Cisco Wap581 User manual

Quick Start Guide
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Dual Radio
Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN
Welcome
Thank you for choosing the Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Dual Radio Wave 2 Access
Point with 2.5GbE LAN. The Cisco WAP581 is an indoor dual radio 802.11acWave2 +
802.11acWave1 access point with Power over Ethernet (PoE). -PoE Supplied by UL
Listed I.T.E.
NOTE The unit should be connected to PoE networks only, without routing to the
outside plant.
This guide is designed to familiarize you with the general layout of the access point,
describe how to deploy the device in your network, and describe how to configure
the device. Your access point has more features and functionality than what is
described in this guide. For additional information, see the Administration Guide. A

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 2
link to the Administration Guide is found in To reset the device to factory default
settings:, page11.
Package Contents
•Wireless Access Point
•Mounting kit
•This Quick Start Guide
•Ethernet cable
•Pointer Card with China RoHS
•Technical Support Contacts
•EU Directives 1999/5/EC Compliance Information (for EU SKU only)
1Before You Begin
Before you begin the installation, make sure that you have the following equipment
and services:
•A computer with one of the following browser support:
–Internet Explorer 9.0 or later
–A recent version of either Chrome, Firefox or Safari
•Tools for installing the hardware
•One or more Ethernet network switches with either PoE, PoE injector or
external power adapter
2Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Premium Dual
Radio Access Point with PoE Setup Features
Front Panel
The front panel of the device consists of a single system LED. For a full description
of the colors of the light and its indications, see Verifying the Hardware
Installation, page 6.
Back Panel
The back panel of the device has two RJ-45 Ethernet ports. Facing the back of the
device, the right port (labeled “ETH0/PD”) is an 2.5GbE with 802.3at & 802.3af

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 3
Power over Ethernet (PoE) port which is used to power your device. The left port
(labeled “ETH1”) is a general Gigabit Ethernet LAN interface. Both are auto-sensing,
Gigabit Ethernet (802.3) ports used to connect your WAP devices to network devices,
such as computers, routers, or switches. We strongly recommend that you use a
Category 5e or better cable for Gigabit connectivity.
Side Panel
The side panel of the device consists of the following:
•Kensington Lock Slot—Helps to secure the unit physically using a cable
attached to the device.
•Reset button—See Rebooting the Devices or Returning them to their Factory
Default Settings, page10 for information on the Reset button.
Default Setting
Parameter
Default Value
Username
cisco
Password
cisco
LAN IP Address
DHCP address assigned by
server
Fallback LAN IP
192.168.1.245
Subnetwork Mask
255.255.255.0
If you are using a Cisco RV Series router, the default range for the DHCP assigned
address is from 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.254. Any device connecting to the same
LAN will be assigned an IP address in this range.
If your network does not have an existing DHCP server, the WAP581 will start a
DHCP server for WLAN stations and stop the DHCP client when WAP581 is in factory
default. The DHCP server will assign the IP address from 192.168.1.20 to
192.168.1.100.
3Mounting the Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC/ N
Premium Dual Radio Access Point with PoE Setup
You can place your access point on a desktop, or mount it on a wall or ceiling.

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 4
Placement Tips
•Ambient Temperature—To prevent the access point from overheating, do not
operate it in an area that exceeds an ambient temperature of 104°F (40°C).
•Mechanical Loading—The device should be level, stable, and secure to
prevent it from sliding or shifting out of position.
Wall and Ceiling Mounting
The Cisco WAP581 can be wall or ceiling-mounted. There is a mounting kit packed
with your device. The kit is designed to install your device to the wall or the ceiling.
The mounting bracket has some flexibility so that you can reuse existing holes
drilled for a Cisco WAP551 or WAP561 device. The installer can remove the Cisco
WAP551 or WAP561 and mount the Cisco WAP581. You will need 4pcs of anchors
and screws to mount the device. The dimensions for the mount kit screws are as
follows
:
1 7.8 to 8.3 mm/ 2 21.8 to 22.3 mm/ 3 5.5 to 6.0 mm/ 4 17.5 to 18.2mm/ .31 to .33
in .86 to .88 in .22 to .24 in .69 to .72 in
The details to mount the Cisco WAP581 on a hard ceiling or wall is depicted in the
following diagram
1
2
4
3

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 5
WARNING Insecure mounting might damage the device or cause injury. Cisco is not
responsible for damages incurred by insecure wall or ceiling mounting.
STEP 1 Determine where you want to mount the device. Verify that the surface is
smooth, flat, dry, and sturdy.
STEP 2 Drill two pilot holes into the surface 2.75 inches (70 mm) apart for your Cisco
WAP device.
STEP 3 Insert a screw into each hole, leaving a gap between the surface and the base
of the screw head.
STEP 4 Place the upper slots of the bracket over the screws, adjust the screws
accordingly, and slide the bracket down until the screws fit snugly into the
slots.
STEP 5 Using the bracket as a template, drill two more holes for the lower screws.
STEP 6 Insert a screw into each lower hole.

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 6
STEP 7 Slide the WAP device into the bracket, placing the cable through the break-out
tab found in the back of the bracket.
4Connecting the Cisco WAP581 WirelessAC/N
Premium Dual Radio Access Point with PoE Setup
The WiFi default SSID is “Cisco SB-Setup” with the passphrase “cisco123” in WPA2-
PSK AES. This wireless default configuration will not allow traffic between WiFi and
Ethernet; users will need to go through the setup wizard to resume the traffic
between WiFi and Ethernet.
The user can also perform the initial configuration using a wired Ethernet
connection.
To connect the device to the wired network:
STEP 1 Connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port of a PoE switch.
STEP 2 Connect the other end of the network Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port
(PoE) of the wireless access point.
NOTE WAP581 bundles the two Ethernet ports to be link aggregation mode.
If the two Ethernet ports have been connected at the same time, the link
partner must also support link aggregation.
After installation, all lights should be active. Refer to Verifying the
Hardware Installation, page 6 for details about the different lights on each switch.
5Verifying the Hardware Installation
To verify the hardware installation, complete the following tasks:
•Check the cable connections.
•Check the state of the indicator lights
Label
Activity
Description
Power
Off
The WAP581 is out of power.

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 7
Solid (Green)
The Cisco WAP581 is normal; no wireless client
connected.
Flashing (Green)
The device is booting.
Solid (Blue)
The Cisco WAP581 is normal; at least one
wireless client connected.
Flashing (Blue)
The Cisco WAP581 is upgrading the firmware.
Solid (Red)
The Cisco WAP581 fails to boot with both
firmware images.
Flashing cycle
with Green and
Blue
Indicates the availability of new firmware
updates for the hardware that can be
downloaded from Cisco.com
Ethernet: Left-
Green
Off
No Ethernet link.
Solid Green
Ethernet link is active.
Flashing Green
Transmitting or receiving data.
Ethernet No.0:
Right-Green
Off
Gigabit Ethernet Link is active
Solid Green
2.5Gigabit Ethernet Link is active
Ethernet No.1:
Right-Green
Off
Fast Ethernet Link is active
Solid Green
Gigabit Ethernet Link is active
NOTE If you need help resolving a problem, visit the Cisco Support Community at
www.cisco.com/go/smallbizsupport.
6Getting Started with the Configuration
To configure the wireless access points, you can either use Ethernet or wireless.
Please follow these steps to access the Wizard and then the web-based
configuration utility from your computer by Ethernet:
STEP 1 Ethernet: Connect the wireless access point to the same network (IP subnet)
as your computer. The factory default IP address configuration of the
access points is DHCP. Make sure your DHCP server is running and can be
reached.
See Incorrect IP Address, page10 for troubleshooting information, or if
you do not have a DHCP server.
Wireless: Search the wireless SSID "CiscoSB-Setup", and connect to this
SSID with the passphrase "cisco123".
STEP 2 Locate the IP address of the wireless access point.

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 8
a. The wireless access points can be accessed and managed by
Cisco network tools and services including the Cisco FindIT Network
Discovery Utility that enables you to automatically discover all
supported Cisco devices in the same local network segment as your
computer. You can get a snapshot view of each device or launch the
product configuration utility to view and configure the settings. For
more information, see www.cisco.com/go/findit.
b. The wireless access points are Bonjour-enabled and automatically
broadcast their services and listen for services being advertised by
other Bonjour-enabled devices. If you have a Bonjour-enabled
browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer with a Bonjour plug-in, or
the Apple Mac Safari browser, you can find the wireless access point
on your local network without knowing its IP address.
You can download the complete Bonjour for Microsoft Internet
Explorer browser from Apple’s website by visiting:
http://www.apple.com/bonjour/
c. Locate the IP address assigned by your DHCP server by accessing your
router or DHCP server. See your DHCP server instructions for more
information.
STEP 3 Launch a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
STEP 4 In the Address field, enter the default DHCP address and press the Enter key.
STEP 5 Enter the default user name of cisco and password of cisco in the User Name
and Password fields.
STEP 6 Click Login. The Wireless Access Point Setup Wizard appears.
STEP 7 Follow the Setup Wizard instructions to finish the WAP device installation. We
strongly recommend that you use the Setup Wizard for the first
installation.The Setup Wizard turns on the Wi-Fi radio, which allows you to
connect wirelessly. For more advanced configurations, see the
Administration Guide. A link to the Administration Guide is found in ,
page11.
Congratulations, you can now start using your wireless access point.

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 9
7Suggested Next Steps
Smart Power Source
Smart PoE is designed for detecting the power level from the PSE (Power Sourcing
Equipment) side; it does not matter whether 802.3at or 802.3af mode, the WAP581
will operate at the appropriate mode automatically.
Smart PoE ensures that the WAP581 remains functional once powered by 802.3af
PSE, and intelligently to adjust operations below:
•Second Ethernet port disabled
•2.4-GHz 802.11n radio in 2x2:2 spatial-stream mode
•5-GHz 802.11ac radio operates without restrictions
In case of an error while installing, try the following troubleshooting procedures
described in this section:
Troubleshooting
If you cannot display the configuration utility, you can test the ability of the
computer to communicate with the device by using ping.
To use ping on a computer running Windows:
STEP 1 Verify that the Cisco WAP581 is powered on and the lights indicate the
appropriate links.
STEP 2 Locate the device’s IP address. While there are different ways to locate your
device’s IP address, this procedure uses Cisco FindIT.
a. If you have previously downloaded Cisco FindIT, open Internet
Explorer and launch Cisco FindIT. For more information on
downloading Cisco FindIT, see www.cisco.com/go/findit.
b. In the Cisco FindIT display, place your mouse over the device’s name.
The device IP address is displayed along with other device
information.
STEP 3 Open a command window by choosing Start > Run and enter cmd.
STEP 4 At the command window prompt, enter ping and the device IP address. In this
example, we pinged 192.0.2.10.
If successful, you should get a reply similar to the following:
Pinging 192.0.2.10 with 32 bytes of data: Reply
from 192.0.2.10: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Cisco WAP125 Quick Start Guide 10
If it fails, you should get a reply similar to the following:
Pinging 192.0.2.10 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Possible Cause of Installation Failure
No Power
•Power up the switch and your computer if they are turned off.
•Make sure your PoE switch is powered on and the lights indicate that you have
a link. See Verifying the Hardware Installation, page 6.
•Verify that the devices on your network are not plugged into a switchable
outlet.
Bad Ethernet Connection
•Check the state of the indicator lights. See Verifying the Hardware Installation,
page 6.
•Check the Ethernet cable to ensure that it is firmly connected to your devices.
Devices connected by the Ethernet cable can include the WAP device, and
routers, any switches, and your computer.
•Verify the connected switch has auto-negotiation enabled. The access point
and the switch need the same negotiation parameters set.
Bad Image
After a new firmware installation, if the Power light is solid red, contact system
support; see , page11.
Incorrect IP Address
The most likely cause of connectivity failure is an incorrect IP address. The Web
browser may be pointing to the wrong IP address, or your computer may be
configured with an IP address that is not in the same subnet as the device.
Because the factory default IP address configuration is DHCP, make sure that your
DHCP server is running and can be reached. You may need to disconnect and
reconnect the devices for them to discover their new IP addresses from the DHCP
server. You can then query the DHCP server for the new IP address. See Step 2 of
Getting Started with the Configuration, page 7 for more information on how to
find the DHCP address.
If the wireless access points do not receive a DHCP response (there is no DHCP
server on your network) after 60 seconds, the access points will fallback to the
following default static IP address: 192.168.1.245 and a default mask of