Cisco Aironet 3500 Series User manual

GETTING STARTED GUIDE
Cisco Aironet 3500 Series Lightweight Access Point
1About this Guide
2Safety Instructions
3Unpacking
4Overview
5Configuring the Access Point
6Mounting the Access Point
7Deploying the Access Point on the Wireless Network
8Troubleshooting
9Declarations of Conformity and Regulatory Information
10 Configuring DHCP Option 43 and DHCP Option 60
11 Access Point Specifications

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1 About this Guide
This Guide provides instructions on how to install and configure your Cisco Aironet 3500 Series
Access Point. This guide also provides mounting instructions and limited troubleshooting procedures.
2 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 your documentation CD and
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 This product must be connected to a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) IEEE 802.3af compliant
power source or an IEC60950 compliant limited power source. Statement 353
Warning Installation of the equipment must comply with local and national electrical codes.
Statement 1074

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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
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.

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3 Unpacking
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.
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.
– 3500 series access point
– Mounting bracket (selected when you ordered the access point)
– Adjustable ceiling-rail clip (selected when you ordered the access point)

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4 Overview
The following illustrations show the access point connections and features. The 3500e access point has
external antenna connectors; the 3500i access point has integrated antennas and does not have
external connectors.
Figure 1 Access Point Ports and Connections (top)
1
2.4-GHz antenna connector B
(labelled with black text) 4
5-GHz antenna connector A
(labelled with blue text)
2
2.4-GHz antenna connector C
(labelled with black text) 5
5-GHz antenna connector C
(labelled with blue text)
3
2.4-GHz antenna connector A
(labelled with black text) 6
5-GHz antenna connector B
(labelled with blue text)
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52
3
1
6
4

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Figure 2 Access Point Ports and Connections (bottom)
1Kensington lock slot 4Console port
2
Power connection
5
Security padlock and hasp (padlock not
included)
3Ethernet port 6Mounting bracket pins (feet for desk or
table-top mount)
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2 3 4
1 5
6 6

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5 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 3500 series access point uses the IETF 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 7.0 or later to support 3500 series access points.
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.

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Access points must be discovered by a controller before they can become an active part of the network.
The 3500 series 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.
•Over-the-air provisioning (OTAP)—This feature is supported by Cisco 4400 series controllers. If
this feature is enabled on the controller, all joined access points transmit wireless CAPWAP
neighbor messages, and new access points receive the controller IP address from these messages.
This feature is disabled by default and should remain disabled when all access points are installed.
Additional information about OTAP is available on Cisco.com at the following link:
http://www.ciscosystems.com/en/US/products/ps6366/products_tech_note09186a008093d74a.shtml
•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 9.
•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 “Configuring DHCP Option 43
and DHCP Option 60” section on page 31.
•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.
•Access point mounting options: below a suspended ceiling, on a flat horizontal surface, or on a
desktop.

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Note You can mount the access point above a suspended ceiling but you must purchase
additional mounting hardware: See “Mounting the Access Point” section on page 13 for
additional information.
•Access point power options: power supplied by the recommended external power supply (Cisco
AIR-PWR-B), a DC power supply, PoE from a network device, or a PoE power injector/hub
(usually located in a wiring closet).
Note Access points mounted in a building’s environmental airspace must be powered using PoE
to comply with safety regulations.
Cisco recommends that you make a site map showing access point locations so that you can record the
device MAC addresses from each location and return them to the person who is planning or managing
your wireless network.
Installation Summary
Installing the access point involves these operations:
•Performing a pre-installation configuration (optional)
•Mounting the access point
•Grounding the access point
•Deploying the access point on the wireless network
Performing a Pre-Installation Configuration
The following procedures ensure that your access point installation and initial operation go as
expected. A pre-installation configuration is also known as priming the access point. This procedure
is optional.
Note Performing a pre-installation configuration is an optional procedure. If your network
controller is properly configured, you can install your access point in its final location and
connect it to the network from there. See the “Deploying the Access Point on the Wireless
Network” section on page 13 for details.

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Pre-Installation Configuration Setup
Figure 3 shows the pre-installation configuration setup.
Figure 3 Pre-Installation Configuration Setup
Follow these steps to perform the pre-installation configuration.
Step 1 Make sure that the Cisco wireless LAN controller DS port is connected to the network. Use
the CLI, web-browser interface, or Cisco WCS procedures as described in the appropriate
Cisco wireless LAN controller guide.
a. Make sure that access points have Layer 3 connectivity to the Cisco wireless LAN controller
Management and AP-Manager Interface.
b. Configure the switch to which your access point is to attach. See the Cisco Unified Wireless
Network WLAN Controller Guide: Cisco 440x Series WLAN Controllers for additional
information.
c. Set the Cisco wireless LAN controller as the master so that new access points always join with
it.
d. Make sure DHCP is enabled on the network. The access point must receive its IP address
through DHCP.
Controller
Layer 3
devices
Cisco Aironet
access points
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