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

Environmental sensors in APs

Updated: April 10, 2026

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Explains how environmental sensors in Cisco Catalyst access points enable real-time monitoring of air quality, temperature, and humidity.

Environmental sensors in APs are wireless AP features that

enable real-time collection of environmental data such as air quality, temperature, and humidity
embed sensors directly within supported Cisco Catalyst AP models, and
integrate with Cisco Spaces and wireless controller CLIs to allow configuration and monitoring of sensor data.

Use the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller CLIs to enable or disable the sensors and set their scan interval.

Cisco Catalyst 9136 Series APs include two sensors:

Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) air quality sensor
Combined temperature and humidity sensor

Note

Starting with Cisco IOS XE Cupertino 17.8.1, this feature is supported on Cisco Catalyst 9136 Series APs.

Cisco IOS XE Cupertino 17.9.1 adds support for air quality, temperature, and humidity on Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9166I Series Access Points.

Feature history

Table 1. Feature history for environmental sensors on APs
Feature Name	Release Information	Feature Description
Environmental sensors in APs	Cisco IOS XE 17.8.1	This feature helps you collect real-time environmental data, such as air quality, temperature, and humidity from the environmental sensors embedded in Cisco Catalyst 9136 Series APs.
Environmental sensors in APs	Cisco IOS XE 17.9.1	This feature is supported on Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9166I Series APs.

Use cases

These are the use cases for the environmental sensors in APs:

Maintain proper storage conditions and prevent pharmaceutical spoilage in healthcare environments
Monitor and improve air quality for guests in hospitality settings, and
Protect perishable products from spoilage in retail spaces.

Configure environmental sensors in an AP profile (CLI)

Enable data collection from environmental sensors in an AP profile to monitor air quality and temperature.

Procedure

	1.	Enter the global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Configure an AP profile. Example: `Device(config)# ap profile ap-profile-name`
	3.	Configure the AP environmental air quality sensor. Example: `Device(config-ap-profile)# sensor environment air-quality` Enters AP sensor configuration mode.
	4.	Enable the AP air quality sensor configuration. Example: `Device(config-ap-sensor)# no shutdown`
	5.	Configure the AP environmental temperature sensor. Example: `Device(config-ap-profile)# sensor environment temperature` Enters AP sensor configuration mode.
	6.	Enable the AP temperature sensor configuration. Example: `Device(config-ap-sensor)# no shutdown`
	7.	Configure the data sampling interval, in seconds. Example: `Device(config-ap-sensor)# sampling data sampling interval 200` The valid range is between five and 3600. The default value is five. Use the no form of this command to set the data sampling interval to the default time of five.
	8.	Exit the sub mode. Example: `Device(config-ap-sensor)# exit`

Configure environment sensors (CLI)

If an AP is sending invalid data, such as being located near an air vent or a coffee machine, disable the sensor by entering the necessary commands in the controller's privileged EXEC mode.

Note

A sensor operates in the Up state only when both the AP profile configuration state and the AP administrative state are enabled. If either state is disabled, the sensor’s operational status remains Down.

Procedure

	1.	Enable the privileged EXEC mode and enter the password if prompted. Example: `Device> enable`
	2.	Enable the sensor admin state of the AP. Example: `Device# ap name CiscoAP sensor environment {air-quality \| temperature} shutdown`
	3.	Disable the sensor admin state of the AP. Example: `Device# ap name CiscoAP no sensor environment {air-quality \| temperature} shutdown`

Verify the AP sensor status

To verify the status of the AP sensors, run the command:

Device# show ap sensor status

AP Name                           MAC-address          Sensor-type      Config-State     Admin-State      Oper-Status      Sampling-Interval
                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cisco.1DBC                         xxxx.xxxx.xxx1       Air-quality      Disabled         Enabled          Down             5      
Cisco.1DBC                         xxxx.xxxx.xxx2       Temperature      Disabled         Enabled          Down             5      
Cisco.1E24                         xxxx.xxxx.xxx3       Air-quality      Disabled         Enabled          Down             5      
Cisco.1E24                         xxxx.xxxx.xxx4       Temperature      Disabled         Enabled          Down             5

Accelerometer sensor support

An accelerometer sensor is a hardware component that

measures AP orientation and tilt using X, Y, and Z coordinates
detects movement, misplacement, or tampering of AP, and
enables real-time telemetry integration with wireless controllers and management platforms.

Accelerometer sensor features

Three-axis detection: The hardware includes a three-axis accelerometer that measures X, Y, and Z coordinates and tilt angles.
Motion and orientation monitoring: The sensor detects if an AP has been moved, tilted, or had its orientation changed.
Real-time reporting: The sensor provides real-time data to help troubleshoot installation issues or confirm that the AP is optimally placed for radio frequency (RF) performance.
Security and tamper detection: Sensors can identify unauthorized movement or tampering with the device.
Telemetry integration: AP can log tilt and movement events via telemetry to the controller, Cisco Catalyst Center, or Cisco Spaces.

Supported hardware

Accelerometer sensors are available on newer enterprise-grade Cisco Catalyst and Wi-Fi 7 APs, including:

Cisco Wireless 9174E

Note

CW9174E supports accelerometer only when you use the AP with CW-ANT-T-D2-D8.
Cisco Wireless 9179F
Cisco Wireless 9178I Series Access Points
Cisco Wireless 9176I Series Access Points
Cisco Wireless 9176D1
Cisco Catalyst 9166D1 Series Access Points

Restrictions for accelerometer sensor support

The sensor must be calibrated during the manufacturing process; manual field calibration is not supported.

Troubleshoot accelerometer sensors

If the accelerometer readings appear inaccurate, use these steps:

Ensure the AP is fully joined to the controller and running a compatible software version.
If data reporting issues persist, enable specific debugging for the accelerometer feature to isolate communication problems between the AP and the controller.
Ensure the AP is securely mounted, as loose mounting brackets may cause fluctuating tilt readings.

Configure the AP accelerometer sensor (CLI)

Manage the operational state of the accelerometer sensor to monitor or stop monitoring AP movement and orientation.

The environmental accelerometer sensor detects the physical orientation and movement of the access point. You can manually shut down this sensor if it is not required for your deployment.

Procedure

	1.	Enter privileged EXEC mode. Example: `Device> enable`
	2.	Disable the environmental accelerometer sensor for a specific AP. Example: `Device# [no] ap name <ap-name> sensor environment accelerometer shutdown` Replace <ap-name> with the name of the AP. Use the no form of the command to return the sensor to its operational state.

The accelerometer sensor is enabled or disabled for the specified AP as requested.

Configure accelerometer sensor at the AP join profile (CLI)

To enable the accelerometer sensor for all APs associated with a specific profile.

Procedure

	1.	Enter global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Enable or disable the accelerometer sensor for the profile. Example: `Device(config-ap-profile)# [no] ap name <ap-name> sensor environment accelerometer` Replace <ap-name> with the name of the AP. Use the no form of the command to return the sensor to its operational state.

The accelerometer sensor is now enabled for all APs assigned to this profile.

Verify AP sensor status and accelerometer data

To ensure that AP sensors are correctly configured and operational by verifying their status, tilt angles, and database records.

Verify AP accelerometer database content

To verify AP accelerometer database content, enter this command from the console:

Device# show platform software process database wncd 0 chassis activ R0 details WNCD_DB "table tbl_ap_accelerometer" content
        Database: WNCD_DB - Table: table tbl_ap_accelerometer - Num Recs: 2
        Records
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        422 TS:504303508759
        record@tbl_ap_accelerometer: {
        st_ap_accelerometer@st_ap_accelerometer: {
        ap_mac@tdl_mac_addr: {
        mac[0]@U8:148
        mac[1]@U8:13
        mac[2]@U8:75
        mac[3]@U8:156
        mac[4]@U8:39
        mac[5]@U8:224
        }
        last_update@calendar_time: {
        second@I64:1768515191
        microsec@U32:413575
        }
        x_coord@I16:-28
        y_coord@I16:-4
        z_coord@I16:-988
        tilt_angle@I16:1
        }
        }

Verify AP sensor status

To verify AP sensor status, enter this command from the console:

Device# show ap sensor status
        AP Name             MAC-address     Sensor-type     Config-State  Admin-State  Oper-Status  Sampling-Interval
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        AP6849.92FF.A970    ecf4.0c92.ede0  Pressure        Enabled       Disabled     Down         3600
        AP6849.92FF.A970    ecf4.0c92.ede0  Accelerometer   Enabled       Enabled      Up           900
        AP8C88.8152.C6F0    940d.4b9c.27e0  Pressure        Enabled       Disabled     Down         3600
        AP8C88.8152.C6F0    940d.4b9c.27e0  Accelerometer   Enabled       Enabled      Up           900

Verify AP accelerometer details

To verify AP accelerometer details, enter this command from the console:

Device# show ap name default-ap-profile accelerometer
        Tilt angle        : 13 Degree(s)
        Last update       : 01/15/2026 22:11:47

To verify AP accelerometer details, enter this command from the controller:

Device# show ap name <ap-name> config general
        Cisco AP Name   : <ap-name> 
      ================================================= 
      Cisco AP Identifier                    : <mac addr> 
      Country Code                           : Multiple Countries : GB,IN,US 
      Regulatory Domain Allowed by Country   : 802.11bg:-AE   802.11a:-ABDEN   802.11 6GHz:-BR 
      AP Country Code                        : US  - United States
      Tilt angle                             : 178 Degree(s)

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Environmental sensors in APs

Feature history

Use cases

Configure environmental sensors in an AP profile (CLI)

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Configure environment sensors (CLI)

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Example:

Verify the AP sensor status

Accelerometer sensor support

Accelerometer sensor features

Supported hardware

Restrictions for accelerometer sensor support

Troubleshoot accelerometer sensors

Configure the AP accelerometer sensor (CLI)

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Configure accelerometer sensor at the AP join profile (CLI)

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Verify AP sensor status and accelerometer data

Verify AP accelerometer database content

Verify AP sensor status

Verify AP accelerometer details