DHCP and NAT Functionality on Root Access Point

DHCP and NAT functionality on root AP (RAP)

DHCP and NAT functionality is a wireless network feature that

  • assigns private IPv4 addresses to client devices using DHCP

  • translates these private addresses to public addresses for network access with NAT, and

  • enables root APs (RAPs) to provide seamless connectivity for clients in a mesh network.

The APs associated with a mesh network can play one of the two roles:

  • Root Access Point (RAP) — An AP can be a root AP for multiple mesh networks.

  • Mesh Access Point (MAP) — An AP can be a mesh AP for only one mesh network at a time.


Note

This feature is applicable for Cisco Aironet 1542 series outdoor APs.

Configure DHCP server on root AP (CLI)

Configure a DHCP server on the root AP.

Procedure

Step 1

Enter global configuration mode.

Example:

Device# configure terminal

Step 2

Configure an AP profile.

Example:

Device(config)# ap profile ap-profile-name

Step 3

Configure the DHCP server on the root AP.

Example:

Device(config-ap-profile)# dhcp-server

Step 4

end

Example:

Device(config-ap-profile)# end

The system saves the configuration, exits configuration mode, and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

The root AP is now configured as a DHCP server and assigns IP addresses to associated clients.

Verify DHCP server for root AP configuration

To verify the DHCP server for root AP configuration, use this command:

Device# show ap config general
Cisco AP Name   : AP4C77.6DF2.D588
=================================================
<SNIP>
Dhcp Server                                     : Enabled