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Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point Hardware Installation Guide
OL-12632-02
Chapter 2 Mounting Instructions
Installation Guidelines
Step 4
Select a WLAN ID or Any WLAN from the WLAN ID pop-up menu.
Step 5
Enter a description (32 characters maximum) of the access point in the Description field; for example,
Fisher_Street_00.0B.91.21.3A.C7 shows the location and MAC address of the access point.
Step 6
Choose an interface from the Interface Name pop-up menu, and click Apply.
Step 7
Repeat Steps 2 to 6 to add other access points to the list.
Step 8
Log out of your controller, and close your web browser.
Configuring a RAP
The access point defaults to the MAP radio role. One or more of your access points must be reconfigured
as a RAP. The RAPs connect to a wired Ethernet link through a switch to the controller. The MAPs use
their wireless backhaul interface to connect to a RAP to reach the controller.
Follow these steps to configure a RAP on the controller GUI:
Step 1
Log into your controller using a web browser.
Step 2
Click Wireless. When your access point associates to the controller, your access point’s name appears
in the AP Name list.
Step 3
Double-click your access point’s name.
Step 4
Find Mesh Information, and choose Root AP by clicking the drop down arrow in the AP Role field.
Step 5
Click Apply.
Step 6
Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for each RAP.
Step 7
Log out from your controller, and close your web browser.
Configuring a Bridge Group Name
The bridge group name (BGN) controls the association of the access points to a RAP. BGNs can be used
to logically group the radios to avoid different networks on the same channel from communicating with
each other. This setting is also useful if you have more than one RAP in your network in the same area.
If you have two RAPs in your network in the same area (for more capacity), we recommend that you
configure the two RAPs with the same BGN, but on different channels.
The BGN is a string of ten characters maximum. A factory-set bridge group name (NULL VALUE) is
assigned during manufacturing. It is not visible to you, but allows new access point radios to join a
network of new access points. The BGN can be reconfigured from the Controller CLI and GUI. After
configuring the BGN, the access point reboots.
The BGN should be configured very carefully on a live network. You should always start from the
farthest node (last node) from the RAP and move towards the RAP. If you start configuring the BGN in
a different location, then the access points beyond this point (farther away) are dropped, as they have a
different BGN.
