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

OFDMA support for 802.11ax APs

Updated: April 10, 2026

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Explains the features, functions, and operational constraints of receiver only dual-band radios in WLAN deployments.

OFDMA support for 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) APs is a set of wireless networking capabilities that

improves performance in dense deployments using both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
enables simultaneous data transmissions with technologies such as Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output), and
supports uplink and downlink multi-user operations across multiple client devices.

Cisco Catalyst 9100 series APs support IEEE 802.11ax and are recommended for high-performance environments.

The OFDMA mechanism ensures all users transmit or receive in synchronized time windows, ending simultaneously. This coordination supports independent data streams on the same radio frequencies for increased efficiency.

Feature history

Table 1. Feature history for OFDMA support for 802.11ax APs
Feature Name	Release Information	Feature Description
OFDMA support for 802.11ax APs	Cisco IOS XE 16.12.1	This feature enhances wireless network efficiency and user experience in high-density environments by enabling simultaneous multi-user transmissions with OFDMA and MU-MIMO across both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Supported modes on 802.11ax APs

The following AP modes are supported:

Local mode
FlexConnect mode
Bridge mode
FlexConnect+Mesh mode

Configure 802.11AX (GUI)

Enable 802.11ax features for 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands to optimize high throughput wireless performance.

Procedure

Choose Configuration > Radio Configurations > High Throughput.

Click the 5 GHz Band tab.

Expand the 11ax section.
Check the Enable 11ax and Multiple Bssid check boxes, if required.
Check either the Select All check box to configure all the data rates or select the desired options from the available data rates list.

Click the 2.4 GHz Band tab.

Expand the 11ax section.
Check the Enable 11ax and Multiple Bssid check boxes, if required.
Check either the Select All check box to configure all the data rates or select the desired options from the available data rates list.

Configure channel width (CLI)

Set the 802.11 radio channel width for wireless performance tuning

Procedure

	1.	Enter the global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Configure channel width for 802.11 radios as 160. Example: `Device(config)# ap dot11 { 24ghz \| 5ghz} rrm channel dca chan-width 160` Use the no form of the command to disable the configuration. Note Cisco Catalyst 9115 and C9120 series APs do not support 80+80 channel width. Cisco Catalyst 9117 series APs do not support OFDMA in 160 channel width.
	3.	Configure an RF profile and enters RF profile configuration mode. Example: `Device(config)# ap dot11 { 24ghz \| 5ghz} rf-profile ax-profile`
	4.	Configure the RF profile DCA channel width. Example: `Device(config-rf-profile)# channel chan-width 160`

Configure 802.11ax radio parameters (GUI)

Configure high throughput settings and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) radio parameters for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands on APs using the GUI.

Procedure

	1.	Choose Configuration > Radio Configurations > High Throughput > 5 GHz Band > 11ax.
	2.	Check or uncheck the Enable 11 n check box.
	3.	Check the check boxes for the desired MCS/(data rate) or to select all of them, check the Select All check box. Click Apply.
	4.	Choose Configuration > Radio Configurations > High Throughput > 2.4 GHz Band > 11ax.
	5.	Check or uncheck the Enable 11 n check box.
	6.	Check the check boxes for the desired MCS/(data rate) or to select all of them, check the Select All check box. Click Apply.
	7.	Choose Configuration > Wireless > Access Points. Click the Access Point.
	8.	In the Edit AP dialog box, enable the LED State toggle button and select the LED brightness level from the LED Brightness Level drop-down list.
	9.	Click Update & Apply to Device.

Configure 802.11ax radio parameters (CLI)

Set up and manage 802.11ax radio parameters on your Cisco device using commands.

Procedure

	1.	Enter the global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Configure the 802.11 6 GHz dot11ax parameters. Example: `Device(config)# ap dot11 {24ghz \| 5ghz \|6ghz} dot11ax` Use the no form of the command to disable the configuration.
	3.	Enable the 802.11ax 2.4-Ghz, 5-Ghz, or 6-Ghz band modulation and coding scheme (MCS) transmission rates. Example: `Device(config)# ap dot11 {24ghz \| 5ghz \| 6ghz} dot11ax mcs tx index 11 spatial-stream 8`
	4.	(Optional) Configure the led brightness level. Example: `Device(config)# ap led-brightness 6`

Set up the 802.11ax radio parameters (CLI)

Configure advanced wireless radio settings to optimize performance and coverage on Cisco APs supporting 802.11ax.

Procedure

	1.	Enter the privileged EXEC mode. Example: `Device# enable`
	2.	Configure the led brightness level. Example: `Device# ap name ax-ap led-brightness-level 6`
	3.	Configure the 802.11n - 5 GHz antenna selection. Example: `Device# ap name ap1 dot11 {24ghz \| 5ghz} dot11n antenna A` Use the no form of the command to disable the configuration.
	4.	Configure 802.11 channel width. Example: `Device# ap name ap1 dot11 {24ghz \| 5ghz} channel width 160`
	5.	Configure the advanced 802.11 secondary 80Mhz channel assignment parameters. Example: `Device# ap name ap1 dot11 {24ghz \| 5ghz} secondary-80 12`

Configure OFDMA on a WLAN (CLI)

Enable OFDMA and related 802.11ax features on a WLAN interface.

Note

For Cisco Catalyst 9115 and 9120 series APs, the configuration is applied per radio, not per WLAN. The controller keeps this feature enabled if it is enabled on any WLAN.

Procedure

	1.	Enter the global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Enter the WLAN configuration mode. Example: `Device(config)# wlan wlan1`
	3.	Enable the downlink connection that uses the OFDMA technology. Example: `Device(config-wlan)# dot11ax downlink-ofdma` Use the no form of the command to disable the configuration.
	4.	Enable the uplink connection that uses the OFDMA technology. Example: `Device(config-wlan)# dot11ax uplink-ofdma`
	5.	Enable the downlink connection that uses the MUMIMO technology. Example: `Device(config-wlan)# dot11ax downlink-mumimo`
	6.	Enable the uplink connection that uses the MUMIMO technology. Example: `Device(config-wlan)# dot11ax uplink-mumimo`
	7.	Enable the TWT broadcast support operation. Example: `Device (config-wlan)# dot11ax twt-broadcast-support`

UNII-3 channels in the –E domain

UNII-3 channels are wireless frequency channels that

operate in the –E domain with low power
are disabled by default starting from Cisco IOS XE 17.17.1, and
may cause coverage gaps for APs when selected by Radio Resource Management (RRM), if the client devices do not support those channels.

Note

Verify that your AP is listed among the Supported APs. If your AP is not listed, UNII-3 channels is disabled to meet regulatory requirements. For more information, see CSCwq22634.

Configure UNII-3 channels for –E domain (CLI)

Enable UNII-3 low-power channels for all 802.11a radios operating in the 5 GHz band in the –E domain.

Before you begin

UNII-3 low-power channels is applicable only for 5 GHz band.

Procedure

In global configuration mode, configure either of the following:

Configure the UNII-3 channels for all 802.11a radios in the 5 GHz band for the default RF profile.
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
```
Device(config)# ap dot11 5ghz rrm channel unii3-low-power-channels
```
Configure the UNII-3 channels for all 802.11a radios in the 5 GHz band for a custom RF profile.
Example:
```
Device(config)# ap dot11 5ghz rf-profile ax-profile
```

Enable UNII-3 low power channels.

Example:

Device(config-rf-profile)# channel unii3-low-power-channels

Return to the privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode.

Example:

Device(config-rf-profile)# end

Restrictions and supported APs

Restrictions for UNII-3 channels in the –E domain

Channel availability depends on both the configured country code and hardware certification status to guarantee lawful operation and prevent interference.

Ensure that your configured country code is correct to guarantee legal operation and prevent interference. See CSCwd27071.
Check whether your AP is included in the Supported APs list. If it is not, UNII-3 channels are disabled to comply with regulatory requirements. See CSCwq22634.
If your AP is not on this list of Supported APs, UNII-3 channels are disabled or unavailable to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Supported APs

Cisco Catalyst 9136 Access Point
Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9162I Access Point
Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9164I Access Point
Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9166I Access Point
Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9178I Access Point
Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9176I Access Point
Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9176D1 Access Point

Verify UNII-3 channel configurations

To verify the status of the UNII-3 channel configuration in the AP RF profile details, use the command:

Device# show ap rf-profile name ax-profile detail 

A-MPDU Window                     :  255 
Zero Wait DFS                     :  Disabled
UNII-3 Low Power Channels         : Disabled
Preamble Puncturing               : Disabled
Packets Retries Settings:
Management Retries                : -1
Aggregate Retries                 : -1
Non_Aggregate Retries             : -1

To verify the UNII-3 channel status in the 5-GHz radio configuration details, use the command:

Device# show ap dot11 5ghz channel 

Leader Automatic Channel Assignment
Channel Assignment Mode                    : AUTO
Channel Update Interval                    : 600 seconds
Anchor time (Hour of the day)              : 0
Channel Update Contribution
Noise                                      : Enable
Interference                               : Enable
Load                                       : Disable
Device Aware                               : Disable
CleanAir Event-driven RRM option           : Disabled
Zero Wait DFS                              : Disabled
Channel Assignment Leader                  : EWLC_RRM_DURGA (9.9.38.103) (2009:300:38::103)
Last Run                                   : 300 seconds ago
            
DCA Sensitivity Level                      : MEDIUM : 15 dB
DCA Channel Width                          : 80 MHz
DCA Minimum Energy Limit                   : -95 dBm
DCA Aggressive on startup                  : Enabled
UNII-3 Low Power Channels                  : Disabled
Channel Energy Levels
Minimum                                    : -86 dBm
Average                                  : -84 dBm
Maximum                                  : -81 dBm
Channel Dwell Times
Minimum                                  : 53 minutes 47 seconds 
Average                                  : 19 hours 35 minutes 47 seconds 
Maximum                                  : 1 day 4 hours 51 minutes 54 seconds 
802.11a 5 GHz Auto-RF Channel List
Allowed Channel List                     : 44,48,52,60,64,100,104,108,112,116,120,124,128,140,144,153,157,161
Unused Channel List                    : 36,40,56,132,136,149,165,169,173

Verify channel width

To verify the channel width and other channel information, use the commands:

Device# show ap dot11 5ghz summary
        
AP Name             Mac Address       Slot    Admin State  Oper State  Channel    Width    Txpwr
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP80e0.1d75.6954    80e0.1d7a.7620     1       Enabled      Up          (52)*      160      1(*)

Device# show ap dot11 dual-band summary
        
AP Name        Subband    Radio Mac        Status     Channel    Power Level  Slot ID        Mode        
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kartl28021mi    All       002a.1058.38a0    Enabled   (52)*      (1)*            1           REAP

Device# show ap name <ap-name> channel
        
802.11b/g Current Channel                        : 11
Slot ID                                          : 0
Allowed Channel List                             : 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11
802.11a Current Channel ....................... 52  (160 MHz) 
Slot ID                                          : 1
Allowed Channel List                             : 36,40,44,48,52,56,60,64,100,104,108,112,116,132,136,140,149,153,157,161,165

Device# show ap name <ap-name> config slot <slot-num>
.
.
.
Phy OFDM Parameters
Configuration                              : Automatic
Current Channel                            : 52
Extension Channel                          : No Extension
Channel Width                              : 160 MHz
Allowed Channel List                        : 36,40,44,48,52,56,60,64,100,104,108,112,116,132,136,140,149,153,157,161,165
TI Threshold                                : 0

Device# show ap dot11 5ghz channel
.
.
.
DCA Sensitivity Level                      : MEDIUM : 15 dB
DCA 802.11n/ac Channel Width               : 160 MHz
DCA Minimum Energy Limit                   : -95 dBm
.
.
.

Device# show ap rf-profile name <name> detail
.
.
.
Unused Channel List               : 165
DCA Bandwidth                     :  160 MHz
DCA Foreign AP Contribution       : Enabled
.
.
.

Verify client details

To verify the client information, use the commands:

Device# show wireless client mac-address <mac-address> detail

Client MAC Address : a886.ddb2.05e9
Client IPv4 Address : 169.254.175.214
Client IPv6 Addresses : fe80::b510:a381:8099:4747
2001:DB8:300:57:4007:6abb:2c9a:61e2
Client Username: N/A
Voice Client Type   : Unknown
AP MAC Address : c025.5c55.e400
AP Name: APe4c7.22b2.948e
Device Type: N/A
Device Version: N/A
AP slot : 0
Client State : Associated
Policy Profile : default-policy-profile
Flex Profile : default-flex-profile
Wireless LAN Id : 1
Wireless LAN Name: SSS_OPEN
BSSID : c025.5c55.e406
Connected For : 23 seconds 
Protocol : 802.11ax - 5 GHz
Channel : 8
Client IIF-ID : 0xa0000001
Association Id : 1
Authentication Algorithm : Open System
Client CCX version : No CCX support
Session Timeout : 86400 sec (Remaining time: 86378 sec)
.
.
.

Device# show wireless client summary

Number of Local Clients: 1

MAC Address    AP Name                          WLAN  State             Protocol Method     Role
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a886.ddb2.05e9 APe4c7.22b2.948e                 1     Run               11ax(5) None       Local

Device# show wireless stats client detail
 
 
 Total Number of Clients : 1
 
 Protocol Statistics
 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Protocol            Client Count
 802.11b              : 0
 802.11g              : 0
 802.11a              : 0
 802.11n-2.4GHz       : 0
 802.11n-5 GHz        : 0
 802.11ac             : 0
 802.11ax-5 GHz       : 0
 802.11ax-2.4 GHz     : 0
 802.11ax-6 GHz       : 1

Verify radio configuration

To verify the radio configuration information, use the commands:

Device# show ap dot11 5ghz network

802.11a Network                           : Enabled
.
.
.
802.11ax                                  : Enabled
  DynamicFrag                             : Enabled
  MultiBssid                              : Disabled
802.11ax MCS Settings:
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 1             : Disabled
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 1             : Disabled
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 1             : Disabled
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 3             : Disabled
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 3             : Disabled
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 4             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 4             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 4             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 5             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 5             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 5             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 6             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 6             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 6             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 7             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 7             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 7             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 8             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 8             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 8             : Supported
Beacon Interval                           : 100      
.
.
.
Maximum Number of Clients per AP Radio    : 200

Device# show ap dot11 24ghz network

802.11b Network                           : Enabled
.
.
.
802.11axSupport...................................... Enabled
      dynamicFrag................................ Disabled
      multiBssid................................. Disabled   
802.11ax                                  : Enabled  
  DynamicFrag                             : Enabled
  MultiBssid                              : Enabled
802.11ax MCS Settings:
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 1             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 1             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 1             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 4             : Disabled
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 4             : Disabled
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 4             : Disabled 
Beacon Interval                           : 100      
.
.
.
Maximum Number of Clients per AP Radio    : 200

Device# show ap dot11 6ghz network
802.11 6Ghz Network                       : Enabled
802.11ax                                  : Enabled
.
.
. 
802.11ax MCS Settings:
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 1             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 1             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 1             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 2             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 3             : Supported
  MCS  7, Spatial Streams = 4             : Supported
  MCS  9, Spatial Streams = 4             : Supported
  MCS 11, Spatial Streams = 4             : Supported
Beacon Interval                           : 95
.
.
.
Maximum Number of Clients per AP Radio    : 200
WiFi to Cellular RSSI Threshold           : -85 dbm
Client Network Preference                 : default

Device# show wlan id 1
WLAN Profile Name     : wlanon66
================================================
Identifier                                     : 1
Description                                    : 
Network Name (SSID)                            : wlanon66
Status                                         : Enabled
Broadcast SSID                                 : Enabled
Advertise-Apname                               : Enabled
Universal AP Admin                             : Disabled
Max Associated Clients per WLAN                : 0
Max Associated Clients per AP per WLAN         : 0
Max Associated Clients per AP Radio per WLAN   : 200
OKC                                            : Enabled
Number of Active Clients                       : 0
CHD per WLAN                                   : Enabled
WMM                                            : Allowed
WiFi Direct Policy                             : Disabled
.
.
.
Operational State of Radio Bands
    2.4ghz                                     : UP
    5ghz                                       : UP
    6ghz                                       : DOWN (Required config: Disable WPA2 and Enable WPA3 & dot11ax)
DTIM period for 802.11a radio                  : 
DTIM period for 802.11b radio                  : 
Local EAP Authentication                       : Disabled
Mac Filter Authorization list name             : Disabled
Mac Filter Override Authorization list name    : Disabled
Accounting list name                           : 
802.1x authentication list name                : Disabled
802.1x authorization list name                 : Disabled
Security
    802.11 Authentication                      : Open System
.
.
.
802.11ac MU-MIMO                               : Enabled
802.11ax parameters
    802.11ax Operation Status                  : Enabled
    OFDMA Downlink                             : Enabled
    OFDMA Uplink                               : Enabled
    MU-MIMO Downlink                           : Enabled
    MU-MIMO Uplink                             : Enabled
    BSS Target Wake Up Time                    : Enabled
    BSS Target Wake Up Time Broadcast Support  : Enabled
.
.
.

Note

For a 6 GHz radio, the 802.11ax parameters come from the multi BSSID profile associated with the 6 GHz RF profile of the access point. As a result, the dot11ax WLAN parameters are replaced by the parameters from the multi BSSID profile for the 6 GHz band. The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band WLANs do not change. These bands continue to use the WLAN parameters for 802.11ax

Device# show ap led-brightness-level summary

AP Name                           LED Brightness level    
--------------------------------------------------------
AP00FC.BA01.CC00                  Not Supported           
AP70DF.2FA2.72EE                  8                       
AP7069.5A74.6678                  2                       
APb838.6159.e184                  Not Supported

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