Best practices for access point placement

The performance of your wireless network is greatly impacted by access point location and orientation. It is important to install each access point away from obstructions and sources of interference and to ensure that the top of the access point is pointing in the general direction of its wireless clients.

Building materials used in construction will affect the radio signal penetration of the access points. For example, drywall construction permits greater wireless range than concrete block construction. Physical obstructions such as concrete pillars, steel beams, large appliances and mirrors can block or hinder wireless communications. Avoid installing access points in places where there are obstructions between sending and receiving devices.

Devices that emit radio waves such as wireless phones, microwave ovens, ZigBee, Z-Wave and WiSA devices can cause interference and potentially block wireless signals. Certain types of light fixtures can also cause interference.

Wireless coverage will vary from one residence to another. Please note that dual-band systems with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz require a higher density of access points due to lower range and coverage by 5GHz radios. This is true for all WiFi equipment manufacturers. We also recommend use of the 5GHz band whenever possible to avoid interference generated by other wireless devices, microwave ovens and neighboring wireless networks. Use of the 5GHz band also allows for wireless channel bonding for faster speeds and throughput.

NOTE: If you purchased an 802.11ac access point, the 802.11ac standard is only supported by the 5GHz radio. In this case, your 2.4GHz radio will operate at 802.11n speeds.

Where possible, use pre-made network cables rather than hand-made cables. For in-wall wiring terminated using wall jacks and patch panels, please ensure that all cable runs have been tested and certified.

How to install your Access Networks Wireless system

1. Connect either of the network ports on the front of your controller to an Ethernet switch on your wired network, and power the unit with the included AC power adapter. The controller will be assigned a DHCP IP address by your DHCP server (most likely your router). The C120 controller can be mounted on a shelf or with the included 1U rack ears.
2. Connect the wireless access points to an Ethernet switch on the same network as the controller. If your switch does not provide Power over Ethernet (POE) you will need to purchase AC power adapters or PoE injectors to power the access points. Each access point will be assigned a DHCP IP address by your DHCP server. It is not recommended that you assign static IP addresses to individual access points, however it is recommended that you assign location names to each access point for easy identification. Please refer to Page 13 for instructions regarding “How to assign location names to access points”. It may take up to 10 minutes for the access points to be automatically provisioned and firmware upgraded before they are active on your network.
3. Use an Ethernet cable to connect your computer to a network switch on the same network as the controller and wireless access points.
4. Follow the instructions in the subsequent sections of this guide in order to discover the IP address of your controller and continue. Upon completion, log in to make wireless configuration changes. All settings and access point configuration are accomplished via the controller interface, not the interface of the individual access points.

Discovering the DHCP IP address of your C120

To ensure network connectivity between the controller and your existing wired network, we configure the controller and access points to obtain an IP address by DHCP. During deployment, we recommend configuring the controller with a static LAN IP address, then configuring the router on site to forward TCP port 443 to that IP address. Since all management of the wireless network is done through the controller, the access points do not need to be configured with static IP addresses and should be left configured for DHCP. In order to log into your controller and configure a static IP address, you will first need to know its current DHCP IP address. There are several ways to find the current DHCP IP address of your controller.

1. If you have administrative access to the DHCP server for the network, you will find the controller in the list of DHCP clients. The default hostname of the controller will be “anwc”.
2. A network scanning utility such as angry IP Scanner, or LanScan for Mac computers, can be used to scan the network and list the hostnames, MAC addresses and IP addresses of active network devices. Depending on your network configuration and the network scanner you are using, device hostnames may not be listed. Furthermore, all Access Networks C120 controllers and wireless access points are configured with the same default hostname, “anwc”. The best way to determine which host is your controller is by looking up its MAC address in the scan results. The MAC address of the controller can be found on the label affixed to the underside of the unit.
3. If one of the above-mentioned options is not feasible, you may connect directly to your controller at its default IP address – 192.168.0.2. In the absence of an available DHCP server, the controller can be accessed at this IP address by configuring your computer with an IP address on the same subnet and connecting your computer directly to the controller’s Ethernet port using a standard Ethernet patch cable. This technique will only work if the controller remains disconnected from the network from the time that it is powered on until the time it is connected to your computer.

The Ethernet adapter of your computer will need to be configured with the following IP settings in order for you to successfully contact the controller:

• IP address: 192.168.0.3
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

The Default Gateway and DNS Server settings need not be configured in order to access the controller using this technique; however your computer may require these settings before allowing you to apply the configuration changes to your Ethernet adapter. If necessary, configure these additional settings as follow:

• Default Gateway: 192.168.0.254
• DNS Server: 8.8.8.8

Once your Ethernet adapter has been configured as indicated above, please open Chrome, Firefox or Safari and type https://192.168.0.2 into the address bar.

NOTE: Internet Explorer is often problematic and is not recommended.

C120 Setup Wizard

Language

• Select your preferred display language from the drop-down box and select Next.

General

• Enter a system name. We suggest that you use the format “MyCompany-Client”.
• Leave the country code at the default value of “United States”.
• Do not check “Enable Mesh”.
• Select Next.

NOTE: Mesh is not recommended for most projects and should only be used as a last resort when it is not possible to run a network cable to an access point’s location. Specifically, all control systems are sensitive to network latency that is created by mesh networks. Please contact us before enabling Mesh.

IP setting

• Select the “IPv4″ and “Manual” radio buttons; then enter your desired IP settings. Note: By default, the controller will obtain an IP address via DHCP. For most installations the Netmask, Gateway and Primary DNS Server settings will remain the same and you will simply need to select an available IP address that is outside of the DHCP scope used on your network.
• Select Next.

Wireless LANs

• Uncheck the checkbox next to “Wireless 1 – Create your first Wireless LAN”.

NOTE: In later steps you will find three pre-configured Wireless LANs that can be modified to your client’s needs. You will have greater control over WLAN settings by creating or editing existing WLANs from the interface after the intial setup has been completed.

• Select Next.

Administrator

• Enter your desired Admin Name and Password. Please make note of this info and keep securely.
• Select Next.

NOTE: In order to be eligible for support, the System Name, Admin Name, Password and Serial Number must be provided to Access Networks at the time of support.

Confirmation

• Review the information shown and if everything is correct, select Next. If changes need to be made, select Back and make the necessary changes.

Service Terms

• Check the “Accept terms” checkbox and select Finish.

Finish

• Select the link provided, and you will be redirected as shown below.

SSL Warning

• Select OK or Add Exception when prompted by your web browser to confirm the secure connection certificate.
• Select OK or Confirm Security Exception in the new window that appears, before being redirected to the login page.
• The example below was taken from Firefox. The exact process in each web browser will be slightly different.

Log In

• Enter the Admin Name and Password that you chose at Step 5, and select Log in.

The C120 Dashboard

Once you have logged into your controller, please verify the system settings that you entered during the setup wizard and confirm that the status of all access points is listed as “Connected” after choosing “Access Points” in the sidebar.

Port forwarding

In order for Access Networks to be able to provide support, firmware updates or troubleshooting assistance, port forwarding needs to be configured in your router. Due to the numerous models and variations of routers, this is not a service offered by Access Networks. Please consult your user manual or online resources such as portforward.com for instructions regarding how to forward TCP port 443 to your controller.

Pre-configured wireless SSIDs and Passphrases

SSID	PASSPHRASE	ENCRYPTION TYPE
AV Wireless	avpassword	WPA2/AES
Data Wireless	datapassword	WPA2/AES
Guest Wireless	guestpassword	WPA2/AES

How to modify an existing SSID or Passphrases

1. Select the Wireless LANs tab from the left sidebar.
2. From the list of WLANs at the top of the page, highlight the SSID you wish to change.
3. Select the Edit link from the options above.
4. The ESSID field defines what gets broadcast, however for simplicity we recommend also setting the Name/ESSID field and Description field to the same value.
5. To change the Passphrase for the SSID, simply edit the value in the Passphrase field.
6. When you are finished making changes, select OK.

How to create a new SSID

1. Select the Wireless LANs tab from the left sidebar.
2. From the list of WLANs at the top of the page, highlight the SSID you wish to clone, which is recommended.
3. Select the Clone link from the options above.
4. The ESSID field defines what gets broadcast, however for simplicity we recommend also setting the Name/ESSID field and Description field to the same value.
5. To change the Passphrase for the SSID, simply edit the value in the Passphrase field.
6. When you are finished making changes, select OK.

NOTE: It is highly recommended that you set Encryption Options to WPA2/AES. WPA2/AES is more secure and less resource intensive than older encryption methods such as WEP or WPA.

How to delete an SSID

1. Select the Wireless LANs tab from the left sidebar.
2. From the list of WLANs at the top of the page, highlight the SSID you wish to delete.
3. Select the Delete link from the options above.

How to hide an SSID

Some devices may experience connectivity issues when connecting to a hidden SSID. If you are planning to use a hidden SSID, it is best to create the hidden SSID, then configure the wireless devices to connect to that SSID as opposed to hiding an SSID that devices are already connected to.NOTE: When configuring devices to connect to a hidden SSID, you will need to manually enter the SSID name on each device. Depending on the type of device and the number of devices you have to configure, this can be a moderately time consuming process. For this reason when configuring a hidden SSID, we suggest using a short SSID such as AV.

1. Select the Wireless LANs tab from the left sidebar.
2. From the list of WLANs at the top of the page, highlight the SSID you wish to delete.
3. Select the Edit link from the options above.
4. Scroll down and expand the Advanced Options section.
5. Check the box next to Hide SSID.
6. Select OK to save the change.

How to assign location names to access points

1. Select the Access Points tab from the left sidebar.
2. From the list of Access Points, highlight the AP you wish to configure based on MAC address.
3. Select the Configure link from the options above.
4. We recommend you use the Device Name field to indicate the location of each access point as this field is referenced in the System > All Events/Activities section.

How to back up your configuration

1. Select the Back Up tab from the left sidebar under Administer.
2. Click on the Back up button which will immediately download a backup file locally. Keep this file somewhere safe.

How to restore your configuration

1. Select the Back Up tab from the left sidebar under Administer.
2. Click on the Restore button which will prompt you to upload your backup file.
3. After uploading, you will be presented with 3 different “Restore” options. After clicking Restore the process will begin.

NOTE: If you select the “Restore everything” option, ALL current settings will be overwritten.

How to pin reset your C120

To pin reset your controller to factory default configuration, using a straightened paperclip, press and hold the RESET button for 8 – 10 seconds then release.NOTE: Pin resetting the controller will erase ALL configuration settings. Please ensure that you have a backup of your configuration before pin resetting.

How to upgrade your firmware

NOTE: All new controllers are shipped with the latest stable firmware release from Access Networks, so there is no need for an immediate firmware upgrade. Should you need to upgrade your controller’s firmware at a later date, please contact support to obtain the firmware image.

1. Select the Upgrade tab from the left sidebar under Administer.
2. Click on the Choose File button which will prompt you to upload your firmware image.
3. After uploading, you will be prompted to save a backup of your configuration. Please click OK to download.
4. You will now see your uploaded image file and the the option to upgrade. Choose Upgrade to continue.
5. You will be presented with an “Upgrade” page with a progress indicator. Once the upgrade has completed you should be redirected to the “Login” page. If not select the link provided at the end of the paragraph.