Wireless Access

Hi guys,

i need to install two APs in our HK office temporary. These two APs will be terminated back to our U.S controller. In such case, APs will be broadcasting in the U.S wireless regulation. Anyway we can make these two radio to different regulation? Where can i find all the wireless regulations? curios to know what are the difference.

Thank you

From what I have been told, terminating APs located in other parts of the world on a controller in the US is illegal. I don't understand the full details about it (someone from Aruba can probably give you the details). What you have to do is have a controller outside of the US terminate those APs. The controller could even be located in Canada. You might want to discuss this with your local Aruba SE.

Hello,

Please take a look at the Virtual Branch Networks Validated Reference Design Guide from Aruba. http://arubanetworks.com/pdf/technology/VBN_VRD.pdf

Check out the section titled "Regulatory Compliance for International Deployments"

Looks like you will need a 'Rest of the World' or RoW controller for APs to conect from outside of the US. US controllers are limited to assign the US regulatory Domain.

I am not sure however if you can run a RoW controller inside the US which only has APs connecting from outside the US, or if you need to host your controller outside the US and then tunnel traffic back another way.

theww! i am glad i ahven't done anything yet. 

Just adding a bit to ElisaZ's post...

The FCC says (in Section 15.202 of the Radio Service Rules) that you cannot configure an AP to operate outside of the US regulatory domains with a controller that resides inside the US.  When you purchase a controller for use in the US, you cannot even configure a regulatory domain other than US.  Israel is the only other country that has such restrictions to date.

So, if your controller is in the US, it's locked to the US regulatory domain.  In order to manange RAPs in the Chinese regulatory domain, you'd need a RoW controller and, legally, it needs to be installed outside of the US.  Alternatively, you could connect the RAPs to your US controller and use US frequencies and power in Hong Kong. 

Technically, you're then breaking Chinese regulations and law.  The Chinese regulatory domain only uses a fraction of the 5GHz channels, uses more 2.4GHz channels, and their power reguations are all different from the US.  I really don't recommend doing that.

At the end, its all about regulation and laws. I try to search for all those regulations. But no solid information return from google. Where do you guys find all these all these information?

This document references the FCC regulation:

https://apps.fcc.gov/eas/comments/GetPublishedDocument.html?id=205&tn=511416

Thanks Mike!

If i configure the AP as instand ap, that way it's working alone like a controller in foreign country. That should not be violating any rule?

As long as you're using China's regulatory domain on the instant AP, you should be fine.

Is it legal to provision them as RAPs but in the AP group make sure the radio profiles abides by Chinese Law?

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@Srynearson wrote:

Is it legal to provision them as RAPs but in the AP group make sure the radio profiles abides by Chinese Law?

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To copy what was posted before:

"You cannot configure an AP to operate outside of the US regulatory domains with a controller that resides inside the US.  When you purchase a controller for use in the US, you cannot even configure a regulatory domain other than US."

I read what was posted before. I am suggesting configuring the AP group so it meets both regulatory restrictions by manually selecting specific channels of operation and output power so as the resulting AP abides by US and Chinese regulator domains.

The AP will still be “using” US regulatory domain but limited so that it also meets Chinese restrictions.

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@Srynearson wrote:

I read what was posted before. I am suggesting configuring the AP group so it meets both regulatory restrictions by manually selecting specific channels of operation and output power so as the resulting AP abides by US and Chinese regulator domains.

 

The AP will still be “using” US regulatory domain but limited so that it also meets Chinese restrictions.

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The answer would be no.  This has come up time and time again.  You simply cannot have a U.S.-based Aruba controller configure a device that is not on American Soil.