Grandstream Networks GWN7610 User manual

Grandstream Networks, Inc.
GWN76xx Wi-Fi Access Points
Master/Slave Architecture Guide

P a g e | 2
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................3
DISCOVER AND PAIR GWN76XX ACCESS POINTS ...................................................4
Discover GWN76xx ................................................................................................................. 4
Method 1: Discover GWN76xx using its MAC address.........................................................................4
Method 2: Discover GWN76xx using GWN Discovery Tool..................................................................5
Pair Slave GWN76xx Access Points ........................................................................................ 6
CREATE AND MANAGE NETWORK GROUPS ............................................................9
Network Group & SSID Configuration.....................................................................................10
Additional SSID ......................................................................................................................14
Table of Figures
Figure 1: GWN76XXs Setup sample ............................................................................................................3
Figure 2: Discover the GWN76xx using its MAC Address ............................................................................4
Figure 3: GWN Discovery Tool......................................................................................................................5
Figure 4: Discover AP ...................................................................................................................................6
Figure 5: Discovered Devices .......................................................................................................................6
Figure 6: GWN76xx online ............................................................................................................................7
Figure 7: Network Group...............................................................................................................................9
Figure 8: Add a New Network Group ..........................................................................................................10
Figure 9: Wi-Fi Settings...............................................................................................................................12
Figure 10: Device Membership ...................................................................................................................13
Figure 11: Add AP to Network Group from Access Points Page .................................................................13
Figure 12: Additional SSID ..........................................................................................................................14
Figure 13: Additional SSID Created ............................................................................................................15
Table of Tables
Table 1: Device Configuration .......................................................................................................................7
Table 2: Network Group Settings – Basic ...................................................................................................10
Table 3: Network Group Settings – Wi-Fi....................................................................................................10

P a g e | 3
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
INTRODUCTION
The GWN76xx Wireless Access Points Series can be deployed in a network environment as standalone
(using only one GWN76xx to provide wireless network access) or in Master/Slave architecture (using
multiple GWN76xx units) to extend wireless network access range.
In Master/Slave configuration, a unique/chosen GWN76xx acts as master/controller and can manage (up
to 50 when using GWN7610 as Master and up to 30 when using GWN7600 as Master) other GWN76xx
series considered as slaves. Note that master GWN7600 can act as controller and can also be member of
network group(s).
This guide covers Master/Slave architecture mode giving steps to successfully configure GWN76xx access
points in your network environment; including steps to discover and pair GWN76xx units, create and
manage network groups and SSIDs.
The figure below shows a sample setup of a GWN7610 master with different slave units, and connected
Wi-Fi clients through different SSIDs defined in network groups.
Figure 1: GWN76XXs Setup sample

P a g e | 4
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
DISCOVER AND PAIR GWN76XX ACCESS POINTS
In this guide, we will consider an environment where different GWN76xx access points models are installed,
one of them will be Master over the remaining ones (Slaves) as shown in Figure 1.
To set a GWN76xx as Master, we need to access to its web interface by discovering it first on the network.
The following chapter describes two methods how to discover a GWN76xx connected to network and
configure it as Master.
Discover GWN76xx
Once the GWN76xx is powered up and connected to the network correctly, it can discovered using one of
the following methods:
Method 1: Discover GWN76xx using its MAC address
1. Locate the MAC address on the MAC tag of the unit, which is on the underside of the device, or on the
package.
2. From a computer connected to same network as the GWN76xx, type in the following address
https://gwn_[MAC_address].local/ using the GWN76xx’s MAC address on your browser.
For example, if a GWN7610 has the MAC address 00:0B:82:8B:4E:28, this unit can be accessed by
typing https://gwn_000b828b4e28.local/ on the browser.
Figure 2: Discover the GWN76xx using its MAC Address

P a g e | 5
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
Method 2: Discover GWN76xx using GWN Discovery Tool
1. Download and install GWN Discovery Tool from the following link:
http://www.grandstream.com/sites/default/files/Resources/GWNDiscoveryTool.zip
2. Open the “GWN Discovery Tool”, click on Select to define the network interface, then click on Scan.
3. The tool will discover all GWN76xx Access Points models connected on the network showing their
MAC, IP addresses and firmware version.
4. Click on Manage Device to be redirected directly to the GWN76xx's configuration interface, or type in
manually the displayed IP address on your browser.
Figure 3: GWN Discovery Tool
Notes:
At first boot or after factory reset, users will be asked to change the default administrator and user
passwords before accessing GWN76xx web interface. The new password fields are case sensitive
with a maximum length of 32 characters. Using strong passwords including letters, digits and
special characters are recommended for better security.
At factory reset, “Set unit as Master” will be checked by default, click on “Sign In” after typing the
admin’s username and password as shown above.

P a g e | 6
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
Pair Slave GWN76xx Access Points
To pair a GWN76xx access points (slaves) connected to the same network as the Master GWN76xx follow the
below steps:
1. Connect to the GWN76xx Web GUI as Master and go to Access Points.
Figure 4: Discover AP
2. Click on in order to discover different GWN76xx access points models within
GWN76xx’s Network, the following page will appear.
Figure 5: Discovered Devices

P a g e | 7
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
3. Click on Pair under Actions, to pair the discovered Access Point as Slave with the GWN76xx
acting as Master.
4. The paired GWN76xx will appear Online, click on to unpair it.
Figure 6: GWN76xx online
5. Click on next to Master or paired access point to check device configuration for its status,
users connected to it and configuration. Refer to below table for Device Configuration tabs.
Table 1: Device Configuration
Status
Shows the device’s status information such as firmware version, IP address, link
speed, uptime and users count via different Radio channels.
Users
Shows the connected users to the GWN76xx access point.
Configuration
Device Name: Set GWN76xx’s name to identify it along with its MAC address.
Fixed IP: Used to set a static IP for the GWN76xx, if checked, the following
fields will need to be configured:
IPv4 Address: Enter the IPv4 address to be set as static for the device.
IPv4 Subnet Mask: Enter the Subnet Mask.
IPv4 Gateway: Enter the Network Gateway’s IPv4 Address.
Preferred IPv4 DNS: Enter the Primary IPv4 DNS.
Alternate IPv4 DNS: Enter the Alternate IPv4 DNS.
Frequency: Set the GWN76xx’s frequency, it can be either 2.4GHz, 5GHz or
Dual-band.
Enable Band Steering: When Frequency is set to Dual-Band, checking this
option will enable Band Steering on the Access Point, this will help redirecting
clients to 5GHz radio band if supported on the device (otherwise, 2.4GHz radio
band will be used) for efficient use and to benefit from the maximum
throughput.
Mode: Choose the mode for the frequency band, 802.11n/g/b for 2.4Ghz and
802.11ac for 5Ghz.
Channel Width: Choose the Channel Width. Note that Wide channel will give
better speed/throughput, and narrow channel will have less interference.
20Mhz is suggested in very high density environment.
40MHz Channel Location: Configure the 40MHz channel location when using
20MHz/40MHz in Channel Width; it can be set to “Secondary Below Primary”,
“Primary Below Secondary” or “Auto”.
Channel: Select “Auto” or a specific channel. Default is “Auto”. Note that the
proposed channels depend on Country Settings under System
Settings–>Maintenance->Basic.
Enable Short Guard Interval: Check to activate this option to half the guard

P a g e | 8
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
interval (from 800ns to 400ns) ensuring that distinct transmissions do not
interfere with one another, this will help increasing throughput.
Active Spatial Streams: Choose active spatial stream. Available options:
“Auto”, “1 stream”, “2 streams” and “3 streams” (3 streams is supported on
GWN7610 model only).
Radio Power: Set the Radio Power depending on desired cell size to be
broadcasted, three options are available: “Low”, “Medium” or “High”. Default
is “High”.
Note:
If a GWN76xx is not being paired or pair icon is grayed, make sure that it is not already paired with another
GWN76xx Master Access Point. If yes, it needs to be unpaired first, or reset to factory default settings in
order to make it available for pairing by other GWN76xx Access Point Controller.

P a g e | 9
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
CREATE AND MANAGE NETWORK GROUPS
After creating Master/Slave architecture using deployed GWN76xx access points, It is possible to create
different Network Groups on the Master GWN76xx and select specific GWN76xx Slave Access Points as
members in the Network Group.
Information
Network Group:
Each set of devices communicating directly with each other is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Several
BSSs can be joined together to form one logical WLAN segment, referred to as an Extended Service Set
(ESS). A GWN76xx group is an Extended Service Set. A Group also can contain different SSIDs.
SSID:
A Service Set Identifier (SSID) is the name given to each ESS. It is also the primary name associated with
an 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) including home networks and public hotspots. Client devices
use this name to identify and join wireless networks. SSIDs are case-sensitive text strings. The SSID is a
sequence of alphanumeric characters (letters or numbers) with a maximum length of 32 characters.
The following steps show how to create and manage network groups:
1. Login to the Master GWN76xx AP web GUI and navigate to Network Group->Network Group.
Figure 7: Network Group
2. The GWN76xx has a default network group named group0 (enabled by default). Click on to
edit it, or click on to add a new network group if needed.
i

P a g e | 10
GWN76xx Master/Slave Architecture Guide
Figure 8: Add a New Network Group
Notes:
A network group can be formed by one or multiple GWN76xx access points (including Master GWN76xx).
Each network group can have a unique or different SSIDs (up to 16). A slave access point can be member
of different network groups.
GWN76xx does not support DHCP server and cannot assign IP addresses to devices. GWN76xx acts only
as a relay of the router connected to it.
Network Group & SSID Configuration
Network group configuration is available when editing or adding a new network group. The configuration is
arranged in 3 tabs including Basic, Wi-Fi and Device Membership.
Basic: This tab allows to define a name to identify the network group, enable or disable VLAN, and
specify VLAN ID for the group.
Table 2: Network Group Settings – Basic
Network Group Name
Defines a name for the network group.
Enabled
Enables/disables a network group.
group0 is by default enabled.
VLAN
Enables/disables VLAN setting.
VLAN ID
Set VLAN ID when VLAN option is enabled.
Note: “Enabled”, “VLAN” and “VLAN ID” options are available for created network groups only.
Wi-Fi: This tab contains all Wi-Fi settings to be used by the group, including definition of SSID,
security mode, MAC filtering…
Table 3: Network Group Settings – Wi-Fi
Enable Wi-Fi
Check to enable Wi-Fi for the network group.
SSID
Set or modify the SSID name.
SSID Hidden
Select to hide SSID. If checked, SSID will not be visible when scanning for
Wi-Fi, to connect a device to hidden SSID, potential wireless clients will
need to specify SSID name and authentication password manually.