Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.1.x

PDF

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.1.x

CAPWAP message aggregation

Updated: April 10, 2026

Want to summarize with AI?

Log in

Explains how CAPWAP message aggregates improve wireless network efficiency by consolidating multiple messages into a single transmission.

Control and provisioning of wireless APs message aggregation

A CAPWAP message aggregation is a wireless communication optimization feature that

  • combines multiple CAPWAP control messages of the same type into a single transmission

  • temporarily stores messages in the controller when APs are busy processing packets, and

  • limits the aggregated message size to the configured Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) to maximize transmission efficiency.

Feature history

Table 1. Feature history for CAPWAP message aggregation

Feature Name

Release Information

Feature Description

CAPWAP Message Aggregation

Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1

This feature aggregates the CAPWAP control messages of the same type waiting in the queue to be transmitted to the AP.

Guidelines of CAPWAP message aggregation

Guidelines

  • Applicable to all AP modes.

  • The CAPWAP message aggregation feature is disabled by default.

Use cases of CAPWAP message aggregation

FlexConnect deployment

You can expect a round-trip delay when packets are sent over wide area network (WAN) in FlexConnect deployments.

  • With the CAPWAP message aggregation, round-trip time decreases significantly.

  • In addition, client join and roam operations complete more quickly.

Configure CAPWAP message aggregation (CLI)

Enable CAPWAP message aggregation to optimize wireless network performance by reducing message overhead between APs and the controller.

Procedure

1.

Enter the global configuration mode.

Example:

Device# configure terminal
2.

Configure an AP profile and enter the AP profile configuration mode.

Example:

Device(config)# ap profile default-ap-profile
3.

Enable CAPWAP message aggregation.

Example:

Device(config-ap-profile)# capwap aggregation

This feature is disabled by default.
4.

Exit the configuration mode and return to the privileged EXEC mode.

Example:

Device(config-ap-profile)# end

Verify CAPWAP message aggregation

To view the total number of aggregated CAPWAP control packets for the controller, use the command:

Device# show wireless stats ap packet
 
Packet stats

Capwap Control Packets Received* : 11183016
Capwap Data Keep Alive Packets Received : 160399
Capwap Data DOT1X EAP Packets Received: 549
Capwap Data DOT1X Mgmt Packets Received: 6003
Capwap Data DOT1X Key Type Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data DOT1X Control Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data ARP Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data IP Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data IPV6 Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data RRM Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data DHCP Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data RFID Packets Received: 0
Capwap Data IAPP Packets Received: 2531939
Capwap Dgram Input Errors : 0
Capwap Discovery Packets Received : 22299
Capwap Discovery Dgram Input Errors : 0
Aggregated Capwap Control Packets Sent: 119337
**** Note: Capwap control packets exclude discovery/primary discovery packets ****

To verify the status of the CAPWAP message aggregation feature, use the command:

Device# show ap profile name default-ap-profile detailed
                
AP Profile Name               : default-ap-profile
Description                   : default custom profile
Country code                  : Not configured
Stats Timer                   : 180
Link Latency                  : ENABLED
Data Encryption               : DISABLED
LED State                     : ENABLED
NTP server                    : 0.0.0.0
NTP Authentication            : DISABLED
Jumbo MTU                     : ENABLED
24ghz Report Interval         : 90
5ghz Report Interval          : 90
bssid stats status            : ENABLED
bssid stats frqncy interval   : 120
bssid neighbor stats status   : ENABLED
bssid neighbor stats interval : 120
CAPWAP Control Aggregation    : ENABLED