NETGEAR ProSafe WC7520 User manual

350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
July 8, 2011
202-10686-03
1.0
ProSafe 20-AP Wireless
Controller WC7520
Reference Manual

2
ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
©2010–2011 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated
into any language in any form or by any means without the written permission of NETGEAR, Inc.
Technical Support
Thank you for choosing NETGEAR. To register your product, get the latest product updates, get support online, or
for more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the Support website at
http://support.netgear.com.
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR
Phone (Other Countries): Check the list of phone numbers at
http://support.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/984.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovation are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Information is subject to change
without notice. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective
holders. © 2011 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
Statement of Conditions
To improve internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes
to the products described in this document without notice. NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur
due to the use, or application of, the product(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein.
Revision History
Publication
Part Number Version Publish Date Comments
202-10686-03 v1.0 July 8, 2011 Added the following new information:
• Support for the WNDAP360 access point (see NETGEAR
ProSafe Access Points)
• New features:
- N:1 redundancy (see Manage Redundancy)
- Monitoring stacking and redundancy (see View the
Network Summary Screen)
- External RADIUS-based MAC authentication (see
Guidelines for External MAC Authentication)
- External RADIUS-based captive portal authentication (see
Configure Captive Portal Settings)

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
202-10686-02 v1.0 March 2011 Added the following new information:
• Support for the WNAP320 access point.
• New features:
- Capability to specify use of an access point’s internal or
external antenna or antennas (see Edit and Remove
Access Point Information).
- Capability to adjust the Tx power for all managed access
points (see Configure Channels).
- Capability to adjust the channel and Tx power for
individual access points (see Configure Wireless
Settings).
- Capability to edit IP settings of individual access points
(see Manage the Access Point List).
- Display of radio-mode capabilities on the managed AP list
(see Manage the Access Point List).
Revised existing content and reorganized the manual.
Made changes to some monitoring screens (see Chapter 11,
Monitoring the Wireless Network and Components).
202-10686-01 v1.4 October 2010 Made a minor revision to indicate the number of supported MAC
addresses per SSID.
202-10686-01 v1.3 September 2010 Added an index and made minor revisions to existing content.
202-10686-01 v1.2 September 2010 Added new content and revised existing content in chapters 1,
2, 4, 5, 9, and 10.
Added chapters 11 and 12 and appendix A.
202-10686-01 v1.1 September 2010 Added new content to chapters 1 through 4.
202-10686-01 v1.0 August 2010 Initial publication.

Table of Contents | 4
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview
Key Features and Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Front Panel Ports and LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Rear Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Bottom Panel with Product Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
WC7520 Wireless Controller System Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
NETGEAR ProSafe Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What Can You Do with the WC7520 Wireless Controller? . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Maintenance and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Web Management Interface Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Initial Connection and Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Basic and Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Choose a Location for the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Deploy the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 2 System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
System Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Preinstallation Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Before You Configure a Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Single Controller Configuration with BasicProfile Group . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Single Controller Configuration with Advanced Profile Groups . . . . . . . 30
Stacked Controller Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Management VLAN and Data VLAN Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Deployment Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Scenario Example 1: Basic Network with Single VLAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Scenario Example 2: Advanced Network with VLANs and SSIDs. . . . . 34
Scenario Example 3: Advanced Network with Redundancy . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 3 RF Planning
RF Planning Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Planning Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Define and Edit Buildings and Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Specify Access Point Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
View and Manage Heat Maps for Deployed Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Chapter 4 Access Point Discovery and Management
Access Point Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Requirements for Autodiscovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Run the Discovery Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Discovery Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Manage the Access Point List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Add Access Points to the Managed List after Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Edit and Remove Access Point Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Chapter 5 Configuring Network Settings
Configure General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Time Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Configure IP and VLAN Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Management VLANs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Untagged VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Manage the DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Manage Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Configure Syslog and Alarm Notification Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Configure Syslog Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Configure Alarm Notification Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Configure the Email Notification Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Chapter 6 Managing Security Profiles and Profile Groups
Manage Wireless Security Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Small WLAN Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Larger WLAN Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Profile Naming Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Considerations Before You Configure Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Configure Security Profiles for the Basic Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Edit and Remove Profiles from the Basic Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Network Authentication and Data Encryption Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Configure Security Profiles for Advanced Profile Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Edit and Remove Profiles from an Advanced Profile Group. . . . . . . . . .82
Remove an Advanced Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Manage Basic and Advanced Profile Groups in the WLAN . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Chapter 7 Configuring Wireless and QoS Settings
About Basic and Advanced Wireless and QoS Configurations . . . . . . . . .84
Configure the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Basic Radio Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Advanced Radio Configuration for Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Configure Wireless Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Basic Wireless Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Advanced Wireless Configuration for Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Configure Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Specify RF Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Basic RF Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Advanced RF Management for Profile Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Configure QoS for Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Configure Load Balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Configure Rate Limiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Basic Rate Limiting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Advanced Rate Limiting for Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Chapter 8 Configuring Network Access and Security
About Basic and Advanced Security Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Manage Rogue Access Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Configure Basic Rogue Detection Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Configure Advanced Rogue Detection Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Manage MAC Authentication and MAC Authentication Groups. . . . . . . .110
Guidelines for External MAC Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Configure Basic Local MAC Authentication Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Configure Local MAC Authentication Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Manage Authentication Servers and Authentication Server Groups . . . .115
Configure Basic Authentication Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Configure RADIUS Authentication Server Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Manage Guest Network Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Configure Captive Portal Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Manage Users and Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Chapter 9 Maintaining the Controller
Manage the Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Back Up and Restore the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Upgrade the Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Reboot or Reset the Wireless Controller . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Reboot Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Manage External Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Manage Remote Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Specify Session Time-Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
View Alerts and Events and Save the Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Save the Logs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
View Alerts and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Manage Licenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
View Your Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Configure the License Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Register Your Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Retrieve Your Licenses . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Chapter 10 Managing Stacking and Redundancy
Manage Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Configure Stacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Controller Selection List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Manage Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Single Controller with Redundancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
N:1 Redundancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Configure Redundancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Chapter 11 Monitoring the Wireless Network and Components
Monitor the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
View the Network Summary Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
View Network Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
View Wireless Controllers in the Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
View Managed Access Points in the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
View Clients in the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
View Security Profiles in the Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Monitor the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
View the Wireless Controller Summary Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
View Wireless Controller Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
View Access Points Managed by the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . .170
View Clients Managed by the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
View Rogue Access Points Managed by the Wireless Controller. . . . .172
View Security Profiles Managed by the Wireless Controller. . . . . . . . .173
View DHCP Leases Provided by the Wireless Controller. . . . . . . . . . .174
View Captive Portal Users Managed by the Wireless Controller . . . . .175
Monitor the SSIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Monitor the Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
View Local Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
View Blacklisted Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Chapter 12 Troubleshooting
Troubleshoot Basic Functioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
Power LED Not On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
Test LED Never Turns Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
LAN Port LEDs Not On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Troubleshoot the Web Management Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Ethernet Cabling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
IP Address Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Internet Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Troubleshoot a TCP/IP Network Using the Ping Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Test the LAN Path to Your Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Use the Factory Default Button to Restore Default Settings . . . . . . . . . .182
Problems with Date and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
Problems with Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Discovery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Connection Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Use the Diagnostic Tools on the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Appendix A Factory Default Settings and Technical Specifications

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Appendix B Notification of Compliance
Index

9
1
1. Introduction and Overview
This chapter includes the following sections:
• Key Features and Capabilities
• Package Contents
• Hardware Features
• WC7520 Wireless Controller System Components
• What Can You Do with the WC7520 Wireless Controller?
• Licenses
• Maintenance and Support
• Web Management Interface Layout
• Initial Connection and Configuration
• Basic and Advanced Settings
• Choose a Location for the Wireless Controller
• Deploy the Wireless Controller
Note: For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit
the support website at http://support.netgear.com.
Key Features and Capabilities
The ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520 is intended for medium-sized businesses,
schools, and hospitals. In a stacked configuration and with the appropriate licenses, a
wireless controller can support up to 150 access points (APs) with up to 1,500 users or more.
The wireless controller supports the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n protocols. The wireless controller
allows you to manage your wireless network from a central point, implement security
features centrally, support Layer 2 and Layer 3 fast roaming, configure a guest access
captive portal, and support Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi).

Introduction and Overview
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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
The wireless controller provides the following key features and capabilities:
• Scalable architecture with stacking and redundancy
-Support for 20 access points on a single wireless controller with no additional license.
-Purchased licenses (WC7510L) in increments of 10 access points allow for support of
up to a maximum number of 50 access points on a single wireless controller.
-A maximum of three stacked wireless controllers allows for up to 150 access points in
a single network.
-Support of N:1 redundancy.
-Support of 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n modes.
• Autodiscovery of access points
-Autodiscovery of access points in the same Layer 2 domain.
-Autodiscover of access points across a Layer 3 domain.
-Automatic download of wireless controller-based firmware to discovered access
points that are added to the managed access point list.
• Centralized management
-Single point of management for the entire wireless network.
-Visualization of live coverage and heat maps for the wireless network.
-Automatic firmware upgrade to all managed access points.
-DHCP server for IP address provisioning.
-Configurable management VLAN.
• Security
-Identity-based security authentication with an external RADIUS or LDAP (Active
Directory) server, or with an internal authentication server.
-Up to 8 profiles per profile group and 8 profiles per radio (therefore, dual-band access
points can support up to 16 profiles in one profile group).
-Support for up to 128 access point profiles1per wireless controller (8 profiles per
group and 8 groups per radio). Each access point profile supports settings for SSID,
network authentication, data encryption, client separation, VLAN, MAC ACL, and
wireless QoS.
-Support for up 8 access point profile groups2per wireless controller.
-Rogue access point detection and classification.
-Guest access and captive portal access.
-Scheduled wireless on/off times.
• Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service and advanced wireless features
-Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) support for video, audio, and Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi).
-WMM power save option.
-Automatic WLAN healing mechanism ensures seamless coverage for wireless users.
1. Number of profiles depends on the access point model used with the wireless controller.
2. Number of profile groups depends on the access point model used with the wireless controller.

Introduction and Overview
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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
-Layer 2 and Layer 3 seamless roaming support (FRS).
-Local Layer 2 traffic switching at access point level for fast processing and roamed
Layer 3 traffic processing at controller level.
• RF planning and management
-RF planning tool to predict the number and placement of access points based on
signal strength and the number of users per building floor, and to display the
predicted coverage.
-Automatic control of access point transmit power and channel allocation to reduce
interference.
-Automatic load balancing of clients across access points.
-Rate limiting per profile.
• Monitoring and reporting
-Access point heat maps by wireless band and signal strength for real-time status view
of the WLAN.
-Monitoring of the status of the network, wireless controllers, WLANs, and clients, and
network usage statistics.
-Specific health monitoring of access points.
-Logging and emailing of system events, RF events, load-balancing events,
rate-limiting events, and redundancy failover events.
For a list of all features and capabilities of the wireless controller, see the datasheet at
http://support.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/13060.
Package Contents
The ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520 product package contains the following
items:
• ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520 appliance
• One AC power cable
• Rubber feet (4) with adhesive backing
• One rack-mount kit
• Straight-through Category 5 Ethernet cable
• WC7520 ProSafe Wireless Controller Installation Guide
• Resource CD
If any of the parts are incorrect, missing, or damaged, contact your NETGEAR dealer. Keep
the carton, including the original packing materials, in case you need to return the product for
repair.

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12
ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Hardware Features
The front panel ports and LEDs, rear panel components, and bottom label of the wireless
controller are described in this section.
Front Panel Ports and LEDs
The following figure shows the front panel ports and status LEDs of the wireless controller.
Figure 1.
From left to right, the wireless controller’s front panel shows the following ports and LEDs:
• Power LED
• Test LED
• USB port for external storage, for example for more floor heat maps and extended
statistics history
• Four 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN Ethernet ports with RJ-45 connectors, left LEDs, and right
LEDs. All Ethernet ports provide switched N-way, automatic speed negotiating, auto
MDI/MDIX technology.
Note: The four ports of the wireless controller function as a single switch.
The function of each LED is described in the following table:
Table 1. LED functions
LED Status Description
Power LED On The green Power LED should be lit when the wireless controller is on.
Off If the power LED is not lit when the wireless controller is on, check the
connections and check to see if the power outlet is controlled by a wall switch
that is turned off (see Power LED Not On on page 178).
Test LED On The wireless controller is initializing. After approximately 2 minutes, when the
wireless controller has completed its initialization, the Test LED turns off. If the
Test LED remains on, the initialization has failed (see Test LED Never Turns Off
on page 179).
Off The wireless controller has completed its initialization successfully. The Test
LED should be off during normal operation.
Blinking Firmware is being upgraded.

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Rear Panel Features
The following figure shows the rear panel components of the wireless controller.
Figure 2.
From left to right, the wireless controller’s rear panel components are:
• Console port. RS232 port for connecting to an optional console terminal. The port has a
DB9 male connector. The default baud rate is 9600 K. The configuration is 8 bits, no
parity, and 1 stop bit.
Note: The console port is for debugging under guidance of NETGEAR
technical support only.
• Factory Defaults button. Using a sharp object, press and hold this button for about
10 seconds until the front panel LED flashes and the wireless controller returns to factory
default settings.
Note: If you reset the wireless controller, all configuration settings are lost
and the default password is restored.
• Kensington lock. Attach an optional Kensington lock to prevent unauthorized removal of
the wireless controller.
Left LAN
port LED
(one for
each port)
Off The port has no physical link, that is, no Ethernet cable is plugged into the
wireless controller (see also LAN Port LEDs Not On on page 179).
On (green) The port has detected a link with a connected Ethernet device.
Blinking (green) Data is being transmitted or received by the port.
Right LAN
port LED
(one for
each port)
Off The port is operating at 10 Mbps.
On (amber) The port is operating at 100 Mbps.
On (green) The port is operating at 1000 Mbps.
Table 1. LED functions (continued)
LED Status Description

Introduction and Overview
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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
• AC power socket. Attach the power cord to this socket. (There is no separate on/off
power switch.)
Bottom Panel with Product Label
The product label on the bottom of the wireless controller’s enclosure displays the default IP
address, default user name, and default password, as well as regulatory compliance, input
power, and other information.
Figure 3.
WC7520 Wireless Controller System Components
A WC7520 wireless controller system consists of one or more wireless controllers and a
collection of access points that are organized into groups based on location or network
access.
The wireless controller system can include a single wireless controller, a single wireless
controller with a backup wireless controller for N:1 redundancy, or a group of up to three
stacked wireless controllers, with or without a redundant wireless controller.
The WC7520 wireless controller system supports the following access point models:
• NETGEAR WNAP210 ProSafe wireless-N access point
• NETGEAR WNAP320 ProSafe wireless-N access point
• NETGEAR WNDAP350 ProSafe dual-band wireless-N access point
• NETGEAR WNDAP360 ProSafe dual-band wireless-N access point
Future releases will support additional access point models.

Introduction and Overview
15
ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
NETGEAR ProSafe Access Points
You can connect access points to the wireless controller either directly with an Ethernet cable
through a router or switch, or remotely through an IP network. After you have used the
automatic discovery process and added access points to the managed access point list on
the wireless controller, the wireless controller converts the standard access points to
dependent access points by pushing firmware to the access points. From then on, you can
centrally manage and monitor the access points.
A WC7520 wireless controller system can support the following access points:
• WNAP210 ProSafe Wireless-N Access Point
-Supports 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices
-Supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) with a power consumption of up to 5.8W
For product documentation, see
http://support.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/8101.
• WNAP320 ProSafe Wireless-N Access Point
-Supports 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices
-Supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) with a power consumption of up to 5.8W
-Accepts optional antennas
For product documentation, see
http://support.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/18601.
• WNDAP350 ProSafe Dual Band Wireless-N Access Point
-Supports 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices
-Supports PoE with a power consumption of up to 10.75W
-Concurrent operation in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio band while in 802.11n mode
-Accepts optional antennas
For product documentation, see
http://support.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/12823.
• WNDAP360 ProSafe Dual Band Wireless-N Access Point
-Supports 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices
-Supports PoE with a power consumption of up to 10.51W
-Concurrent operation in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio band while in 802.11n mode
-Accepts optional antennas
For product documentation, see
http://support.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/19189.

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
What Can You Do with the WC7520 Wireless Controller?
These are some of the tasks that you can perform with a WC7520 wireless controller:
Plan a Wireless Network
• Design a WLAN. Design an efficient WLAN with building and floor dimensions for your
specific environment.
• Estimate the number of required access points and their approximate locations.
Estimate how many access points you need for your wireless coverage and determine
their optimum location for best coverage and performance.
For more information, see Chapter 3, RF Planning.
Discover Access Points in the Network and Provision IP Addresses and
Firmware
• Discover access points in the network. The access points can be in factory default
state or functioning in standalone mode, but after discovery by the wireless controller and
addition to the managed access point list, the access points become dependent
(managed) access points.
• Provision IP addresses to the access points. Use the internal DHCP server to
provision IP addresses to all or selected managed access points in the network.
• Upgrade access point firmware. Update and synchronize new firmware versions to all
managed access points in the network.
For more information, see Chapter 4, Access Point Discovery and Management.
Organize the Network
• Create access point profiles. Organize access points in profiles to differentiate between
SSIDs, client authentication, authentication settings, and wireless QoS settings.
• Create access point profile groups. Organize access point profiles in access point
profile groups to differentiate between buildings, floors, businesses or business divisions,
and so on. Easily assign access points to profile groups or make changes to
assignments.
For more information, see Chapter 6, Managing Security Profiles and Profile Groups.
Centrally Manage the Wireless Settings for the Network
• Schedule the radios. Schedule the entire network to go offline, or schedule access point
profile groups to go offline.
• Manage wireless settings and channel allocation. Manage the wireless settings such
as wireless mode, data rate, channel width, and so on, for the entire network or for
access point profile groups, and manage channel allocation for the entire network.

Introduction and Overview
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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
• Manage QoS settings. Manage QoS queue settings for data, background, video, and
voice traffic for access point profile groups.
• Configure RF management settings. Configure WLAN healing and wireless coverage
hole detection for the entire network or for access point profile groups.
For more information, see Chapter 7, Configuring Wireless and QoS Settings.
Centrally Manage Security in the Network
• Manage secure access to the network and secure data transmission. Manage client
authentication, encryption, wireless client security separation, and MAC authentication in
access point profiles.
• Manage authentication servers for the network. Manage all internal and external
authentication servers for the entire network or for access point profile groups.
• Manage MAC authentication. Specify trusted and untrusted MAC addresses for the
entire network.
• Manage rogue access points. Manage rogue access points and their associated clients
in the network.
• Manage guest access. Manage guest access and captive portal access to the network.
For more information, see Chapter 8, Configuring Network Access and Security.
Manage Other Wireless Controllers in the Network
• Manage stacking. Specify the primary and secondary wireless controllers in a stack and
synchronize information between the wireless controller.
• Manage redundancy groups. Specify the primary and secondary wireless controllers in
redundancy group and enable failover protection.
For more information, see Chapter 10, Managing Stacking and Redundancy.
Monitor the Network and Its Components
• View heat maps. View the real-time heat maps for a deployed WLAN. See the RF signal
propagation per floor, and identify coverage holes and weak signal spots.
• Monitor the status of all wireless devices. View the status the wireless controllers,
access points, clients, access point profiles, and the entire network, and view network
usage statistics.
• Monitor network health. See which access points are healthy and which ones are down
or compromised.
For more information, see Chapter 11, Monitoring the Wireless Network and Components.

Introduction and Overview
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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
Licenses
The wireless controller includes an built-in license to support up to 20 access points in
802.11a/b/g/n mode. You can purchase licenses in 10–access point increments (WC7510L)
for support of up to 50 access points for a single wireless controller. To support 50 access
points, you would need to purchase 3 WC7510L licenses; if you have three wireless
controllers in a stack and want to support the maximum number of 150 access points, you
would need to purchase 9 WC7510L licenses.
Adding a redundant wireless controller also requires you to purchase licenses to support the
required number of access points on the redundant wireless controller.
Licenses are tied to the serial number of the wireless controller.
For more information, see the License Configuration section in the datasheet at
http://support.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/13060.
For information about how to manage your licenses, see Manage Licenses on page 138.
Maintenance and Support
NETGEAR offers technical support seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Information about
support is available on the NETGEAR ProSupport website at
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/212.
Web Management Interface Layout
The following figure shows the menu at the top and the left of the wireless controller’s web
management interface (the screen’s content has been removed for more clarity).
Figure 4.
1st level: Main navigation menu tab
2nd level: Configuration menu tab
3rd level: Submenu link
Action buttons
Controller selection list

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
A web management interface screen can include the following components:
• 1st level: Main navigation menu tab. The main navigation menu tabs in the light gray
bar across the top of the web management interface provide access to all configuration
menu tabs of the wireless controller and remain constant. When you select a main
navigation menu tab, the letters are displayed in white against a blue background.
• 2nd level: Configuration menu tab. The configuration menu tabs in the blue bar
(immediately below the main navigation menu bar) change according to the main
navigation menu tab that you select. When you select a configuration menu tab, the
letters are displayed in orange against a blue background.
• 3rd level: Submenu link. Each configuration menu tab has one or more submenu links
that are listed on the left side of the screen in a gray box. When you select a submenu
link, the text is displayed in orange against a gray background. On many screens, the
submenus are divided into a basic submenu and an advanced submenu.
• Action buttons. Action buttons change the configuration or allow you to make changes
to the configuration. These are the most common action buttons:
-Apply. Saves all configuration changes made on the current screen. Saved settings
are retained when the wireless controller is powered off or rebooted, while unsaved
configuration changes are lost.
-Cancel. Resets options on the current screen to the last-applied or -saved settings.
-Add.Adds a new item to the current screen. Typically, a pop-up window opens that
enables you to enter information in additional fields.
-Edit. Allows you to edit the configuration of the selected item.
-Remove or Delete. Removes the selected item from the table or screen
configuration.
-Back. Return to the previous screen.
-Next. Advance to the next screen.
• Controller selection list. In a stacked configuration, the controller selection list lets you
select the wireless controller to configure.
Initial Connection and Configuration
Follow the steps in this section to set up the wireless controller. For additional information,
see the WC7520 ProSafe Wireless Controller Installation Guide that you can access from
http://kb.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/13060.
To set up, configure, and deploy the wireless controller:
1. Connect the wireless controller to your computer:
a. Configure a computer with a static IP address of 192.168.0.210 and 255.255.255.0
as the subnet mask.
b. Connect the wireless controller to the computer through the network or directly to
one of the wireless controller’s ports.
c. Connect the power cord from the wireless controller to an AC power outlet.

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ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520
d. Check the lights on the front of the wireless controller:
• Power. The green Power LED should be lit. If the Power LED is not lit, check the
connections and check to see if the power outlet is controlled by a wall switch that
is turned off.
• Test. The Test LED is on briefly when the controller is first turned on.
• LAN The Ethernet (LAN) LED should be lit (amber for 10/100 Mbps and green for
1000 Mbps) indicating that a connection has been made. If it is not, make sure
that the Ethernet cable is securely attached at both ends.
2. Log in to the wireless controller:
a. Open your browser and type http://192.168.0.250 in the browser’s address field.
Note: You need to use a web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer
5.1 or later or Mozilla Firefox l.x or later with JavaScript, cookies,
and SSL enabled.
The wireless controller’s login window displays:
Figure 5.
b. When prompted, enter admin for the user name and password for the password,
both in lowercase letters.
c. Click Login. The wireless controller’s web management interface displays, with the
default status screen (the path is Monitor > Controller > Summary), which shows the
network status and related information: