Details configuration and monitoring procedures for NDP Mode, including step-by-step instructions for GUI and CLI setup, RF profile integration, monitoring radio statistics, and verification to ensure correct NDP operation on access points.

Configure RRM NDP mode (GUI)

Set the Radio Resource Management (RRM) neighbor discovery mode for APs. This optimizes wireless network performance.

Use this task to select how access points detect neighbors—either automatically or using off-channel scanning—through the GUI.

Before you begin

Confirm that the radio you want to configure (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) is enabled.

Procedure

	1.	Choose Configuration > Radio Configurations > RRM.
	2.	In the Radio Resource Management window, click either the 5 GHz Band or the 2.4 GHz Band tab.
	3.	In the General tab, under the Noise/Interference/Rogue/CleanAir/SI Monitoring Channels section, click the RRM Neighbor Discovery Mode toggle button to configure a mode.
	4.	Click Apply.

The RRM neighbor discovery mode is updated for the selected band.

Configure the NDP mode (CLI)

Set the neighbor discovery protocol (NDP) mode for 802.11 radios using CLI.

Specify whether supported APs transmit NDP packets in auto or off-channel mode for 802.11a/b/g/n/ac radios.

Procedure

	1.	Enter global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Configure the operating mode for 802.11a neighbor discovery using ap dot11 { 24ghz \| 5ghz } rrm ndp-mode {auto \| off-channel} command. Example: For Brownfield (mixed) deployments: `Device(config)# ap dot11 24ghz rrm ndp-mode auto` `Device(config)# ap dot11 5ghz rrm ndp-mode auto` Example: Greenfield (all APs with RF ASIC conventional radios) `Device(config)# ap dot11 24ghz rrm ndp-mode off-channel`

You have configured the NDP mode.

Configure the NDP Type (CLI)

Set which type of Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) messages your AP broadcasts on the selected radio band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz.

Use this procedure to specify whether NDP messages are protected or transparent when configuring Radio Resource Management (RRM) parameters for an AP through the CLI.

Before you begin

Determine which radio (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz) you intend to configure.
Determine if you want your NDP messages to be protected or transparent.

Procedure

	1.	Enter global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Configure the NDP type for 802.11a (2.4 GHz), 802.11b (5 GHz), or 802.11 (6 GHz) neighbor discovery using the ap dot11 { 24ghz \| 5ghz \| 6ghz } rrm ndp-type { protected \| transparent } command. Example: `Device(config)# ap dot11 6ghz rrm ndp-type protected` The two types are protected and transparent.

The AP uses the designated NDP type for neighbor discovery on the specified radio band.

Configure NDP mode in the RF profile (GUI)

Enable or modify Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) mode settings for a specific RF profile to optimize wireless network performance.

NDP mode affects how devices discover neighboring APs within a wireless network RF profile. You can set NDP to Auto or Off-Channel as needed.

Procedure

	1.	Choose Configuration > Tags & Profiles > RF.
	2.	Click Add. The Add RF Profile window is displayed.
	3.	Click the General tab.
	4.	Click the NDP Mode toggle button to select the NDP mode as AUTO or as OFF-CHANNEL.
	5.	Click Apply to Device.

The chosen RF profile is updated with the selected NDP mode setting, which is now active in your wireless environment.

Configure NDP mode in the RF profile (CLI)

Set the operating mode for Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) in a specified RF profile using the CLI.

Use this task to configure the NDP operating mode—either auto or off-channel —for a specific RF profile (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz) on your wireless device.

Procedure

	1.	Enter global configuration mode. Example: `Device# configure terminal`
	2.	Enter the RF profile configuration using the ap dot11 { 24ghz \| 5ghz\| 6ghz } rf-profile rf-profile-name command. Example: `Device(config)# ap dot11 24ghz rf-profile rf-profile-name`
	3.	Configure the operating mode for neighbor discovery. Example: `Device(config-rf-profile)# ndp-mode mode`

The RF profile is updated to use the specified NDP mode on the selected radio band.

Monitor radio statistics and NDP using GUI

View and analyze radio statistics, including NDP capability and mode for APs.

Use this task when you need to check and evaluate the wireless radio status and NDP settings for access points in your network environment.

Note

You can verify which NDP transmission mode is in use with a packet capture on the serving channel:

If the AP is using On‑Channel mode, NDP frames will appear on the serving channel at approximately 20 ms intervals as a continuous stream.

If the AP is using Off‑Channel (legacy) mode, NDP frames will appear on each channel only once during a full scan cycle (about every 3 minutes for all channels combined). In this case, you may not see NDP frames on the serving channel for long periods while the serving radio is tuned elsewhere.
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Procedure

	1.	Choose Monitoring > Wireless > Radio Statistics.
	2.	Click either 5 GHz Radios, 2.4 GHz Radios, or Dual-Band Radios tab. The corresponding radio band window displays the list of configured APs.
	3.	To view the general attributes of an AP, click the corresponding AP to display the General tab. The following information is displayed: AP Name: Displays the assigned identifier for the AP, which is unique within the network. The AP name can be ASCII characters from 32 to 126, excluding leading and trailing spaces. IP Address: Displays the IP address assigned to the AP in dotted-decimal format. AP Mode: Displays the configured AP mode. The supported modes are: Local: It is the default mode, and it offers a basic service set (BSS) on a specific channel. When the AP does not transmit wireless client frame, it scans other channels to measure noise interference, discover rogue devices, and check for matches against Intrusion Detection System (IDS) events. Monitor: An AP in monitor mode does not transmit. It is a dedicated sensor that checks IDS events, detects rogue APs, and determines the position of wireless stations. Sniffer: You can configure an AP as a network sniffer using the controller. This mode captures and forwards all packets on a particular channel to a remote machine running packet analyzer software. These packets contain information on time stamps, signal strength, packet sizes, and so on. Sniffers allow you to monitor and record network activity and detect problems. Bridge: The AP becomes a dedicated point-to-point or point-to-multipoint bridge. Two APs in bridge mode can connect two remote sites. Multiple APs can also form an indoor or outdoor mesh. Note that you cannot connect to the bridge with clients. Clear: Returns the AP back to client-serving mode depending on the remote site tag configuration. MAC Address: Displays the registered MAC address on the controller. Number of Slots : Displays the number of slots supported by the AP. Radio Type: Displays the radio band configured on the controller. By default, both 802.11b/g/n (2.4-GHz) and 802.11a/n/ac (5-GHz) bands are enabled. Slot ID: Displays the slot on which radio is installed. Sub band Type: Displays the configured radio sub-band. NDP Capability: Displays the supported Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) capability. NDP Mode: Displays the configured NDP mode. If the NDP mode that is configured is AUTO, the controller selects ON-Channel as the NDP mode. If the NDP-mode that is configured is OFF-Channel, the controller selects OFF-Channel as the NDP mode.

Verify NDP mode

To verify the NDP mode, run these commands:

Device# show ap rf-profile name test-24g
Description                       : test
RF Profile Name                   : test-24g
Band                              : 2.4 GHz
Transmit Power Threshold v1       : -70 dBm
Min Transmit Power                : -10 dBm
Max Transmit Power                : 30 dBm
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NDP mode                          : Auto 
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Device# show ap rf-profile name test-5g detail 
Description                       : Test
RF Profile Name                   : test-5g
Band                              : 5 GHz
Transmit Power Threshold v1       : -70 dBm
Min Transmit Power                : -10 dBm
Max Transmit Power                : 30 dBm
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NDP mode                          : Off-channel
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Device# show ap name ap-name config dot11 24ghz  
Cisco AP Identifier                             : 3cxx.0exx.36xx
Cisco AP Name                                   : Cisco-9105AXW-AP
Country Code                                    : Multiple Countries: US,MK,J4,IN
Regulatory Domain Allowed by Country            : 802.11bg:-AEJPQU   802.11a:-ABDEIJNPQU
AP Country Code                                 : US  - United States
AP Regulatory Domain                            : -A
MAC Address                                     : 5cxx.0dxx.e0xx
IP Address Configuration                        : DHCP
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NDP mode                                        :  Off-channel
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Device# show ap name ap-name config dot11 5ghz
Cisco AP Identifier                             : 3cxx.0exx.36xx
Cisco AP Name                                   : Cisco-9105AXW-AP
Country Code                                    : Multiple Countries: US,MK,J4,IN
Regulatory Domain Allowed by Country            : 802.11bg:-AEJPQU   802.11a:-ABDEIJNPQU
AP Country Code                                 : US  - United States
AP Regulatory Domain                            : -B
MAC Address                                     : 5cxx.0dxx.e0xx
IP Address Configuration                        : DHCP
IP Address                                      : Disabled
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NDP mode                                        :  On-channel
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Device# show ap dot11 24ghz monitor 
Default 802.11b AP monitoring
  802.11b Monitor Mode                 : Enabled
  802.11b Monitor Channels             : Country channels
  802.11b RRM Neighbor Discover Type   : Transparent
  802.11b AP Coverage Interval         : 180 seconds
  802.11b AP Load Interval             : 60 seconds
  802.11b AP Measurement Interval      : 180 seconds
  802.11b AP Reporting Interval        : 180 seconds
  802.11b NDP RSSI Normalization       : Enabled
  802.11b Neighbor Timeout factor      : 20 
  802.11b NDP mode                     : Auto

Device# show ap dot11 5ghz monitor  
Default 802.11a AP monitoring
  802.11a Monitor Mode                 : Enabled
  802.11a Monitor Channels             : Country channels
  802.11a RRM Neighbor Discover Type   : Transparent
  802.11a AP Coverage Interval         : 180 seconds
  802.11a AP Load Interval             : 60 seconds
  802.11a AP Measurement Interval      : 180 seconds
  802.11a AP Reporting Interval        : 180 seconds
  802.11a NDP RSSI Normalization       : Enabled
  802.11a Neighbor Timeout factor      : 20 
  802.11a NDP mode                     : Auto

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Configuration Tasks

Configure RRM NDP mode (GUI)

Before you begin

Procedure

Configure the NDP mode (CLI)

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Example:

Configure the NDP Type (CLI)

Before you begin

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Configure NDP mode in the RF profile (GUI)

Procedure

Configure NDP mode in the RF profile (CLI)

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Example:

Monitor radio statistics and NDP using GUI

Procedure

Verify NDP mode