Wireless Design

T H E C EN T R A LI Z E D A ND D E C E N T R A LI Z E D W IR E LE S S C AM P US
Wireless Standards
802.11a 802.11b 802.11g 802.11n 802.11ac
Max throughput 54Mbps 11Mbps 54Mbps 600Mbps 2.3Gbps
Year released 1999 1999 2003 2009 2013
Frequency 5Ghz 2.4Ghz 2.4Ghz 2.4+5Ghz 5Ghz

• ISM (2.4GHz) - 3 nonoverlapping frequencies @ 22Mhz

• UNII (5GHz) - 12 nonoverlapping frequencies @ 40Mhz

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SSID – Service Set Identifier
• The ‘name’ of the wireless network
• Equates to a VLAN on a wired network
• Can be 2 to 32 characters long
• At layer 2, wireless uses CSMA/CA. Each station listens before transmitting.
Cisco Unified Wireless Network
5 Elements 7 Primary Benefits

• Client devices • Reduced TCO

• Access points • Enhanced visibility and control
• Network unification • Dynamic RF management
• Network management • WLAN security
• Mobility services • Unified wired and wireless
• Enterprise mobility
• Enhanced productivity and collaboration
AP Architectures
Centralized
• Uses lightweight APs
• APs controlled by WLC

Autonomous
• No WLC
• APs operate independently

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Access Point Communications
LWAPP
• UDP 12222 for control
• UDP 12223 for data
• Cisco proprietary
• AES for encryption

CAPWAP
• UDP 5246 for control
• UDP 5247 for data
• Preferred, industry standard
• DTLS for encryption

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 MAC Architecture
Split-MAC

• The WLC is the entry point for wireless client data

• Wireless client data traverses network using CAPWAP

Local MAC

• Client data enters network at AP

• All autonomous APs use local MAC

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AP Modes
• Local mode – default operating mode
• H-REAP – For managing LAP over WAN. Allows split-MAC
• Monitor – AP doesn’t handle client data, only provides location based services
• Rogue detector – AP only listens for access points
• Sniffer – Only supported with AiroPeek; captures all traffic on a channel
• Bridge – AP acts as a point to point or point to multipoint wireless bridge.
AP WLC Discovery
Process order
• AP requests controller using CAPWAP
• If no response in 60sec, AP uses LWAPP
• If no response in 60sec, cycles to CAPWAP again

WLC selection order

• Primary (preconfigured)
• Secondary (preconfigured)
• Tertiary (preconfigured)
• Master WLC
• WLC with greatest capacity for AP associations

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 WLC Components
WLAN
• Identified by an SSID and assigned to an interface

Interface
• A logical connection that maps to a VLAN in wired network
• 5 Interface types: • Management (mandatory)
• Service-port (optional)
• AP Manager (mandatory)
• Dynamic (dynamic)
• Virtual interface (mandatory)
Port
• A physical connection on the WLC

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WLC Platforms

• AP limits are per-port, scale beyond using LAG/etherchannel

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RF Groups
• APs send neighbor messages
• Messages over -80dbm form RF group
• WLC RF Group master is elected

Used for RRM (Radio Resource Management)

to optimize channel usage and transmission
power

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WLAN Redundancy Design
Deterministic Benefits
• Predictability
• Network stability N+1
• Flexible and powerful redundancy options
• Faster failover times

Dynamic Benefits
• Less configuration time / complexity required
• APs dynamically load-balance N+N+1

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Branch WLAN Design
• Local MAC terminates traffic at AP and allows AP to function in WAN failure.
• REAP and H-REAP control AP with WLC but still terminate traffic locally

Branch WLC options recommended

• CTVM virtual controller – 200 LAPs
• WLC module for ISR – 200 LAPs
• 3650 WLC – 50 LAPs
• 2500 Series WLC – 75 LAPs

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Campus Design Considerations
• Limit each AP to 30 devices per SSID
• Limit VoWLAN to 7 G.711 calls, or 8 G.729 calls per AP.
• Use separate SSID for VoWLAN and Platinum QoS profile on WLC
UDP ports review

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Q&A
Which WLC interface is dedicated for WLAN client data?

A. Virtual
B. Dynamic
C. Service-port
D. AP Manager
Q&A
Based on best practices, which QoS profile should be configured on the WLAN
of the WLC for wireless VoIP communications?

A. Bronze
B. Gold
C. Platinum
D. Silver