
         B....................................... DISABLED
         C.................................... ENABLED


config {802.11a | 802.11b} disable network

config {802.11a | 802.11b} channel global off

config {802.11a | 802.11b} enable network

config 802.11a disable network

config 802.11h channelswitch {enable { loud | quiet} | disable}

Enter either quiet or loud for the enable parameter. When the quiet mode is enabled, all the clients who can enable 802.11h channel switch announcements should stop transmitting packets immediately because the AP detects that the radar and client devices should also quit transmitting to reduce interference. By default, the Channel Switch feature is in disabled state.

config 802.11h setchannel channel channel

config 802.11h powerconstraint value

Use increments of 3 dB for the value so that the AP goes down one power level at a time.

config 802.11a enable network

show 802.11h

Information similar to the following appears:

Power Constraint................................. 0
Channel Switch................................... Disabled
Channel Switch Mode.............................. 0


• Interference Optimal Mode (TPCv2)—For scenarios where voice calls are extensively used. Transmit power is dynamically adjusted with the goal of minimum interference. It is suitable for dense networks. In this mode, there could be higher roaming delays and coverage hole incidents.

  Note	We recommend that you use TCPv2 only in cases where RF issues cannot be resolved by using TCPv1. Please evaluate and test the use of TPCv2 with the assistance of Cisco Services.

• Coverage Optimal Mode (TPCv1)—(Default) Offers strong signal coverage and stability. In this mode, power can be kept low to gain extra capacity and reduce interference.

• Automatic—Causes the Cisco WLC to periodically evaluate and, if necessary, update the transmit power for all joined access points. This is the default value.

• On Demand—Causes the Cisco WLC to periodically evaluate the transmit power for all joined access points. However, the Cisco WLC updates the power, if necessary, only when you click Invoke Power Update Now.

  Note	The Cisco WLC does not evaluate and update the transmit power immediately after you click Invoke Power Update Now. It waits for the next 600-second interval. This value is not configurable.

• Fixed—Prevents the Cisco WLC from evaluating and, if necessary, updating the transmit power for joined access points. The power level is set to the fixed value chosen from the drop-down list.

  Note	The transmit power level is assigned an integer value instead of a value in mW or dBm. The integer corresponds to a power level that varies depending on the regulatory domain, channel, and antennas in which the access points are deployed.

  Note	For optimal performance, we recommend that you use the Automatic setting.

The range for the Maximum Power Level Assignment is –10 to 30 dBm.

The range for the Minimum Power Level Assignment is –10 to 30 dBm.

The range for this parameter is –80 to –50 dBm. Increasing this value (between –65 and –50 dBm) causes the access points to operate at a higher transmit power. Decreasing the value has the opposite effect.

In applications with a dense population of access points, it may be useful to decrease the threshold to –80 or –75 dBm to reduce the number of BSSIDs (access points) and beacons seen by the wireless clients. Some wireless clients might have difficulty processing a large number of BSSIDs or a high beacon rate and might exhibit problematic behavior with the default threshold.

This page also shows the following nonconfigurable transmit power level parameter settings:

• Power Neighbor Count—The minimum number of neighbors an access point must have for the transmit power control algorithm to run.

• Power Assignment Leader—The MAC address of the RF group leader, which is responsible for power level assignment.

• Last Power Level Assignment—The last time RRM evaluated the current transmit power level assignments.

config rf-profile out-of-box {enable | disable}

config rf-profile {create {802.11a | 802.11b} | delete} profile-name

config rf-profile description text profile-name

config rf-profile data-rates {802.11a | 802.11b} {disabled | mandatory | supported} rate profile-name

config rf-profile {tx-power-max | tx-power-min} power-value profile-name

config rf-profile {tx-power-control-thresh-v1 | tx-power-control-thresh-v2} power-threshold profile-name

config rf-profile max-clients num-of-clients profile-name

config rf-profile client-trap-threshold threshold-value profile-name

config rf-profile multicast data-rate rate profile-name

config rf-profile load-balancing {window num-of-clients | denial value} profile-name

config rf-profile 11n-client-only {enable | disable} rf-profile-name

In the 802.11n only mode, the access point broadcasts support for 802.11n speeds. Only 802.11n clients are allowed to associate with the access point

Default is 1 hour.

config advanced fra { enable | disabled}

config advanced fra revert { all | auto-only } { static | auto}

config advanced fra interval

config advanced fra sensitivity { high | medium | low}

config advanced fra client-aware { client-select | client-reset} percentage

Valid range is 0 to 100.

config advanced fra service-priority{ client-aware | coverage | service-assurance}

config advanced fra sensor-threshold{ balanced | client-preferred | client-priority | sensor-preferred | sensor-priority}

show advanced fra

• Client Serving–When the radio role is Client Serving, you can set the radio band.

  • 2.4 GHz

  • 5 GHz

• Monitor

• Change the role to monitor:

  config 802.11-abgn role ap-name monitor

• Change the role to client-serving:

  config 802.11-abgn role ap-name client-serving