Configuring Cisco Wireless Using the IOS

The router and the AP configuration through the CLI are not much different. Here, in Table, are some of the minimum commands needed for configuring a wireless card in a router:

hostname

Sets the name for the device

interface interface
Takes you to interface mode

ip address
Sets an IP address on an interface

no shutdown
Enables an interface

ssid ssid
Sets an SSID on a radio

guest-mode
Broadcasts the SSID on the BSS

authentication-open
Sets the authentication to open

infrastructuire-ssid
Tells the BSS clients that the wired network can be reached through this SSID

line con 0
Chooses the console line


password password
Sets a password on a line

logging synchronous

Stops the console messages from overwriting what you are typing

line vty first_line_number last_line _number
Chooses the Telnet or SSH line numbers

ip dhcp pool pool_name
Creates a DHCP pool

network network mask
Creates a pool of addresses used by the DHCP pool

default-router
Sets the default gateway for the DHCP service to advertise

ip dhcp excluded-address ip_address
Lists addresses that the DHCP will not hand out to DHCP clients

copy running-config startup-config
Saves the running-config to NVRAM



I’ll start by showing how to configure an 871W router with an 802.11b/g radio:


Router>en
Router#config t
Router(config)#hostname 871W
871W(config)#int vlan 1
871W(config-if)#ip address 10.1.11.2 255.255.255.0
871W(config-if)#no shut
871W(config-if)#int dot11radio 0
871W(config-if)#ip address 10.1.12.1 255.255.255.0
871W(config-if)#no shut
871W(config-if)#ssid R3WLAN
871W(config-if-ssid)#guest-mode
871W(config-if-ssid)#authentication open
871W(config-if-ssid)#infrastructure-ssid
871W(config-if-ssid)#line con 0
871W(config-line)#password console
871W(config-line)#login
871W(config-line)#logging sync
871W(config-line)#exec-timeout 0 0
871W(config-line)#exit
871W(config)#line vty 0 ?
<1-4>  Last Line number
871W(config)#line vty 0 4
871W(config-line)#password telnet
871W(config-line)#login
871W(config-line)#ip dhcp pool R3WLAN
871W(dhcp-config)#network 10.1.12.0 255.255.255.0
871W(dhcp-config)#default-router 10.1.12.1
871W(dhcp-config)#exit
871W(config)#ip dhcp excluded-address 10.1.12.1
871W(config)#exit
871W#copy run start
Destination filename [startup-config]?[enter]
Building configuration...
[OK]
871W#

The 871W I configured has a four-port switch, which means you have to place the IP address under the management VLAN interface. You just can’t get away with simply putting IP addresses on layer-2 switch interfaces.


AP Configuration

Configuring the AP is a bit different because it’s an access point (again, think hub), not a router. I’ll configure this device from the CLI, but you can use an HTTP interface as well. The HTTP interface will be easier to use when you start adding security and when you get into some more complex configurations. Check out the output:

ap>en
Password:
ap#config t
ap(config)#hostname 1242AP
1242AP(config)#enable secret todd
242AP(config)#int dot11Radio 0
1242AP(config-if)#description CORPWLAN
1242AP(config-if)#no shutdown
1242AP(config-if)#ssid CORPWLAN
1242AP(config-if-ssid)#guest-mode
1242AP(config-if-ssid)#authentication open
1242AP(config-if-ssid)#infrastructure-ssid
1242AP(config-if-ssid)#exit
1242AP(config-if)#exit
1242AP(config)#line con 0
1242AP(config-line)#password console
1242AP(config-line)#login
1242AP(config-line)#logging synchronous
1242AP(config-line)#exec-timeout 0 0
1242AP(config-line)#exit
1242AP(config)#line vty 0 ?
  <1-15>  Last Line number
1242AP(config)#line vty 0 15
1242AP(config-line)#password telnet
1242AP(config-line)#login
1242AP(config-line)#int bvi 1
1242AP(config-if)#ip address 10.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
1242AP(config-if)#no shut
1242AP(config-if)#exit
1242AP(config)#ip default-gateway 10.1.1.1
1242AP(config)#ip dhcp pool CORPWLAN
1242AP(dhcp-config)#network 10.1.1.0 255.255.255.0
1242AP(dhcp-config)#default-router 10.1.1.1
1242AP(dhcp-config)#exit
1242AP(config)#ip dhcp excluded-address 10.1.1.1
1242AP(config)#ip dhcp excluded-address 10.1.1.2
1242AP(config)#no ip domain-lookup
1242AP(config)#^Z
1242AP#copy run start
Destination filename [startup-config]?[enter]
Building configuration...
[OK]
1242AP#

Even though the SSID configuration is the same as it is for the routed radio interface, notice there’s no IP address under the Dot11radio 0 interface. Why? It’s not a routed port, so the IP address is instead placed under the bridge virtual interface (BVI). I also set a default gateway so this device can be managed from outside the LAN.


See Also:




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