Netgear Business Central Installation Manual
Business Central Wireless
Manager 2.1 Application
How to Start Guide
July 2016
202-11632-02
350 E. Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 Application
Support
Thank you for purchasing this NETGEAR product.You can visit www.netgear.com/support to register your
product, get help, access the latest downloads and user manuals , and join our comm unity.We recommend that
you use only official NETGEAR support resources.
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© NETGEAR, Inc., NETGEAR and the NETGEAR Logo are trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. An y non-NETGEAR
trademarks are used for reference purposes only.
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Contents
Chapter 1 Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
Basic Concepts......................................................................................................5
Prepare Your NETGEAR WiFi Access Points for Cloud Management...................6
Upgrade to the Required Cloud-Enabled Firmware Version..............................7
Upgrade an Access Point From BCWM 1.0 to BCWM 2.0 or a Later BCWM
Version............................................................................................................12
Subscribe to the BCWM 2.0 or a Later BCWM Version.......................................16
Set Up a Location With a WiFi Network and Access Point..................................18
Add Your First Location....................................................................................18
Add a First WiFi Network to a Location...........................................................20
Add a First Access Point to a Location............................................................23
Monitor WiFi Traffic and Client Usage at a Location............................................25
Appendix A Upgrade to the Minimum Required Standalone Firmware Version
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Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
This how to start guide provides information about how to prepare your access points for cloud management,
how to subscribe to the NETGEAR Business Central Wireless Manager (BCWM), and how to get started with
the BCWM 2.1 application.
For more information about the BCWM 2.1 application, visit businesscentral.netgear.com.
For extensive configuration procedures, see the Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 User Manual, which
you can download from downloadcenter.netgear.com.
This chapter includes the following sections:
• Basic Concepts on page 5
• Prepare Your NETGEAR WiFi Access Points for Cloud Management on page 6
• Subscribe to the BCWM 2.0 or a Later BCWM Version on page 16
• Set Up a Location With a WiFi Network and Access Point on page 18
• Monitor WiFi Traffic and Client Usage at a Location on page 25
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In this manual, WiFi and wireless are exchangeable terms.Note
The BCWM 2.1 application supports the desktop versions of the following browsers:Note
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or later
• Mozilla Firefox 15 or later
• Google Chrome 15 or later
• Apple Safari 5 or later
• Microsoft Edge 13 or later
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Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 Application
Basic Concepts
The NETGEAR Business Central Wireless Manager (BCWM) 2.1 application is a cloud management
application that you can access from any computer to centrally manage cloud-enabled NETGEAR access
points. Using the BCWM 2.1 application, you can add, configure, and monitor multiple WiFi networks in the
cloud.
The BCWM cloud management solution is intended primarily for single or multisite small and medium-sized
businesses, K–12 education, small to medium hospitalities, retailers, and healthcare organizations.
In this manual, the BCWM 2.1 application is referred to as the application.Note
The BCWM application functions with the following basic concepts:
• Service locations.With the application, the entire provisioning process is service location based. Access
points and WiFi networks are installed at physical addresses that are referred to as service locations,
or simply locations. In the application, these locations are logical locations and can span m ultiple La y er
2 or Layer 3 network segments.
• Automatic network pr ovisioning. All WiFi netw orks configured at a location are automatically supported
by all access points at that location.With standalone access points, you add a WiFi netw ork to an access
point.With managed access points, the application assigns the WiFi network automatically to one or
more access points, depending on the number of WiFi networks and the number of access points at
the location.
For access points that you assign to a location, you can attach building labels and floor labels to them.
However, these are just labels for organization.
• Offline location and network provisioning.You can set up locations and WiFi networks while offline.
Then, add access points and assign them to locations, allowing the networks to go online.
• Location-based radio management. For each location independently, you can manage the radio
settings for individual or all access points and run or schedule automatic resource management for all
access points.
• Location-based firmware management. For each location independently, you can run or schedule
firmware updates for individual or all access points and reboot all access points or schedule to reboot
them.
• Monitoring.You can display WiFi network and access point health;WiFi network and access point
usage;WiFi network location maps; alarms; statistics for networks, access points, traffic, and clients;
and neighboring access points, with the option to classify access points into known and unknown.
• Application account management.You can add accounts to the application, assign licenses to an
account, assign locations to an account, assign access points to an account, and add and invite
application users to an account.
Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
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Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 Application
Prepare Your NETGEAR WiFi Access Points for Cloud Management
Before the application can manage an access point, the access point must run the required firmware version
that is cloud enabled.
This release supports the following NETGEAR WiFi access points running cloud-enabled firmware:
• WAC730 ProSAFE 3x3 Dual-Band Wireless AC Access Point
• WAC720 ProSAFE 2x2 Dual-Band Wireless AC Access Point
• WNDAP660 ProSAFE Dual-Band Wireless-N Access Point
• WNDAP360 ProSAFE Dual-Band Wireless-N Access Point
• WNDAP350 ProSAFE Dual-Band Wireless-N Access Point
• WNAP320 ProSAFE Wireless-N Access Point
• WNAP210v2 ProSAFE Wireless-N Access Point
If your access point runs a standalone firmware version that is not cloud enabled, consult the f ollowing table.
Table 1. Firmware requirements for upgrade to the cloud-enabled firmware version
Access Point Model
The table lists the minimum required standalone firmware version that an access point must run for you to
be able to upgrade the access point to the required cloud-enabled firmware v ersion. Note the following about
upgrades:
• If your access point does run the minimum required standalone firmware version or a later standalone
firmware version, you can upgrade directly to the required cloud-enab led firmware. For more inf ormation,
see Upgrade to the Required Cloud-Enabled Firmware Version on page 7.
Minimum Required Standalone
Firmware for Upgrade to
Cloud-Enabled Firmware
Required
Cloud-Enabled
Firmware
v3.5.6.0 or laterv3.1.1.0 or a later standalone versionWAC730 ProSAFE 3x3 Dual-Band Wireless AC Access Point
v3.5.6.0 or laterv3.1.1.0 or a later standalone versionWAC720 ProSAFE 2x2 Dual-Band Wireless AC Access Point
v3.5.5.0 or laterv2.0.5 or a later standalone versionWNDAP660 ProSAFE Dual-Band Wireless-N Access Point
v3.5.5.0 or laterv2.1.12 or a later standalone versionWNDAP360 ProSAFE Dual-Band Wireless-N Access Point
v3.5.5.0 or laterv2.1.9 or a later standalone versionWNDAP350 ProSAFE Dual-Band Wireless-N Access Point
v3.5.5.0 or laterv2.1.6 or a later standalone versionWNAP320 ProSAFE Wireless-N Access Point
v3.5.5.0 or laterv2.1.5 or a later standalone versionWNAP210v2 ProSAFE Wireless-N Access Point
• In the unlikely situation that your access point runs a standalone firmware version that is earlier than
the minimum required standalone firmware version, you first must upgrade the access point to the
minimum required standalone firmware version before y ou can upgrade the access point to the required
cloud-enabled firmware version. For more information, see Appendix A, Upgrade to the Minimum
Required Standalone Firmware Version on page 27.
Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
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Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 Application
CAUTION:
If your access point runs a standalone firmware version that is earlier
than the minimum required standalone firmware version and you attempt
to upgrade directly to the required cloud-enabled firmware version, you
might be locked out of the access point’s web management interface. In
that situation, you must log in to the access point ov er an SSH connection
with the user name admin and the password that is configured for the
access point and issue the restore-factory-default command to
reset the access point to factory default settings.
If your access point is already cloud-managed by the BCWM 1.0 application, you can upgrade it to a state
in which it can be cloud-managed by the BCWM 2.0 application or a later version of the application. For
more information, see Upgrade an Access Point From BCWM 1.0 to BCWM 2.0 or a Later BCWM Version
on page 12.
The upgrade procedures in this guide describe and include screen shots of the traditional
Note
web management interface that is supported on most NETGEAR access points. Howev er ,
the WAC720 and WAC730 access points use a newer style web management interface.
The steps and screen shots for that interface are similar b ut not identical to the traditional
interface.
Upgrade to the Required Cloud-Enabled Firmware Version
Follow this procedure if your access point runs the minimum required standalone firmware v ersion (see the
table in Prepare Your NETGEAR WiFi Access Points for Cloud Management on page 6) or a later version,
but a version earlier than version 3.5.5.0 (or for the WAC720 and WAC730 access points, version 3.5.6.0).
If the access point runs firmware version 3.0.x.x or a later version but a v ersion earlier than version 3.5.5.0,
by default, the access point is enabled for the cloud and you first must disable the cloud mode before you
can manually upgrade the firmware.This requirement does not apply to the WAC720 and WAC730 access
points.
Log in to the access point’s web management interface and perform the following steps:
1. If the access point runs firmware version 3.0.x.x or a later version but a version earlier than version
3.5.5.0, disable the cloud mode. (This step does not apply to the WAC720 and WAC730 access points.)
2. Upgrade the access point to the cloud-enabled firmware version 3.5.5.0 (or f or the W A C720 and W A C730
access points, version 3.5.6.0) or a later version.
3. If you want the access point to become ready for cloud management, make sure that the access point
is connected to the Internet.
4. Reset the access point to factory default settings.
These steps are described in detail in the following procedure.
After you perform this one-time firmware upgrade for the access point and the access point becomes cloud
managed, the application can centrally manage future firmware upgrades for the access point.
Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
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Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 Application
IMPORTANT:
After you upgrade an access point to the cloud-enabled firmware, you must
reset the access point to factory default settings as described in the following
procedure.
T o upgrade an access point to the required c loud-enab led firmware version and enab le the
access point for the cloud:
1. Visit the support website at netgear.com/support.
2. Navigate to the page for your access point and download firmware version 3.5.5.0 (or for the WAC720
and WAC730 access points, version 3.5.6.0) or a later version.
3. Read the release notes before upgrading the firmware.
4. If the access point does not receive power through Power over Ethernet (PoE), apply power to the
access point and wait for the access point to complete its startup procedure.
5. Open a browser on your computer.
6. In the address bar, enter the IP address of the access point.
By default, the access point functions as a DHCP client. If the access point is installed in a netw ork that
includes a DHCP server, the IP address of the access point is issued by the DHCP server.
If the access point is not connected to a DHCP server or is accessible only over its default IP address,
do the following:
a. Change the IP address of your computer to an IP address in the 192.168.0.x subnet, which is the
subnet in which the access point’s default IP address is located.
For example, change the computer’s IP address to 192.168.0.210.
b. Connect your computer to the access point with an Ethernet cable.
c. In the address bar of the browser, enter the default IP address of the access point:
• WAC730. 192.168.0.100
• WAC720. 192.168.0.100
• WNDAP660. 192.168.0.100
• WNDAP360. 192.168.0.100
• WNDAP350. 192.168.0.237
• WNAP320. 192.168.0.100
• WNAP210v2. 192.168.0.236
A login window opens.
7. Enter the user name and password.
The user name is admin.The default password is password.
8. Click the LOGIN button.
The General page displays.
Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
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Business Central Wireless Manager 2.1 Application
If the access point runs firmware version 3.0.x.x or a later version but a version earlier than version
3.5.5.0, you must disable the cloud mode bef ore you can upg rade the firmware. (This requirement does
not apply to the WAC720 and WAC730 access points.)
If the access point provides a full web management interface, go to Step 10.
9. To disable the cloud mode and log back in to the access point, do the following:
a. On the General Page, next to Cloud Enabled, select the No radio button.
b. Click the Apply button.
The access point restarts with factory default settings but retains its IP configuration and management
VLAN.
c. Open a browser on your computer.
d. In the address bar, enter the IP address that is assigned to the access point.
e. Enter the user name and password.
The user name is admin.The default password is password.
f. Click the LOGIN button.
The General page displays.The access point now provides a full web management interface.
10. Select Maintenance > Upgrade.
11. Click the Browse button, navigate to the firmware file on your computer, and select the firmware file.
The firmware displays to the right of the Browse button.
12. Click the APPLY button.
WARNING:
T o a v oid the risk of corrupting the firmware, do not interrupt the upgrade. For
example, do not close the browser, click a link, or load a new page. Do not
turn off the access point.Wait until the access point finishes restarting.
A progress bar might show the progress of the firmware upload process.The firmware upload process
takes several minutes.When the upload is complete, the access point restarts.
You now must log back in to the access point, might need to specify a new password, and must reset
the access point to factory default settings (see the following steps).
Prepare Your Access Points, Subscribe, and Get Started
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