Dell APL260AE User Manual

Dell™ SonicPoint ACe

Getting Started Guide

Regulatory Model Number: APL26-0AE

©

2014 Dell Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license or
nondisclosure agreement. This software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement. No part of this
guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any
purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use without the written permission of Dell Inc.

The information in this document is provided in connection with Dell products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any
intellectual property right is granted by this document or in connection with the sale of Dell products. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS AS SPECIFIED IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THIS PRODUCT, DELL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHA TSOEVER AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS,
IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY RELATING TO ITS PRODUCTS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL DELL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL,
PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMIT A TION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS
OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS DOCUMENT, EVEN IF DELL HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES. Dell makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and reserves
the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without notice. Dell does not make any commitment to update
the information contained in this document.

If you have any questions regarding your potential use of this material, contact:
Dell Inc.
Attn: LEGAL Dept
5 Polaris Way
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Refer to our web site (software.dell.com) for regional and international office information.

SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide
Updated - 11/26/14
232-002617-50 Rev A

Patents

This product is protected by multiple U.S. Patents. For more information, go to http://software.dell.com/legal/patents.aspx.

Trademarks

Dell, the Dell logo, SonicWALL, and all other SonicWALL product and service names and slogans are trademarks of Dell Inc. Other trademarks and
trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims any
proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

Legend

CAUTION: A CAUTION icon indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed.

WARNING: A WARNING icon indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

IMPORTANT NOTE, NOTE, TIP, MOBILE, or VIDEO: An information icon indicates supporting information.

Introduction

In this guide

This Getting Started Guide provides instructions for basic installation and configuration of the Dell™ SonicPoint ACe wireless
access point in single-unit or multi-unit wireless deployments.

Chapter 1 Topics

Introduction on page 5 • Wireless overview on page 7

Chapter 2 Topics

Initial Setup on page 11 • Check package contents on page 12

• Deployment requirements on page 12

• SonicPoint ACe available ports/status LEDs on page 13

• Installing antennas on page 15

• Connecting Ethernet cables on page 16

• Wireless access point placement considerations on page 17

• Mounting the SonicPoint ACe on page 19

1

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

5

Chapter 3 Topics

Configuring SonicOS for wireless access on page 23 • Configuring SonicOS for SonicPoint ACe on page 23

• Verifying SonicPoint operation on page 28

• Troubleshooting tips on page 28

Chapter 4 Topics

Support and product registration on page 29 • Registration and support on page 29

• Online support and training on page 30

Chapter 5 Topics

Product safety and regulatory information on page 31 • Mounting the appliance on page 32

• Verwarnung Weitere hinweise zur montage on page 33

• EU and EFTA on page 35

• Declaration of conformity on page 35

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

6

Wireless overview

The Dell™ SonicPoint ACe is part of the next evolutionary generation in wireless access points after the Dell SonicWALL SonicPoint
N and NDR.

The SonicPoint ACe provides physical layer enhancements for higher throughput with a maximum data rate of 1.3 Gbps. To
achieve this, the SonicPoint AC e uses:

• More antennas—three antennas for the 5 GHz radio, and three more for the 2.4 GHz radio

• Wider channels—80 MHz-wide channels for the 802.11ac radio module, while continuing to support 20/40 MHz channels.

This allows for dynamic per packet negotiation of channel widths so that when there is interference, th e SonicPoint can
temporarily fall back to 40 or 20MHz channels.

• More spatial streams—3X3 multiple-input and multiple-output, (MIMO) for the 802.11ac radio module, where the capacity
of a radio link is multiplied using multipath propagation.

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

7

Dell SonicWALL wireless firewalling

WLAN Zone

Security Services

?

Content Filtering Service

Client Anti-Virus Enforcement

Gateway Anti-Virus

Gateway Anti-Spyware

Intrusion Prevention Service

Other Security Appliance

WLAN Zone Security Services

SonicWALL

appliance

SonicWALL

SonicPoint

Content Filtering Service

Client Anti-Virus Enforcement

Gateway Anti-Virus

Gateway Anti-Spyware

Intrusion Prevention Service

L

nt

When a wireless device uses a Dell SonicPoint ACe wireless
access point to communicate with a wireless device on
another subnet or on a completely dif ferent network, traffic
between the devices is forced to traverse the Dell SonicWALL
network security appliance. This traversal enables security
services to be enforced by SonicOS.

Standard practice for wireless firewalling (where one wireless
client is communicating with another) bypasses many of the
critical security services. The following illustration shows the
standard practice for wireless firewalling.

Figure 1. Standard wireless firewalling

Many security products on the market share this potential
vulnerability when two users connected by a common hub or
wireless access point wish to exchange data.

Dell SonicWALL addresses this security shortcoming by
managing the SonicPoint access points from the network
security appliance. This allows complete control of the
wireless space, including zone enforcement of security
services and complete firewalling capabilities.

Figure 2. Secure wireless firewalling

AL
oi

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

8

Frequency bands and channels

There are currently five widely adopted standards for 802.11 wireless network types: a, b, g, n, and ac. 802.11n and 802.11ac are
the newest and highest capacity standards, but older client devices may not be able to utilize the newer standards.

Table 1. Wireless standards

802.11 (x) Frequency standard Maximum data rate

802.11a 5 GHz 54 Mbps

802.11b 2.4 GHz 11 Mbps

802.11g 2.4 GHz 54 Mbps

802.11n 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 450 Mbps

802.11ac 5 GHz + multichannel + multipath 1.3 Gbps

Different frequency bands provide varying signal strength and quality over differe nt distance ranges. Signals in the 2.4 GHz range
tend to pass through physical barriers better and carry farther than those in the 5 GHz range, but they do not provide as high a
data rate. Signals in the 5 GHz range provide faster data rates for better throughput, but the signal attenuates faster and is best
suited for open spaces.

Table 2. Strengths and weaknesses of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz signals

5 GHz 2.4 GHz

Strength Higher speed, more channels Longer Range, stronger signal penetration
Weakness Limited penetration of walls, client compatibility More sources of interference

Refer to Radio frequency barriers and RF interference on page 18 for detailed information about RF barriers and interference.

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

9

To allow multiple separate wireless networks in a shared and confined space, the RF medium i s divided into channels . For devices
in the 5 GHz range (802.11a/n/ac), this means the possibility of up to 23 discrete channels.

For devices using the 2.4 GHz range (802.11b/g/n), the wireless space is limited to a maximum of 14 overlapping channels. As a
result of these overlapping channels, 2.4 GHz technology provides only a total of three discrete channels.

802.11 comparison chart

Table 3. 802.11 signal characteristics

802.11a 802.11b 802.11g 802.11n 802.11ac

# of Channels in USA2311111121
# of Channels in EU 23 13 13 13 16
# of Channels in Japan 15 14 14 14 19
Frequency Band 5 GHz 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz 2.4/5 GHz 5 GHz
Max. Data Rate 54 Mbps 11 Mbps 54 Mbps 450 Mbps (For 3X3

MIMO)

Radius (Range) 90ft/25m 120ft/35m 120ft/35m 300ft/90m 120ft/35m

NOTE: Although 802.11b/g/n standards provide between 11 and 14 ch annels, only three of those channels are fully discrete

(non-overlapping) channels.

1.3 Gbps (For
QAM-64, MIMO
3X3, and 80 MHz
channels)

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

10

2

Initial Setup

This section provides a basic checklist of materials, hardware information, and describes how to connect and configure physical
aspects of the Dell SonicPoint ACe including antennas, cabling, and mounting.

• Check package contents on page 12

• Deployment requirements on page 12

• SonicPoint ACe available ports/status LEDs on page 13

• Installing antennas on page 15

• Connecting Ethernet cables on page 16

• Wireless access point placement considerations on page 17

• Mounting the SonicPoint ACe on page 19

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

11

Check package contents

Deployment requirements

Before continuing, ensure that your Dell™ SonicPoint ACe
package contains the following materials:

SonicPoint ACe Appliance Checklist

Dell SonicPoint ACe Appliance
Antennas (6)
Mounting Kit (Ceiling Brackets, Anchor and Screw Ki t)
Getting Started Guide
Power Adaptor*

*The included power cord is approved for use only in specific
countries or regions. Before using a power cord, verify that it
is rated and approved for use in your location.

Any items missing?

If any of the items corresponding to your product are missing
from the package, contact Technical Support at:

https://support.software.dell.com/manage-service-request

A listing of the most current support documents are ava ilable
online at: 

https://support.software.dell.com/

SonicOS firmware

• Dell SonicPoint ACe access points are centrally

managed by Dell SonicWALL network security
appliances running the following versions of SonicOS:

• SonicOS 5.9.1 or a higher 5.9 release

• SonicOS 6.2.2 or higher

Power source

• A 120V power source or an 802.3at compliant PoE

injector or PoE-capable switch capable of providing 25
watts of power to each SonicPoint ACe is required.

Internet connectivity

• An active Internet connection is required for your

firewall to download the latest SonicPoint firmware.

Gigabit Ethernet connectivity

• 802.11ac wireless hardware requires more bandwidth

than a single (or even dual) 10/100 Ethernet
connection can handle. Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
between the WLAN and the LAN is required to take full
advantage of 802.11ac speed.

See Product safety and regulatory information on page 31.

Dell SonicPoint ACe Getting Started Guide

12