Chapter 19 Configuring a Repeater Access Point

Configuring Repeater and Standby Access Points

Default Configuration
Access points are configured as root units by default. Table 19-1 shows the default values for settings that control the access points role in the wireless LAN.
Table 19-1 Default Settings for Role in Wireless LAN

Feature Station role Parent Extensions

Default Setting Root none Aironet

Guidelines for Repeaters

Follow these guidelines when configuring repeater access points:

Use repeaters to serve client devices that do not require high throughput. Repeaters extend the coverage area of your wireless LAN, but they drastically reduce throughput. Use repeaters when most if not all client devices that associate with the repeaters are Cisco Aironet clients. Non-Cisco client devices sometimes have trouble communicating with repeater access points. Make sure that the data rates configured on the repeater access point match the data rates on the parent access point. For instructions on configuring data rates, see the Configuring Radio Data Rates section on page 6-4. Repeater access points support only the native VLAN. You cannot configure multiple VLANs on a repeater access point.

Note

Repeater access points running Cisco IOS software cannot associate to parent access points that that do not run Cisco IOS software.

Note

Repeater access points do not support wireless domain services (WDS). Do not configure a repeater access point as a WDS candidate, and do not configure a WDS access point to fall back to repeater mode in case of Ethernet failure.

Setting Up a Repeater
Beginning in Privileged Exec mode, follow these steps to configure an access point as a repeater: Command
Step 1 Step 2

Purpose Enter global configuration mode. Enter interface configuration mode for the radio interface. The 2.4-GHz radio is radio 0, and the 5-GHz radio is radio 1.

configure terminal interface dot11radio { 0 | 1 }

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Command
Step 3

Purpose Create the SSID that the repeater uses to associate to a root access point; in the next step designate this SSID as an infrastructure SSID. If you created an infrastructure SSID on the root access point, create the same SSID on the repeater, also. Designate the SSID as an infrastructure SSID. The repeater uses this SSID to associate to the root access point. Infrastructure devices must associate to the repeater access point using this SSID unless you also enter the optional keyword. Exit SSID configuration mode and return to radio interface configuration mode. Set the access points role in the wireless LAN to repeater. If Aironet extensions are disabled, enable Aironet extensions. (Optional) Enter the MAC address for the access point to which the repeater should associate.

ssid ssid-string

Step 4

infrastructure-ssid [optional]

Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8

exit station-role repeater dot11 extensions aironet parent {1-4} mac-address [timeout]

You can enter MAC addresses for up to four parent access points. The repeater attempts to associate to MAC address 1 first; if that access point does not respond, the repeater tries the next access point in its parent list. (Optional) You can also enter a timeout value in seconds that determines how long the repeater attempts to associate to a parent access point before trying the next parent in the list. Enter a timeout value from 0 to 65535 seconds.

Step 9 Step 10

end copy running-config startup-config

Return to privileged EXEC mode. (Optional) Save your entries in the configuration file.

This example shows how to set up a repeater acess point with three potential parents:
AP# configure terminal AP(config)# interface dot11radio 0 AP(config-if)# ssid chicago AP(config-ssid)# infrastructure-ssid AP(config-ssid)# exit AP(config-if)# station-role repeater AP(config-if)# dot11 extensions aironet AP(config-if)# parent 1 0987.1234.h345 900 AP(config-if)# parent 2 7809.b123.c345 900 AP(config-if)# parent 3 6543.a456.7421 900 AP(config-if)# end

Verifying Repeater Operation

After you set up the repeater, check the LEDs on top of the repeater access point. If your repeater is functioning correctly, the LEDs on the repeater and the root access point to which it is associated behave like this:

The status LED on the root access point is steady green, indicating that at least one client device is associated with it (in this case, the repeater).

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Configuring Repeater and Standby Access Points

The status LED on the repeater access point is steady green when it is associated with the root access point and the repeater has client devices associated to it. The repeater's status LED flashes (steady green for 7/8 of a second and off for 1/8 of a second) when it is associated with the root access point but the repeater has no client devices associated to it.

The repeater access point should also appear as associated with the root access point in the root access point's Association Table.

Setting Up a Repeater As a LEAP Client

You can set up a repeater access point to authenticate to your network like other wireless client devices. After you provide a network username and password for the repeater access point, it authenticates to your network using LEAP, Cisco's wireless authentication method, and receives and uses dynamic WEP keys. Setting up a repeater as a LEAP client requires three major steps:
1. 2.

Create an authentication username and password for the repeater on your authentication server. Configure LEAP authentication on the root access point to which the repeater associates. The access point to which the repeater associates is called the parent access point. See Chapter 10, Configuring Authentication Types, for instructions on setting up authentication.

Note

On the repeater access point, you must enable the same cipher suite or WEP encryption method and WEP features that are enabled on the parent access point.

3.

Configure the repeater to act as a LEAP client. Beginning in Privileged Exec mode, follow these instructions to set up the repeater as a LEAP client: Purpose Enter global configuration mode. Enter interface configuration mode for the radio interface. The 2.4-GHz radio is radio 0, and the 5-GHz radio is radio 1. Create an SSID and enter SSID configuration mode for the new SSID. The SSID can consist of up to 32 alphanumeric characters, but they should not include spaces. SSIDs are case-sensitive. Enable LEAP authentication on the repeater so that LEAP-enabled client devices can authenticate through the repeater. For list-name, specify the list name you want to use for EAP authentication. You define list names for EAP and for MAC addresses using the aaa authentication login command. These lists define the authentication methods activated when a user logs in and indirectly identify the location where the authentication information is stored. Configure the username and password that the repeater uses when it performs LEAP authentication. This username and password must match the username and password that you set up for the repeater on the authentication server.

Command
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

configure terminal interface dot11radio { 0 | 1 } ssid ssid-string

Step 4

authentication network-eap list-name

Step 5

authentication client username username password password

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Command
Step 6

Purpose (Optional) Designate the SSID as the SSID that other access points and workgroup bridges use to associate to this access point. If you do not designate an SSID as the infrastructure SSID, infrastructure devices can associate to the access point using any SSID. If you designate an SSID as the infrastructure SSID, infrastructure devices must associate to the access point using that SSID unless you also enter the optional keyword. Return to privileged EXEC mode. (Optional) Save your entries in the configuration file.

infrastructure ssid [optional]

Step 7 Step 8

end copy running-config startup-config

Setting Up a Repeater As a WPA Client

WPA key management uses a combination of encryption methods to protect communication between client devices and the access point. You can set up a repeater access point to authenticate to your network like other WPA-enabled client devices. Beginning in Privileged Exec mode, follow these steps to set up the repeater as a WPA client: Command
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Purpose Enter global configuration mode. Enter interface configuration mode for the radio interface. The 2.4-GHz radio is radio 0, and the 5-GHz radio is radio 1. Create an SSID and enter SSID configuration mode for the new SSID. The SSID can consist of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. SSIDs are case sensitive. Enable open authentication for the SSID.

configure terminal interface dot11radio { 0 | 1 } ssid ssid-string

Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7

authentication open

authentication key-management Enable WPA authenticated key management for the SSID. wpa infrastructure ssid wpa-psk { hex | ascii } [ 0 | 7 ] encryption-key Designate the SSID as the SSID that the repeater uses to associate to other access points. Enter a pre-shared key for the repeater. Enter the key using either hexadecimal or ASCII characters. If you use hexadecimal, you must enter 64 hexadecimal characters to complete the 256-bit key. If you use ASCII, you must enter from 8 to 63 ASCII characters, and the access point expands the key for you. Return to privileged EXEC mode. (Optional) Save your entries in the configuration file.

Step 8 Step 9

end copy running-config startup-config

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