How to add Cisco wireless AP to Cisco wireless controller

nLinked

Member
Jul 11, 2006
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We have a Cisco wireless controller, and in the web interface we can see a list of all our business wireless Cisco APs. But we have one AP that doesn't appear in the list.

I can't find any Add AP option at all in the wireless controller's interface. Anyone know? Apparently the APs are setup so that they just get detected but this one doesn't. The AP is active and working.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
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A lightweight AP joins a controller via DHCP, DNS or broadcast. You don't add them or anything on the controller, you setup your systems to provide the IP address of the controllers and then the AP joins it. Best and easiest way is to use DHCP.

Check your DHCP scopes to see if there's a option 42 with the controller address
Check DNS for record for cisco-lwapp-controller
Check if layer2 mode is enabled on the controller (later versions don't support it)

See more here.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6366/products_tech_note09186a00808f8599.shtml
 

nLinked

Member
Jul 11, 2006
170
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A lightweight AP joins a controller via DHCP, DNS or broadcast. You don't add them or anything on the controller, you setup your systems to provide the IP address of the controllers and then the AP joins it. Best and easiest way is to use DHCP.

Check your DHCP scopes to see if there's a option 42 with the controller address
Check DNS for record for cisco-lwapp-controller
Check if layer2 mode is enabled on the controller (later versions don't support it)

See more here.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6366/products_tech_note09186a00808f8599.shtml

Thanks. I'm finding it hard to find a DHCP scope range. I'm assuming it's already defined somewhere on the wireless controller's web interface, but now I can't even find that. If I can located this scope setting I may be able to adjust it so it detects the remaining AP (which may be on a different IP range). Do you know where the scope setting could be?
 

seepy83

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2003
2,132
3
71
Thanks. I'm finding it hard to find a DHCP scope range. I'm assuming it's already defined somewhere on the wireless controller's web interface, but now I can't even find that. If I can located this scope setting I may be able to adjust it so it detects the remaining AP (which may be on a different IP range). Do you know where the scope setting could be?

You need to look at your DHCP server (If you have more than one, the one that handles the network that the controller and APs are on), not the Controller.

Also, I think Spidey had a typo...should be Option 43, not 42.
 

Cooky

Golden Member
Apr 2, 2002
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0
76
The internal dhcp function can be found under Controller tab, then Intern DHCP on the left hand side.
If you utilize option 43 to deploy AP's though, the scope is probably on a dedicated dhcp server, instead of the internal on the controller.
How the AP's are deployed can depend on if they're L2 adjacent to your controller.
Did you or someone else set up the initial deployment?
 

nLinked

Member
Jul 11, 2006
170
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The internal dhcp function can be found under Controller tab, then Intern DHCP on the left hand side.
If you utilize option 43 to deploy AP's though, the scope is probably on a dedicated dhcp server, instead of the internal on the controller.
How the AP's are deployed can depend on if they're L2 adjacent to your controller.
Did you or someone else set up the initial deployment?

Thanks, it was someone else but getting in contact is difficult. It must be on our DHCP server as the internal DHCP server on the controller has not been configured.

On our DHCP server, we do have scopes for Cisco Aironet, 241 Option 43, but it only has the IP address of the controller. I can't see any settings in DHCP showing the scope for the actual APs. I can't see any ranges defined anywhere. Yet this one AP (and a few others) are not adding into the controller which we really want to get working in the same way.
 

seepy83

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2003
2,132
3
71
I am assuming that you have managed switches. If you do, then check the config for the switchport that one of the working APs is connected to, and then check the config for one of the APs that is not working. My suspicion is that you need to change the VLAN for the APs that don't work.
 

RadiclDreamer

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2004
8,622
40
91
A lightweight AP joins a controller via DHCP, DNS or broadcast. You don't add them or anything on the controller, you setup your systems to provide the IP address of the controllers and then the AP joins it. Best and easiest way is to use DHCP.

Check your DHCP scopes to see if there's a option 42 with the controller address
Check DNS for record for cisco-lwapp-controller
Check if layer2 mode is enabled on the controller (later versions don't support it)

See more here.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6366/products_tech_note09186a00808f8599.shtml

The above is correct, but dont forget some AP will use the capwap address as well, so I always add CISCO-LWAPP-CONTROLLER and CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
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OP what is the full model number on the AP? You may have the wrong version, either should be able to be flashed to LW or IOS...but if coded wrong will not connect.