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

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

Persistent SSID broadcast

Updated: April 10, 2026

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Explains how persistent SSID broadcasts allow mesh access points to continue broadcasting the SSID even if WAN connectivity is lost, supporting network troubleshooting and management in Cisco Aironet 1542 APs operating in Flex+Bridge mode.

A persistent SSID broadcast is a wireless network feature that

  • enables Root APs (RAPs) and Mesh APs (MAPs) to continue broadcasting the SSID when the WAN link is down

  • helps operators isolate issues between the backhaul network and the access wireless network, and

  • applies specifically to Cisco Aironet 1542 APs operating in FlexConnect plus Bridge mode.

RAPs have a wired connection to the controller while MAPs have wireless connection to the controller .

This requirement helps isolate responsibility, whether the fault lies with the backhaul or the access wireless network. Different operators may own each part of the network.

RAPs and MAPs broadcast the SSID while in standalone mode if the default gateway is reachable.

Also refer Mesh Deployment Guide for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers.

Configure persistent SSID broadcast (CLI)

Enable or disable persistent SSID broadcast so that associated APs re-join and maintain SSID visibility as configured using commands.

Procedure

1.

Enter the global configuration mode.

Example:

Device# configure terminal
2.

Configure the AP profile.

Example:

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

Configure the SSID broadcast mode.

Example:

Device(config-ap-profile)# ssid broadcast persistent
Device(config-ap-profile)# [no] ssid broadcast persistent

The persistent keyword enables a persistent SSID broadcast, where the associated APs re-join. Use the no form of the command to disable the feature.

Note

Enabling or disabling this feature causes the AP to re-join.

Verify persistent SSID broadcast

To view the configuration of all Cisco APs, use this show command:

Device#show ap config general
Cisco AP Name   : AP4C77.6DF2.D598
=================================================
Office Extend Mode                              : Disabled
Persistent SSID Broadcast                       : Enabled
Remote AP Debug                                 : Disabled