7363 AP Want to set up as a standalone off the controller (without the controller seeing the AP )

[angelo_de_luca]

Hi

we are a small education department with a ZD 1100 and Licensed for only 12 APs, we have aquired another 7363 AP, this cannot go onto the Controller as its not licensed, (the limit is already reached)  we want to set it up as a standalone non-managed with the same SSID as the establishment so a few devices can connect to it in a small out house room, it will be AC powered not POE, I have gone into the AP and set up manually, BUT after a few days the controller see's the non managed stanadlone AP (as number 13) and disconnects it, or disconnects and random other.

I have also made sure of disabling on the controller to "automatically allow new AP's to connect"

but still this hasnt worked, the controller still eventually see's the AP thinks it as no 13 and disconnects.


Help!

Many Thanks

[karl_lavender]

Is your controller set to block malicious SSID ?  If it sees a standalone broadcasting the same SSID as one it handles, it would consider this malicious.  I don't think the option is on by default, but it would be work checking.  As an alternative, put it on a different subnet / vlan if you can so the controller has no real contact with it.  It should allow routing, you'd just miss features like FT etc.

[angelo_de_luca]

Hi Karl

I was not aware of such a setting, not too sure where that setting is, I will dig around to find.
Yes I was thinking of putting on a different subnet, but thought I could do all fromn the same SSID so it would be seamless transition if a device was to connect to it.

thanks for useful info, and pointers.

[sid_sok]

Is the new AP on the same subnet as the controller?

The AP will try to connect to the ZD in the following order:

1. "set director ip ..."
2. DHCP Option 43
3. DNS lookup for "zonedirector"
4. L3 broadcast

Try putting the standalone AP on a different subnet, reset to factory default then configure the trunked switch port with the appropriate vlan and that should keep the AP from trying to connect to the ZD.

[michael_brado]

Another option to keep specific APs as Standalone and Not ZD-managed, is to SSH into the AP
and assign a non-existent IP address for ZoneDirector search.

set director ip 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2      (you can specify up to 2 ZD IP addresses, so use 2 bogus IPs)
reboot

Your DHCP server will likely gve them the same address after reboot, but you can
delete these AP from Configure/APs on the ZD and they won't try to reconnect again.