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

Directed multicast service

Updated: April 10, 2026

Want to summarize with AI?

Log in

Introduces directed multicast service, explaining how APs transmit multicast packets as unicast frames to improve delivery and battery life for clients, and lists supported Cisco Aironet AP models.

A directed multicast service is a wireless networking feature that

  • enables APs to transmit multicast packets as unicast frames to clients

  • allows clients to reliably receive multicast packets that were missed during sleep mode (for battery savings), and

  • improves packet delivery rates and battery life by sending unicast frames at higher wireless link rates.

After receiving this request, an AP buffers multicast traffic for the client. When the client wakes up, the AP transmits the buffered traffic as a unicast frame. The AP can transmit the unicast frames to the client at a higher wireless link rate. Without DMS, the client has to wake up at each Delivery Traffic Indication Map (DTIM) interval to receive multicast traffic.

Configure directed multicast service (GUI)

Enable directed multicast service on a specific WLAN to optimize multicast traffic delivery using the GUI.

Procedure

1.

Choose Configuration > Wireless > WLANs > Wireless Networks.
2.

Select a WLAN to view the Edit WLAN window.
3.

Click on theAdvanced tab.
4.

Check the Directed Multicast Service check box to enable the feature.
5.

Click Update & Apply to Device.

Configure directed multicast service (CLI)

Enable directed multicast service (DMS) on a WLAN to improve multicast efficiency for 802.11v-capable clients using commands.

Before you begin

  • This feature is enabled on receiving a request from a client. Make sure to configure this feature under WLAN.

  • It is supported only on 802.11v-capable clients, such as Apple iPad and Apple iPhone.

Procedure

1.

Enter the global configuration mode.

Example:

Device# configure terminal
2.

Configure the WLAN profile and enter the WLAN profile configuration mode.

Example:

Device(config)# wlan test5
3.

Disable the WLAN profile.

Example:

Device(config-wlan)# shutdown
4.

Configure DMS processing per WLAN.

Example:

Device(config-wlan)# dms
5.

Enable the WLAN profile.

Example:

Device(config-wlan)# no shutdown

Verify the directed multicast service configuration

To verify the status of the DMS configuration on the controller, use these commands below. The DMS status is displayed under IEEE 802.11v Parameters.

Device# show wlan id 5 
WLAN Profile Name     : test
================================================
Identifier                                     : 5
Network Name (SSID)                            : test
Status                                         : Disabled
Broadcast SSID                                 : 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
!
.
.
.
Assisted-Roaming
Neighbor List                              : Disabled
Prediction List                            : Disabled
Dual Band Support                          : Disabled
! DMS status is displayed below.
IEEE 802.11v parameters
Directed Multicast Service                 : Enabled
BSS Max Idle                               : Disabled
Protected Mode                             : Disabled
Traffic Filtering Service                  : Disabled
BSS Transition                             : Enabled
Disassociation Imminent                    : Disabled
Optimized Roaming Timer                    : 40
Timer                                      : 200
WNM Sleep Mode                             : Disabled
802.11ac MU-MIMO                           : Disabled
802.11ax parameters
OFDMA Downlink                             : unknown
OFDMA Uplink                               : unknown
MU-MIMO Downlink                           : unknown
MU-MIMO Uplink                             : unknown
BSS Color                                  : unknown
Partial BSS Color                          : unknown
BSS Color Code

To verify the status of the DMS configuration on the controller for clients, use this command:

Device# show wireless client mac-address 6c96.cff2.83a0 detail | inc 11v
11v BSS Transition : implemented
11v DMS Capable : Yes

To verify the DMS request and response statistics, use this command:

Device# show wireless stats client detail | inc DMS
Total DMS requests received in action frame      : 0
Total DMS responses sent in action frame         : 0
Total DMS requests received in Re-assoc Request  : 0
Total DMS responses sent in Re-assoc Response    : 0

To verify the DMS configuration Cisco Aironet 2700 and 3700 Series APs, use this command:

AP# show controllers dot11Radio 0/1 | begin Global DMS
Global DMS - requests:0 uc:0 drop:408
DMS enabled on WLAN(s): dms-open
 test-open

To verify the DMS configuration on the Cisco Aironet 2800, 3800, and 4800 Series APs, use this command:

AP# show multicast dms all
 vapid    client               dmsid        TClas
 0       1C:9E:46:7C:AF:C0     1    mask:0x55, version:4, proto:0x11, dscp:0x0, sport:0, dport:9, sip:0.0.0.0, dip:224.0.0.251