Cisco Aironet 1600 Series User manual

GETTING STARTED GUIDE
Cisco Aironet 1600 Series Access Points
December, 2012
Revised: April 16, 2013
1About this Guide
2Introduction to the Access Point
3Safety Instructions
4Unpacking
5Configurations
6Access Point Ports and Connectors
7Configuring the Access Point
8Mounting the Access Point
9Deploying the Access Point on the Wireless Network
10 Troubleshooting
11 Declarations of Conformity and Regulatory Information
12 Access Point Specifications

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1 About this Guide
This Guide provides instructions on how to install and configure your Cisco Aironet 1600 Series
Access Point. The 1600 Series Access Point is referred to as the 1600 series or the access point in this
document.
2 Introduction to the Access Point
The 1600 series offers dual-band radios (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) with integrated and external antenna
options. The access points support full inter-operability with leading 802.11n clients, and support a
mixed deployment with other access points and controllers.
The 1600 series access point is available in controller-based mode and supports:
•Simultaneous single-band or dual-band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) radios
•Integrated antennas on 1602I access point models (AIR-CAP1602I-x-K9)
•External antennas on 1602E access point models (AIR-CAP1602E-x-K9)
Note The ‘x’ in the model numbers represents the regulatory domain. Refer to “Regulatory
Domains” section on page 6 for a list of supported regulatory domains.
The features of the 1600 series are:
•Processing sub-systems (including CPUs and memory) and radio hardware which supports:
– Network management
– ClientLink 2.0—BeamForming to 802.11n clients as well as legacy 802.11a/g OFDM clients
– VideoStream
– Location
– WIDS/WIPS
– Security
– Radio Resource Management (RRM)
– Rogue detection
– Management Frame Protection (MFP)
•32 MB flash size
•802.11af/at
– CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol)

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•2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11n radios with the following features:
– 3TX x 3RX
– 2 spatial streams, 300 Mbps PHY rate
– DPD (Digital Pre-Distortion) technology
– Radio hardware is capable of explicit compressed beamforming (ECBF) per 802.11n standard
3 Safety Instructions
Translated versions of the following safety warnings are provided in the translated safety warnings
document that is shipped with your access point. The translated warnings are also in the Translated
Safety Warnings for Cisco Aironet Access Points, which is available on Cisco.com.
Warning IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This warning symbol means danger. You are in a situation that could cause bodily injury.
Before you work on any equipment, be aware of the hazards involved with electrical
circuitry and be familiar with standard practices for preventing accidents. Use the
statement number provided at the end of each warning to locate its translation in the
translated safety warnings that accompanied this device.
Statement 1071
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Warning Read the installation instructions before you connect the system to its power source.
Statement 1004
Warning Installation of the equipment must comply with local and national electrical codes.
Statement 1074
Warning This product relies on the building’s installation for short-circuit (overcurrent)
protection. Ensure that the protective device is rated not greater than:
20A. Statement 1005

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Warning Do not operate your wireless network device near unshielded blasting caps or in an
explosive environment unless the device has been modified to be especially qualified for
such use. Statement 245B
Warning In order to comply with FCC radio frequency (RF) exposure limits, antennas should be
located at a minimum of 7.9 inches (20 cm) or more from the body of all persons.
Statement 332
Caution The fasteners you use to mount an access point on a ceiling must be capable of
maintaining a minimum pullout force of 20 lbs (9 kg) and must use all 4 indented holes
on the mounting bracket.
Caution This product and all interconnected equipment must be installed indoors within the same
building, including the associated LAN connections as defined by Environment A of the
IEEE 802.af Standard.
Note The access point is suitable for use in environmental air space in accordance with section
300.22.C of the National Electrical Code and sections 2-128, 12-010(3), and 12-100 of the
Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, C22.1. You should not install the power supply or power
injector in air handling spaces.
Note Use only with listed ITE equipment.
4 Unpacking
To unpack the access point, follow these steps:
Step 1 Unpack and remove the access point and the accessory kit from the shipping box.
Step 2 Return any packing material to the shipping container and save it for future use.

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Step 3 Verify that you have received the items listed below. If any item is missing or damaged, contact
your Cisco representative or reseller for instructions.
– The access point
– Mounting bracket (optional; selected when you ordered the access point)
– Adjustable ceiling-rail clip (optional; selected when you ordered the access point)
5 Configurations
The 1600 series access point contains two simultaneous dual-band radios, the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz
802.11n MIMO radios, in controller-based mode. The 1600 series access point configurations are:
•AIR-CAP1602E-x-K9 and AIR-SAP1602E-x-K9—controller-based mode, with two
2.4-GHz/5-GHz dual-band radios with up to 3 external dual-band dipole antennas
•AIR-CAP1602I-x-K9 and AIR-SAP1602I-x-K9—controller-based mode, with two
2.4-GHz/5-GHz dual-band radios, with integrated dual-band inverted-F antennas
For information on the regulatory domains (shown as “x” in the model numbers) see “Regulatory
Domains” section on page 6.
External Antennas
The 1602E models are configured with up to three external dual-band dipole antennas, and two
2.4-GHz/5-GHz dual-band radios. The radios and antennas support frequency bands 2400–2500
MHz and 5150–5850 MHz through a common dual-band RF interface. Features of the external
dual-band dipole antennas are:
•Three RTNC antenna connectors on the top of the access point
•Three TX and three RX antennas
These antennas are supported on the 1602E:
Antenna Part Number Antenna Type Antenna Gain 2 GHz / 5 GHz
(dBi)
AIR-ANT2524DB-R Dual-resonant black dipole 2/4
AIR-ANT2524DW-R Dual-resonant white dipole 2/4
AIR-ANT2524DG-R Dual-resonant gray dipole 2/4
AIR-ANT2524V4C-R Dual-resonant, ceiling-mount omni
(4-port)
2/4

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Internal Antennas
The 1602I model access points are configured with up to three dual-band inverted-F antennas and two
2.4-GHz/5-GHz dual-band radios.
Each antenna covers both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands with a single feed line. The basic features
are as follows:
•Dual-band inverted-F antenna for use in both the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands.
•Antenna unit integrated into 1602I model access points.
•Peak gain is approximately 4 dBi in the 2.4-GHz band and approximately 4 dBi in the 5-GHz
band.
Regulatory Domains
The 1600 series supports the following regulatory domains (shown as “x” in the model numbers):
•-A, -C, -E, -I, -K, -N, -Q, -R, -S, -T, -Z
Countries Supported
Click this URL to browse to a list of countries and regulatory domains supported by the 1600:
www.cisco.com/go/aironet/compliance
6 Access Point Ports and Connectors
The 1602E model access points have external antenna connectors and the LED indictor on the top of
the model, as shown in Figure 1. The 1602I model access points have integrated antennas and do not
have external connectors on the top of the unit; however, they do have the LED indicator on top of
the unit, as shown in Figure 2.
AIR-ANT2544V4M-R Dual-resonant omni (4-port) 4/4
AIR-ANT2566P4W-R Dual-resonant Directional antenna
(4-port)
6/6

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Figure 1 Access Point Ports and Connections (top)
1Antenna connector A 3Antenna connector C
2Antenna connector B

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Figure 2 Access Point LED Indicator (top)
The ports and connections on the bottom of the access point are shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 Access Point Ports and Connections (bottom)
1LED indicator
1
272377
2 3 4
1 5
6 6

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7 Configuring the Access Point
This section describes how to connect the access point to a wireless LAN controller. Because the
configuration process takes place on the controller, see the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller
Configuration Guide for additional information. This guide is available on Cisco.com.
The Controller Discovery Process
The access point uses standard Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points Protocol
(CAPWAP) to communicate between the controller and other wireless access points on the network.
CAPWAP is a standard, interoperable protocol which enables an access controller to manage a
collection of wireless termination points. The discovery process using CAPWAP is identical to the
Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP) used with previous Cisco Aironet access points.
LWAPP-enabled access points are compatible with CAPWAP, and conversion to a CAPWAP controller
is seamless. Deployments can combine CAPWAP and LWAPP software on the controllers.
The functionality provided by the controller does not change except for customers who have Layer 2
deployments, which CAPWAP does not support.
In a CAPWAP environment, a wireless access point discovers a controller by using CAPWAP discovery
mechanisms and then sends it a CAPWAP join request. The controller sends the access point a
CAPWAP join response allowing the access point to join the controller. When the access point joins
the controller, the controller manages its configuration, firmware, control transactions, and data
transactions.
Note For additional information about the discovery process and CAPWAP, see the Cisco Wireless
LAN Controller Software Configuration Guide. This document is available on Cisco.com.
Note CAPWAP support is provided in controller software release 5.2 or later. However, your
controller must be running release 7.4.x.x or later to support 1600 series access points.
1Kensington lock slot 4Console port
2
DC Power connection
5
Security padlock and hasp (padlock not
included)
3Gbit Ethernet port 6Mounting bracket pins (feet for desk or
table-top mount)

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Note You cannot edit or query any access point using the controller CLI if the name of the access
point contains a space.
Note Make sure that the controller is set to the current time. If the controller is set to a time that
has already occurred, the access point might not join the controller because its certificate may
not be valid for that time.
Access points must be discovered by a controller before they can become an active part of the network.
The access point supports these controller discovery processes:
•Layer 3 CAPWAP discovery—Can occur on different subnets than the access point and uses IP
addresses and UDP packets rather than MAC addresses used by Layer 2 discovery.
•Locally stored controller IP address discovery—If the access point was previously joined to a
controller, the IP addresses of the primary, secondary, and tertiary controllers are stored in the
access point’s non-volatile memory. This process of storing controller IP addresses on an access
point for later deployment is called priming the access point. For more information about priming,
see the “Performing a Pre-Installation Configuration” section on page 11.
•DHCP server discovery—This feature uses DHCP option 43 to provide controller IP addresses to
the access points. Cisco switches support a DHCP server option that is typically used for this
capability. For more information about DHCP option 43, see the “Using DHCP Option 43”
section on page 16.
•DNS discovery—The access point can discover controllers through your domain name server
(DNS). For the access point to do so, you must configure your DNS to return controller IP
addresses in response to CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER.localdomain, where localdomain is
the access point domain name. Configuring the CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER provides
backwards compatibility in an existing customer deployment. When an access point receives an IP
address and DNS information from a DHCP server, it contacts the DNS to resolve
CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER.localdomain. When the DNS sends a list of controller IP
addresses, the access point sends discovery requests to the controllers.
Preparing the Access Point
Before you mount and deploy your access point, we recommend that you perform a site survey (or use
the site planning tool) to determine the best location to install your access point.
You should have the following information about your wireless network available:
•Access point locations.