The controller provides centralized management of APs operating in controlled mode. Controlled mode greatly simplifies the set up and maintenance of a Wi-Fi infrastructure by centralizing the configuration and management of distributed APs.

Centralized configuration management

All AP configuration settings are defined on the controller and are automatically uploaded to all controlled APs. For added flexibility, APs are assigned to groups, enabling each group to have customized configuration settings. If needed, you can customize the individual settings for each AP in a group.

AP licensing

You must install a valid AP license for every AP that a controller will manage beyond its default capacity, which is: 10 APs on the MSM720, and 40 APs on an MSM760 and MSM765). The exception to this rule is the MSM317. The controller can manage any number of these APs up the maximum number of APs that the controller supports.

Adding a new AP

If the controller, or another device, is operating as a DHCP server on your network, initial configuration of an AP is not required. Simply power it up and plug it into your network. The AP will automatically discover the controller and establish a secure tunnel with it to support the exchange of management traffic. Open the Views > Network > Access Points page to monitor the discovery process.

First, the AP software is automatically updated (synchronized) to match the version installed on the controller. Next, the AP is added to the default group and wireless services are activated according to the WLAN assigned to the default group (initially this will be the default WLAN HP). When done, the AP will appear with a Status of green and Diagnostic set to Synchronized. For example:

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