Zyxel NWA5123-AC, WAC6502D-E, WAC6553D-E, WAC6552D-S, WAC6503D-S User Manual

User’s Guide

NWA/WAC Series

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Unified Access Point

Default Login Details

Version 5.40 Edition 1, 12/2018

LAN IP Address

DHCP-assigned

OR

http://192.168.1.2

User Name

admin

Password

1234

Copyright © 2018 Zyxel Communications Corporation

IMPORTANT!

READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USE.

KEEP THIS GUIDE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

This is a User’s Guide for a series of products. Not all products support all firmware features. Screenshots and graphics in this book may differ slightly from your product due to differences in your product firmware or your computer operating system. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate.

Related Documentation

•Quick Start Guide

The Quick Start Guide shows how to connect the NWA/WAC and access the Web Configurator.

•CLI Reference Guide

The CLI Reference Guide explains how to use the Command-Line Interface (CLI) and CLI commands to configure the NWA/WAC.

Note: It is recommended you use the Web Configurator to configure the NWA/WAC.

•Web Configurator Online Help

Click the help icon in any screen for help in configuring that screen and supplementary information.

•More Information

Go to support.zyxel.com to find other information on the NWA/WAC.

NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

2

Document Conventions

Warnings and Notes

These are how warnings and notes are shown in this guide.

Warnings tell you about things that could harm you or your device.

Note: Notes tell you other important information (for example, other things you may need to configure or helpful tips) or recommendations.

Syntax Conventions

•All models in this series may be referred to as the “NWA/WAC” in this guide.

•Product labels, screen names, field labels and field choices are all in bold font.

•A right angle bracket ( > ) within a screen name denotes a mouse click. For example, Configuration > Network > IP Setting means you first click Configuration in the navigation panel, then the Network sub menu and finally the IP Setting tab to get to that screen.

Icons Used in Figures

Figures in this guide may use the following generic icons. The NWA/WAC icon is not an exact representation of your device.

NWA/WAC

Router

Switch

Internet

Server

Desktop

Laptop

AP Controller

NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

3

	Contents Overview
	Contents Overview
User’s Guide .....................................................................................................................................	12
Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................	13
The Web Configurator .........................................................................................................................	30
Setup Wizard .........................................................................................................................................	42
Technical Reference .......................................................................................................................	48
Dashboard ............................................................................................................................................	49
Monitor ...................................................................................................................................................	55
Network ..................................................................................................................................................	70
Wireless ...................................................................................................................................................	80
Bluetooth ...............................................................................................................................................	93
User .........................................................................................................................................................	96
AP Profile ..............................................................................................................................................	103
MON Profile .........................................................................................................................................	123
WDS Profile ...........................................................................................................................................	127
Certificates ..........................................................................................................................................	129
System ..................................................................................................................................................	145
Log and Report ...................................................................................................................................	170
File Manager .......................................................................................................................................	182
Diagnostics ..........................................................................................................................................	193
LEDs ......................................................................................................................................................	195
Antenna Switch ..................................................................................................................................	197
Reboot .................................................................................................................................................	199
Shutdown .............................................................................................................................................	200
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................................	201

NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

4

Table of Contents
	Table of Contents
Document Conventions .....................................................................................................................	3
Contents Overview ............................................................................................................................	4
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................	5
Part I: User’s Guide..........................................................................................	12
Chapter 1
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................	13
1.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................	13
1.1.1 Management Mode .............................................................................................................	15
1.1.2 MBSSID ....................................................................................................................................	17
1.1.3 Dual-Radio .............................................................................................................................	18
1.1.4 Root AP ...................................................................................................................................	19
1.1.5 Repeater ................................................................................................................................	20
1.2 Ways to Manage the NWA/WAC .................................................................................................	21
1.3 Good Habits for Managing the NWA/WAC ................................................................................	21
1.4 LEDs ..................................................................................................................................................	21
1.4.1 WAC6502D-E, WAC6502D-S, and WAC6503D-S	................................................................ 22
1.4.2 WAC6103D-I ...........................................................................................................................	23
1.4.3 NWA5123-AC .........................................................................................................................	25
1.4.4 WAC5302D-S ..........................................................................................................................	25
1.4.5 NWA5123-AC HD and WAC6303D-S ...................................................................................	27
1.5 Starting and Stopping the NWA/WAC .........................................................................................	28
1.6 Grounding (WAC6552D-S and WAC6553D-E) .............................................................................	28
Chapter 2
The Web Configurator.......................................................................................................................	30
2.1 Overview .........................................................................................................................................	30
2.2 Accessing the Web Configurator .................................................................................................	30
2.3 Navigating the Web Configurator ...............................................................................................	32
2.3.1 Title Bar ...................................................................................................................................	33
2.3.2 Navigation Panel ..................................................................................................................	36
2.3.3 Warning Messages ................................................................................................................	39
2.3.4 Tables and Lists ......................................................................................................................	39
Chapter 3
Setup Wizard......................................................................................................................................	42
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	Table of Contents
3.1	Accessing the Wizard .....................................................................................................................	42
3.2	Using the Wizard .............................................................................................................................	42
	3.2.1 Step 1 Time Settings ..............................................................................................................	42
	3.2.2 Step 2 Password and Uplink Connection ...........................................................................	43
	3.2.3 Step 3 Radio .........................................................................................................................	44
	3.2.4 Step 4 SSID .............................................................................................................................	45
	3.2.5 Summary ...............................................................................................................................	47
Part II: Technical Reference...........................................................................		48
Chapter 4
Dashboard.........................................................................................................................................		49
4.1	Overview .........................................................................................................................................	49
	4.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter .......................................................................................	49
4.2 Dashboard ......................................................................................................................................		49
	4.2.1 CPU Usage .............................................................................................................................	52
	4.2.2 Memory Usage ......................................................................................................................	53
Chapter 5
Monitor ...............................................................................................................................................		55
5.1	Overview .........................................................................................................................................	55
	5.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter .......................................................................................	55
5.2 What You Need to Know ...............................................................................................................		55
5.3	Network Status ................................................................................................................................	56
	5.3.1 Port Statistics Graph ..............................................................................................................	57
5.4	Radio List ........................................................................................................................................	58
	5.4.1 AP Mode Radio Information ................................................................................................	60
5.5	Station List .......................................................................................................................................	62
5.6	WDS Link Info ...................................................................................................................................	63
5.7 Detected Device ...........................................................................................................................		64
5.8 View Log ..........................................................................................................................................		67
Chapter 6
Network..............................................................................................................................................		70
6.1	Overview .........................................................................................................................................	70
	6.1.1 Management Mode .............................................................................................................	70
	6.1.2 What You Can Do in this Chapter .......................................................................................	72
6.2	IP Setting .........................................................................................................................................	73
6.3 VLAN ................................................................................................................................................		74
6.4	AC (AP Controller) Discovery ........................................................................................................	77
6.5 NCC Discovery ................................................................................................................................		78
	NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

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Table of Contents
Chapter 7
Wireless ..............................................................................................................................................	80
7.1 Overview .........................................................................................................................................	80
7.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter .......................................................................................	80
7.1.2 What You Need to Know .....................................................................................................	81
7.2 AP Management ............................................................................................................................	81
7.3 Rogue AP .........................................................................................................................................	84
7.3.1 Add/Edit Rogue/Friendly List ................................................................................................	86
7.4 Load Balancing ..............................................................................................................................	87
7.4.1 Disassociating and Delaying Connections ........................................................................	89
7.5 DCS ..................................................................................................................................................	90
7.6 Technical Reference ......................................................................................................................	90
Chapter 8
Bluetooth............................................................................................................................................	93
8.1 Overview .........................................................................................................................................	93
8.1.1 What You Need To Know .....................................................................................................	93
8.2 Bluetooth Advertising Settings .......................................................................................................	93
8.2.1 Edit Advertising Settings .......................................................................................................	94
Chapter 9
User.....................................................................................................................................................	96
9.1 Overview .........................................................................................................................................	96
9.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter .......................................................................................	96
9.1.2 What You Need To Know .....................................................................................................	96
9.2 User Summary ..................................................................................................................................	97
9.2.1 Add/Edit User .........................................................................................................................	97
9.3 Setting .............................................................................................................................................	99
9.3.1 Edit User Authentication Timeout Settings ........................................................................	101
Chapter 10
AP Profile..........................................................................................................................................	103
10.1 Overview .....................................................................................................................................	103
10.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................	103
10.1.2 What You Need To Know .................................................................................................	103
10.2 Radio ............................................................................................................................................	104
10.2.1 Add/Edit Radio Profile ......................................................................................................	105
10.3 SSID ..............................................................................................................................................	110
10.3.1 SSID List ...............................................................................................................................	110
10.3.2 Add/Edit SSID Profile .........................................................................................................	111
10.4 Security List ..................................................................................................................................	114
10.4.1 Add/Edit Security Profile ...................................................................................................	115
10.5 MAC Filter List ..............................................................................................................................	119
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	Table of Contents
10.5.1 Add/Edit MAC Filter Profile ...............................................................................................		119
10.6	Layer-2 Isolation List ....................................................................................................................	120
10.6.1 Add/Edit Layer-2 Isolation Profile ....................................................................................		122
Chapter 11
MON Profile......................................................................................................................................		123
11.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	123
11.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		123
11.2	MON Profile .................................................................................................................................	123
11.2.1 Add/Edit MON Profile .......................................................................................................		124
11.3	Technical Reference ..................................................................................................................	125
Chapter 12
WDS Profile .......................................................................................................................................		127
12.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	127
12.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		127
12.2	WDS Profile ...................................................................................................................................	127
12.2.1 Add/Edit WDS Profile ........................................................................................................		128
Chapter 13
Certificates ......................................................................................................................................		129
13.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	129
13.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		129
13.1.2 What You Need to Know .................................................................................................		129
13.1.3 Verifying a Certificate ......................................................................................................		131
13.2	My Certificates ...........................................................................................................................	132
13.2.1 Add My Certificates ..........................................................................................................		133
13.2.2 Edit My Certificates ...........................................................................................................		135
13.2.3 Import Certificates ...........................................................................................................		138
13.3	Trusted Certificates .....................................................................................................................	139
13.3.1 Edit Trusted Certificates ....................................................................................................		140
13.3.2 Import Trusted Certificates ...............................................................................................		143
13.4	Technical Reference ..................................................................................................................	144
Chapter 14
System..............................................................................................................................................		145
14.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	145
14.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		145
14.2 Host Name ...................................................................................................................................		145
14.3 Date and Time ...........................................................................................................................		146
14.3.1 Pre-defined NTP Time Servers List .....................................................................................		149
14.3.2 Time Server Synchronization ............................................................................................		149
14.4 WWW Overview ..........................................................................................................................		150
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	Table of Contents
14.4.1 Service Access Limitations ...............................................................................................		150
14.4.2 System Timeout ..................................................................................................................		150
14.4.3 HTTPS ...................................................................................................................................		151
14.4.4 Configuring WWW Service Control .................................................................................		151
14.4.5 HTTPS Example ...................................................................................................................		152
14.5	SSH .............................................................................................................................................	160
14.5.1 How SSH Works ..................................................................................................................		160
14.5.2 SSH Implementation on the NWA/WAC .........................................................................		161
14.5.3 Requirements for Using SSH ..............................................................................................		162
14.5.4 Configuring SSH .................................................................................................................		162
14.5.5 Examples of Secure Telnet Using SSH ..............................................................................		162
14.6	Telnet ...........................................................................................................................................	164
14.7	FTP ................................................................................................................................................	164
14.8 SNMP ...........................................................................................................................................		165
14.8.1 Supported MIBs .................................................................................................................		166
14.8.2 SNMP Traps .........................................................................................................................		167
14.8.3 Configuring SNMP .............................................................................................................		167
14.8.4 Adding or Editing an SNMPv3 User Profile ......................................................................		168
Chapter 15
Log and Report................................................................................................................................		170
15.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	170
15.1.1 What You Can Do In this Chapter ...................................................................................		170
15.2	Email Daily Report .......................................................................................................................	170
15.3	Log Setting ..................................................................................................................................	172
15.3.1 Log Setting Screen ............................................................................................................		173
15.3.2 Edit System Log Settings ..................................................................................................		174
15.3.3 Edit Remote Server ...........................................................................................................		178
15.3.4 Active Log Summary .......................................................................................................		179
Chapter 16
File Manager ...................................................................................................................................		182
16.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	182
16.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		182
16.1.2 What you Need to Know ..................................................................................................		182
16.2	Configuration File .......................................................................................................................	183
16.2.1 Example of Configuration File Download Using FTP ......................................................		187
16.3 Firmware Package ....................................................................................................................		188
16.3.1 Example of Firmware Upload Using FTP ..........................................................................		189
16.4	Shell Script ...................................................................................................................................	190
Chapter 17
Diagnostics ......................................................................................................................................		193
	NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

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	Table of Contents
17.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	193
17.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		193
17.2	Diagnostics ..................................................................................................................................	193
Chapter 18
LEDs ..................................................................................................................................................		195
18.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	195
18.1.1 What You Can Do in this Chapter ...................................................................................		195
18.2	Suppression Screen ..................................................................................................................	195
18.3	Locator Screen ..........................................................................................................................	196
Chapter 19
Antenna Switch ...............................................................................................................................		197
19.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	197
19.1.1 What You Need To Know .................................................................................................		197
19.2	Antenna Switch Screen .............................................................................................................	197
Chapter 20
Reboot..............................................................................................................................................		199
20.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	199
20.1.1 What You Need To Know .................................................................................................		199
20.2	Reboot .........................................................................................................................................	199
Chapter 21
Shutdown .........................................................................................................................................		200
21.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	200
21.1.1 What You Need To Know .................................................................................................		200
21.2 Shutdown .....................................................................................................................................		200
Chapter 22
Troubleshooting...............................................................................................................................		201
22.1	Overview .....................................................................................................................................	201
22.2 Power, Hardware Connections, and LED ................................................................................		201
22.3 NWA/WAC Access and Login ...................................................................................................		202
22.4	Internet Access ...........................................................................................................................	203
22.5	Wireless Connections .................................................................................................................	204
22.6 Resetting the NWA/WAC ...........................................................................................................		209
22.7	Getting More Troubleshooting Help .........................................................................................	210
Appendix A Importing Certificates ...............................................................................................		211
Appendix B IPv6...............................................................................................................................		224
Appendix C Customer Support .....................................................................................................		232
	NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

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	Table of Contents
Appendix D Legal Information	...................................................................................................... 238
Index ................................................................................................................................................	249

NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

11

PART I

User’s Guide

12

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 Overview

This User’s Guide covers the following models: NWA5123-AC, NWA5123-AC HD, WAC5302D-S, WAC6103D-I, WAC6303D-S, WAC6502D-E, WAC6502D-S, WAC6503D-S, WAC6552D-S, and WAC6553D-E. Your NWA/WAC is a wireless AP (Access Point). It extends the range of your existing wired network without additional wiring, providing easy network access to mobile users.

Note: You can only update the firmware to version 5.10 on the NWA5121-N, NWA5121-NI, NWA5123-NI and NWA5301-NJ, but these APs can still be managed by the Zyxel NXC running with firmware v5.20 or later. See the NWA/WAC series User’s Guide v5.10 for their features and configurations.

Table 1 NWA5000/WAC5000/WAC6000 Series Comparison Table

	FEATURES	NWA5123-AC	NWA5123-AC	WAC5302D-S	WAC6103D-I	WAC6303D-S
			HD
	Supported Wireless	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a
	Standards	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b
		IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g
		IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n
		IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac
	Supported Frequency	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz
	Bands	5 GHz	5 GHz	5 GHz	5 GHz	5 GHz
	Available Security	None	None	None	None	None
	Modes	WEP	WEP	WEP	WEP	WEP
		WPA2	WPA2	WPA2	WPA2	WPA2
		WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX
		WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK
		WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX
	Number of SSID Profiles	64	64	64	64	64
	Number of Wireless	2	2	2	2	2
	Radios
	Monitor Mode & Rogue	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
	APs Containment
	Rogue APs Detection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	WDS (Wireless	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
	Distribution System) -
	Root AP & Repeater
	Modes
	Tunnel Forwarding	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Mode
	Layer-2 Isolation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Power Detection	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
	External Antennas	No	No	No	No	No
	Internal Antennas	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Table 1 NWA5000/WAC5000/WAC6000 Series Comparison Table

	FEATURES	NWA5123-AC	NWA5123-AC	WAC5302D-S	WAC6103D-I	WAC6303D-S
			HD
	Antenna Switch	No	No	No	Yes	No
	LED Locator	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
	CAPWAP Management	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Mode
	AC (AP Controller)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Discovery
	Tri-Mode	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
	NCC Discovery	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
	802.11r Fast Roaming	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Support in Managed AP
	Mode
	802.11k/v Assisted	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Roaming
	Bluetooth Low Energy	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
	(BLE)
	Maximum number of log	512 event logs	512 event logs	256 event logs	512 event logs	512 event logs
	messages	or 1024 debug	or 1024 debug	or 1 debug logs	or 1024 debug	or 1024 debug
		logs	logs		logs	logs
	Table 2 WAC6500 Series Comparison Table
	FEATURES	WAC6502D-E	WAC6502D-S	WAC6503D-S	WAC6552D-S	WAC6553D-E
	Supported Wireless	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a	IEEE 802.11a
	Standards	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b	IEEE 802.11b
		IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g	IEEE 802.11g
		IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n	IEEE 802.11n
		IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac	IEEE 802.11ac
	Supported Frequency	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz
	Bands	5 GHz	5 GHz	5 GHz	5 GHz	5 GHz
	Available Security	None	None	None	None	None
	Modes	WEP	WEP	WEP	WEP	WEP
		WPA2	WPA2	WPA2	WPA2	WPA2
		WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX	WPA2-MIX
		WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK	WPA2-PSK
		WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX	WPA2-PSK-MIX
	Number of SSID Profiles	64	64	64	64	64
	Number of Wireless	2	2	2	2	2
	Radios
	Monitor Mode & Rogue	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	APs Containment
	Rogue APs Detection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	WDS (Wireless	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Distribution System) -
	Root AP & Repeater
	Modes
	Tunnel Forwarding	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Mode
	Layer-2 Isolation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Power Detection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	External Antennas	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
	Internal Antennas	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Table 2 WAC6500 Series Comparison Table

FEATURES	WAC6502D-E	WAC6502D-S	WAC6503D-S	WAC6552D-S	WAC6553D-E
Antenna Switch	No	No	No	No	No
LED Locator	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
CAPWAP Management	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mode
AC (AP Controller)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Discovery
Tri-Mode	No	No	No	No	No
NCC Discovery	No	No	No	No	No
802.11r Fast Roaming	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Support in Managed AP
Mode
802.11k/v Assisted	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Roaming
Bluetooth Low Energy	No	No	No	No	No
(BLE)
Maximum number of		512 event logs or 1024 debug logs
log messages

You can set the NWA/WAC to operate in either standalone AP or CAPWAP management mode. When the NWA/WAC is in standalone AP mode, it can serve as a normal AP, as an RF monitor to search for rouge APs to help eliminate network threats (if it supports monitor mode and rogue APs detection/ containment), or even as a root AP or a wireless repeater to establish wireless links with other APs in a WDS (Wireless Distribution System). A WDS is a wireless connection between two or more APs.

Your NWA/WAC’s business-class reliability, SMB features, and centralized wireless management make it ideally suited for advanced service delivery in mission-critical networks. It uses Multiple BSSID and VLAN to provide simultaneous independent virtual APs. Additionally, innovations in roaming technology and QoS features eliminate voice call disruptions.

The NWA/WAC controls network access with Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering, and rogue Access Point (AP) detection. It also provides a high level of network traffic security, supporting IEEE 802.1x, Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption.

Your NWA/WAC is easy to install, configure and use. The embedded Web-based configurator enables simple, straightforward management and maintenance. See the Quick Start Guide for how to make hardware connections.

1.1.1 Management Mode

The NWA/WAC is a unified AP and can work either in standalone AP mode or in CAPWAP management mode.

CAPWAP Management

If the NWA/WAC that supports CAPWAP (see Section 6.1.1 on page 70) and a Zyxel AP controller, such as the NXC2500 or NXC5500, are in the same subnet, it will be managed by the controller automatically.

An AP controller uses Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP, see RFC 5415) to discover and configure multiple managed APs.

NWA / WAC Series User’s Guide

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Chapter 1 Introduction

To set the NWA/WAC to be managed by an AP controller in a different subnet or change between management modes, use the AC (AP Controller) Discovery screen (see Section 6.4 on page 77).

Table 3 NWA/WAC Management Mode Comparison

MANAGEMENT MODE	DEFAULT IP ADDRESS	UPLOAD FIRMWARE VIA
Standalone AP	Dynamic or	Built-in Web Configurator or FTP
	Static (192.168.1.2)
CAPWAP Management	Dynamic	AP Controller using CAPWAP, or FTP

When the NWA/WAC is in standalone AP mode and connects to a DHCP server, it uses the IP address assigned by the DHCP server. Otherwise, the NWA/WAC uses the default static management IP address (192.168.1.2). You can use the AC Discovery screen to have the NWA/WAC work as a CAPWAP managed AP.

When the NWA/WAC is in CAPWAP management mode, it acts as a DHCP client and obtains an IP address from the AP controller. It can be configured ONLY by the AP controller. To change the NWA/ WAC back to standalone AP mode, use the Reset button to restore the default configuration. Alternatively, you need to check the AP controller for the NWA/WAC’s IP address and use FTP to upload the default configuration file at conf/system-default.conf to the NWA/WAC and reboot the device.

Tri-Mode

The NWA/WAC that supports tri-mode runs in flex mode by default. It can be set to work in standalone AP mode, CAPWAP management mode or Nebula cloud management mode.

•Flex mode: The default mode with AC discovery and/or NCC discovery enabled. Before connecting to an AP controller or registering with NCC, the NWA/WAC is acting as a regular AP.

•Standalone AP mode: Similar to flex mode but AC discovery and NCC discovery are disabled. The NWA/WAC can only be configured using its built-in web configurator.

•CAPWAP management mode: AC discovery is enabled, and the NWA/WAC is connected to and managed by an AP controller.

•Cloud management mode: NCC discovery is enabled, and the NWA/WAC is registered to an organization/site at the NCC.

Note: When the NWA/WAC is being managed by a Zyxel AP controller (the NXC), you can use the Nebula button from the NXC web configurator to change the NWA/WAC to cloud management mode immediately.

Note: It is highly recommended that you register the NWA/WAC with the NCC before pressing the Nebula button to change its management mode.

To turn the NWA/WAC back to flex mode,

•When the NWA/WAC is in standalone AP mode, log into its web configurator and turn on AC and/or NCC discovery or use the reset button to reset the NWA/WAC to its factory default settings.

•When the NWA/WAC is in CAPWAP management mode, use the reset button to reset the NWA/WAC to its factory default settings.

•When the NWA/WAC is in cloud management mode, unregister the NWA/WAC to remove it from the NCC organization/site.

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Note: If the NWA/WAC is set to cloud management mode using the Nebula button from the connected NXC’s web configurator, the NWA/WAC will always stay in this mode even though it is not registered with the NCC. To switch the NWA/WAC from cloud management mode to flex mode, you need to register and then unregister it from the NCC or press the NWA/WAC’s reset button to restore the default configuration.

	Flex Mode		AC/NCC Discovery Disabled
	Reset to Default
	Received Response		AC/NCC	Standalone
			Discovery Enabled
				AP Mode
CAPWAP	to AC Discovery
Management		Connected to Internet
Mode	Unregistered
		Registered with NCC
	from NCC
	or Reset

Mode change	Cloud
via Web GUI
	Management
	Mode

1.1.2 MBSSID

A Basic Service Set (BSS) is the set of devices forming a single wireless network (usually an access point and one or more wireless clients). The Service Set IDentifier (SSID) is the name of a BSS. In Multiple BSS (MBSSID) mode, the NWA/WAC provides multiple virtual APs, each forming its own BSS and using its own individual SSID profile.

You can configure multiple SSID profiles, and have all of them active at any one time.

You can assign different wireless and security settings to each SSID profile. This allows you to compartmentalize groups of users, set varying access privileges, and prioritize network traffic to and from certain BSSs.

To the wireless clients in the network, each SSID appears to be a different access point. As in any wireless network, clients can associate only with the SSIDs for which they have the correct security settings.

For example, you might want to set up a wireless network in your office where Internet telephony (VoIP) users have priority. You also want a regular wireless network for standard users, as well as a ‘guest’ wireless network for visitors. In the following figure, VoIP_SSID users have QoS priority, SSID01 is the wireless network for standard users, and Guest_SSID is the wireless network for guest users. In this example, the guest user is forbidden access to the wired Land Area Network (LAN) behind the AP and can access only the Internet.

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Figure 1 Multiple BSSs

1.1.3 Dual-Radio

Some of the NWA/WAC models are equipped with dual wireless radios. This means you can configure two different wireless networks to operate simultaneously.

Note: A different channel should be configured for each WLAN interface to reduce the effects of radio interference.

You could use the 2.4 GHz band for regular Internet surfing and downloading while using the 5 GHz band for time sensitive traffic like high-definition video, music, and gaming.

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Figure 2 Dual-Radio Application

1.1.4 Root AP

In Root AP mode, the NWA/WAC (Z) can act as the root AP in a wireless network and also allow repeaters (X and Y) to extend the range of its wireless network at the same time. In the figure below, both clients A, B and C can access the wired network through the root AP.

Figure 3 Root AP Application

On the NWA/WAC in Root AP mode, you can have multiple SSIDs active for regular wireless connections and one SSID for the connection with a repeater (repeater SSID). Wireless clients can use either SSID to

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associate with the NWA/WAC in Root AP mode. A repeater must use the repeater SSID to connect to the NWA/WAC in Root AP mode.

When the NWA/WAC is in Root AP mode, repeater security between the NWA/WAC and other repeater is independent of the security between the wireless clients and the AP or repeater. When repeater security is enabled, both APs and repeaters must use the same pre-shared key. See Section 7.2 on page 81 and Section 12.2 on page 127 for more details.

Unless specified, the term “security settings” refers to the traffic between the wireless clients and the AP. At the time of writing, repeater security is compatible with the NWA/WAC only.

1.1.5 Repeater

The NWA/WAC can act as a wireless network repeater to extend a root AP’s wireless network range, and also establish wireless connections with wireless clients.

Using Repeater mode, your NWA/WAC can extend the range of the WLAN. In the figure below, the NWA/WAC in Repeater mode (Z) has a wireless connection to the NWA/WAC in Root AP mode (X) which is connected to a wired network and also has a wireless connection to another NWA/WAC in Repeater mode (Y) at the same time. Z and Y act as repeaters that forward traffic between associated wireless clients and the wired LAN. Clients A and B access the AP and the wired network behind the AP through repeaters Z and Y.

Figure 4 Repeater Application

When the NWA/WAC is in Repeater mode, repeater security between the NWA/WAC and other repeater is independent of the security between the wireless clients and the AP or repeater. When repeater security is enabled, both APs and repeaters must use the same pre-shared key. See Section 7.2 on page 81 and Section 12.2 on page 127 for more details.

Once the security settings of peer sides match one another, the connection between devices is made.

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At the time of writing, repeater security is compatible with the NWA/WAC only.

1.2 Ways to Manage the NWA/WAC

You can use the following ways to manage the NWA/WAC.

Web Configurator

The Web Configurator allows easy NWA/WAC setup and management using an Internet browser. This User’s Guide provides information about the Web Configurator.

Command-Line Interface (CLI)

The CLI allows you to use text-based commands to configure the NWA/WAC. You can access it using remote management (for example, SSH or Telnet). See the Command Reference Guide for more information.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

This protocol can be used for firmware upgrades and configuration backup and restore.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

The NWA/WAC can be monitored by an SNMP manager. See the SNMP chapter in this User’s Guide.

1.3 Good Habits for Managing the NWA/WAC

Do the following things regularly to make the NWA/WAC more secure and to manage it more effectively.

•Change the password often. Use a password that’s not easy to guess and that consists of different types of characters, such as numbers and letters.

•Write down the password and put it in a safe place.

•Back up the configuration (and make sure you know how to restore it). Restoring an earlier working configuration may be useful if the device becomes unstable or even crashes. If you forget your password, you will have to reset the NWA/WAC to its factory default settings. If you backed up an earlier configuration file, you won’t have to totally re-configure the NWA/WAC; you can simply restore your last configuration.

1.4LEDs

The LEDs of your WAC6500 can be controlled by using the Suppression feature such that the LEDs stay lit (ON) or OFF after the device is ready.

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The WAC6500 also features Locator LED which allows you to see the actual location of the WAC6500 between several devices in the network.

Following are LED descriptions for the NWA/WAC series models.

1.4.1 WAC6502D-E, WAC6502D-S, and WAC6503D-S

The LEDs will stay ON when the WAC6500 Series is ready. You can change this setting in the Maintenance

> LEDs > Suppression screen.

Figure 5 WAC6500 Series LEDs

The following table describes the LEDs.

Table 4 WAC6500 Series LEDs

LED	COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
PWR/SYS	Red	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The LED blinks orange and green alternatively when the
		Off for 1s)	WAC is booting up.
	Green	On
	Green	On	The WAC is ready for use.
		Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The wireless module of the WAC is disabled or failed.
		Off for 1ss)
	Red	On	There is system error and the WAC cannot boot up, or the
			WAC suffered a system failure.
		Fast Blinking (On for	The WAC is doing firmware upgrade.
		50ms, Off for 50ms)
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The Uplink port is disconnected.
		times, Off for 3s)

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Table 4 WAC6500 Series LEDs (continued)

LED	COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
Management	Green	On	The WAC AP is managed by a controller.
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The WAC AP is searching (discovery) for a controller.
		times, Off for 3s)
		Off	The WAC AP is in standalone mode.
WLAN	Green	On	The 2.4 GHz WLAN is active.
		Off	The 2.4 GHz WLAN is not active.
WLAN	Green	On	The 5 GHz WLAN is active.
		Off	The 5 GHz WLAN is not active.
UPLINK	Amber/	On	Amber - The port is operating as a 100-Mbps connection.
	Green		Green - The port is operating as a Gigabit connection
			(1000 Mbps).
		Blinking	The WAC is sending/receiving data through the port.
		Off	The port is not connected.
LAN	Amber/	On	Amber - The port is operating as a 100-Mbps connection.
	Green		Green - The port is operating as a Gigabit connection
			(1000 Mbps).
		Blinking	The LAN port is sending/receiving data through the port.
		Off	The LAN port is not connected.
Locator	White	Blinking	The Locator is activated and will show the actual location
			of the WAC between several devices in the network.
		Off	The Locator function is off.

1.4.2 WAC6103D-I

The LEDs will stay ON when the WAC6103D-I is ready. You can change this setting in the Maintenance >

LEDs > Suppression screen.

Figure 6 WAC6103D-I LEDs

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The following table describes the LEDs.

Table 5 WAC6103D-I LEDs

LED	COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
PWR/SYS	Red	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The LED blinks orange and green alternatively when the
		Off for 1s)	NWA/WAC is booting up.
	Green	On
	Green	On	The NWA/WAC is ready for use.
		Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The wireless module of the NWA/WAC is disabled or
		Off for 1s)	failed.
	Red	On	There is system error and the NWA/WAC cannot boot up,
			or the NWA/WAC suffered a system failure.
		Fast Blinking (On for	The NWA/WAC is doing firmware upgrade.
		50ms, Off for 50ms)
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The Uplink port is disconnected.
		times, Off for 3s)
Management	Green	On	The NWA/WAC is managed by a controller.
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The NWA/WAC is searching (discovery) for a controller.
		times, Off for 3s)
		Off	The NWA/WAC is in standalone mode.
WLAN	Green	On	The antenna switch is set to “Ceiling” for the radio.
			The 2.4 GHz WLAN is active.
	Amber	On	The antenna switch is set to “Wall” for the radio.
			The 2.4 GHz WLAN is active.
		Off	The 2.4 GHz WLAN is not active.
WLAN	Green	On	The antenna switch is set to “Ceiling” for the radio.
			The 5 GHz WLAN is active.
	Amber	On	The antenna switch is set to “Wall” for the radio.
			The 5 GHz WLAN is active.
		Off	The 5 GHz WLAN is not active.
UPLINK	Amber/	On	Amber - The port is operating as a 100-Mbps connection.
	Green		Green - The port is operating as a Gigabit connection
			(1000 Mbps).
		Blinking	The NWA/WAC is sending/receiving data through the
			port.
		Off	The port is not connected.
LAN	Amber/	On	Amber - The port is operating as a 100-Mbps connection.
	Green		Green - The port is operating as a Gigabit connection
			(1000 Mbps).
		Blinking	The LAN port is sending/receiving data through the port.
		Off	The LAN port is not connected.
Locator	White	Blinking	The Locator is activated and will show the actual location
			of the NWA/WAC between several devices in the
			network.
		Off	The Locator function is off.

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1.4.3 NWA5123-AC

The following are the LED descriptions for your NWA5123-AC.

Figure 7 NWA5123-AC LED

The following are the LED descriptions for your NWA5123-AC.

Table 6 NWA5123-AC LED

COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
Amber	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The LED blinks orange and green alternatively when the NWA is booting
	Off for 1s)	up.
Green	On
Amber	Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The LED blinks orange 3 times and then green alternatively when the
	times, Off for 3s)	NWA is discovering an AP controller.
Green	On
Green	On	The NWA is ready for use and its wireless interface is activated.
	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The wireless module of the NWA is disabled or failed.
	Off for 1s)
Amber	On	The NWA failed to boot up or is experience system failure.
	Fast Blinking (On for	The NWA is undergoing firmware upgrade.
	50ms, Off for 50ms)
	Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The Uplink port is disconnected.
	times, Off for 3s)

1.4.4 WAC5302D-S

The LEDs automatically turn off when the WAC5302D-S is ready. You can press the LED ON button for one second to turn on the LEDs again. The LEDs will blink and turn off after two minutes.

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Figure 8 WAC5302D-S LEDs

The following table describes the LEDs.

Table 7 WAC5302D-S LEDs

LED	COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
PWR/SYS	Red	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The LED blinks orange and green alternatively when the
		Off for 1s)	WAC is booting up.
	Green	On
	Green	On	The WAC is ready for use.
		Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The wireless module of the WAC is disabled or failed.
		Off for 1s)
	Red	On	There is system error and the WAC cannot boot up, or the
			WAC suffered a system failure.
		Fast Blinking (On for	The WAC is doing firmware upgrade.
		50ms, Off for 50ms)
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The Uplink port is disconnected.
		times, Off for 3s)
Management	Green	On	The WAC AP is managed by a controller.
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The WAC AP is searching (discovery) for a controller.
		times, Off for 3s)
		Off	The WAC AP is in standalone mode.
UPLINK	Amber/	On	Amber - The port is operating as a 10/100-Mbps
	Green		connection.
			Green - The port is operating as a Gigabit connection
			(1000 Mbps).
		Blinking	The WAC is sending/receiving data through the port.
		Off	The port is not connected.
WLAN	Green	On	The 2.4 GHz WLAN is active.
		Off	The 2.4 GHz WLAN is not active.
WLAN	Green	On	The 5 GHz WLAN is active.
		Off	The 5 GHz WLAN is not active.

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Table 7 WAC5302D-S LEDs (continued)

LED	COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
LAN	Amber/	On	Amber - The port is operating as a 10/100-Mbps
	Green		connection.
			Green - The port is operating as a Gigabit connection
			(1000 Mbps).
		Blinking	The LAN port is sending/receiving data through the port.
		Off	The LAN port is not connected.

1.4.5 NWA5123-AC HD and WAC6303D-S

The following are the LED descriptions for your NWA/WAC.

Figure 9 NWA5123-AC HD and WAC6303D-S LED

The following are the LED descriptions for your NWA/WAC.

Table 8 NWA5123-AC HD and WAC6303D-S LED

COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
Amber	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The LED blinks orange and green alternatively when the NWA/WAC is
	Off for 1s)	booting up.
Green	On
Amber	Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The LED blinks orange 3 times and then green alternatively when the
	times, Off for 3s)	NWA/WAC is discovering an AP controller.
Green	On
Green	Slow Blinking (On for 1s,	The wireless module of the NWA/WAC is disabled or fails.
	Off for 1s)
Green	On	The NWA/WAC is ready for use, the NWA/WAC’s wireless interface is
		activated, and/or wireless clients are connected to the NWA/WAC
		when it receives power using IEEE 802.3at PoE plus (full power mode).
Amber	On	The NWA/WAC is ready for use, the NWA/WAC’s wireless interface is
		activated, and/or wireless clients are connected to the NWA/WAC
		when it receives power using 802.3af PoE (limited power mode).
Bright Blue	On	The NWA/WAC’s wireless interface is activated, but there are no wireless
		clients connected when it receives power using IEEE 802.3at PoE plus (full
		power mode).

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	Table 8 NWA5123-AC HD and WAC6303D-S LED (continued)
	COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
	White	On	The NWA/WAC’s wireless interface is activated, but there are no wireless
			clients connected when it receives power using 802.3af PoE (limited
			power mode).
	Blue	Slow Blinking (Blink for 1	The NWA/WAC is checking for an available 5GHz channel.
		time, Off for 1s)
	Red	On	The NWA/WAC failed to boot up or is experience system failure.
		Fast Blinking (On for	The NWA/WAC is undergoing firmware upgrade.
		50ms, Off for 50ms)
		Slow Blinking (Blink for 3	The Uplink port is disconnected.
		times, Off for 3s)

1.5 Starting and Stopping the NWA/WAC

Here are some of the ways to start and stop the NWA/WAC.

Always use Maintenance > Shutdown or the shutdown command before you turn off the NWA/WAC or remove the power. Not doing so can cause the firmware to become corrupt.

Table 9 Starting and Stopping the NWA/WAC

METHOD	DESCRIPTION
Turning on the power	A cold start occurs when you turn on the power to the NWA/WAC. The NWA/WAC
	powers up, checks the hardware, and starts the system processes.
Rebooting the NWA/	A warm start (without powering down and powering up again) occurs when you use the
WAC	Reboot button in the Reboot screen or when you use the reboot command. The NWA/
	WAC writes all cached data to the local storage, stops the system processes, and then
	does a warm start.
Using the RESET button	If you press the RESET button on the back of the NWA/WAC, the NWA/WAC sets the
	configuration to its default values and then reboots. See Section 22.6 on page 209 for
	more information.
Clicking Maintenance	Clicking Maintenance > Shutdown > Shutdown or using the shutdown command writes all
> Shutdown >	cached data to the local storage and stops the system processes. Wait for the device to
Shutdown or using the	shut down and then manually turn off or remove the power. It does not turn off the
shutdown command	power.
Disconnecting the	Power off occurs when you turn off the power to the NWA/WAC. The NWA/WAC simply
power	turns off. It does not stop the system processes or write cached data to local storage.

The NWA/WAC does not stop or start the system processes when you apply configuration files or run shell scripts although you may temporarily lose access to network resources.

1.6 Grounding (WAC6552D-S and WAC6553D-E)

Earth grounding helps to protect against lightning and interference functions.

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Note: Qualified service personnel must confirm that the protective earthing terminal of the building is a valid terminal.

Note: The device must be connected to earth ground to adequately ground the device and protect the operator from electrical hazards.

Note: Before connecting the ground, ensure that a qualified service person has attached an appropriate ground lug to the ground cable.

Note: The power installation must be performed by the qualified service personnel and should conform to the National Electrical Code.

1Remove one of the ground screws from the NWA/WAC’s rear panel.

2Secure a green/yellow ground cable (18 AWG or smaller) to the NWA/WAC’s rear panel using the ground screw.

3Attach the other end of the cable to the ground, either to the same ground electrode as the pole you installed the device on or to the main grounding electrode of the building.

Note: Follow your country's regulations and safety instructions to electrically ground the device properly. If you are uncertain that suitable grounding is available, contact the appropriate electrical inspection authority or an electrician.

Warning! Connect the ground cable before you connect any other cables or wiring.

Figure 10 Grounding Example

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CHAPTER 2

The Web Configurator

2.1 Overview

The NWA/WAC Web Configurator allows easy management using an Internet browser. Browsers supported are:

•Firefox 36.0.1 or later

•Chrome 41.0 or later

•IE 10 or later

The recommended screen resolution is 1024 x 768 pixels and higher.

2.2Accessing the Web Configurator

1Make sure your NWA/WAC is working in standalone AP mode (see Section 1.1.1 on page 15) and hardware is properly connected. See the Quick Start Guide.

2If the NWA/WAC and your computer are not connected to a DHCP server, make sure your computer’s IP address is in the range between "192.168.1.3" and "192.168.1.254".

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