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Problem: Wireless AP Won’t Join Controller

If you are having problems with wireless AP’s not joining the controller check the following:

  • Verify that both the power and ethernet link lights are ON at the wireless AP.
  • Verify switch port to router is Trunked!
  • Verify switch port to wireless AP is Trunked!
  •  Make sure the wireless AP installer has NOT plugged the RJ-45 into the console port of the AP.
  • If the switch is not directly connected to the router, make sure VTP Domain and Password are set and that the port to the upstream switch is Trunked.
  • Make sure wireless VLAN is present on the switch (Even if no switch ports are in it). If not, you must create it.
  • Verify the wireless AP has an IP address for the correct VLAN.
  • If using broadcast discovery requests when the controller is in a different subnet, make sure the router if forwarding the requests to the controller management system. Be sure to disable forwarding after all the AP’s have been discovered!
  • If using OTAP, remember that it may not work with new AP’s out of the box because the radios could be disabled by default.
  • If using DNS lookup, ensure that the DHCP server is configured to return a valid DNS and a valid domain name suffix.
  • If using DHCP option 43, make sure that the DHCP server is programmed to return the option on the AP’s DHCP vendor class identifier (VCI) string (DHCP option 60).