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Access network design for branch, remote, outdoor, and campus locations with HPE Aruba Networking access points and mobility controllers.
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AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

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  • 1.  AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    Posted Apr 16, 2018 04:57 PM
      |   view attached

    Re: AP-175 Mesh not working with encryption - Airheads Community

    I am having the same problem as the thread titled "AP-175 Mesh not working with encryption" with AP-275s controlled from a 7205, version 6.5.3.5.

     

    I have one mesh point and one mesh portal in one AP Group and one mesh point and one mesh portal in another AP Group.  When in the office where I set them up, the points would connect to their portals using a mesh cluster profile setup with wpa2-psk-aes using an WPA passphrase.  But when these same APs were installed downtown, the only way I have found to get the points to connect to their portals is by using a mesh cluster profile set to opensystem.

     

    My running config for my 7205 is attached.

    Attachment(s)

    txt
    STAN-Aruba7205-Ctrl-Running-Config.txt   48 KB 1 version


  • 2.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption
    Best Answer

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Apr 16, 2018 05:54 PM

    The configuration does not tell us much.

    What two devices are you trying to create a mesh with?

    Are the access points provisioned as outdoor devices?

     



  • 3.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    Posted Apr 17, 2018 06:00 AM
    @cjosephwrote:

    The configuration does not tell us much.

    What two devices are you trying to create a mesh with?

    Are the access points provisioned as outdoor devices?

     

    Bean-Outdoor-Rear - Portal
     - Baptist-Outdoor-Parking - Point
     
    DMF-Outdoor-Front - Portal
     - Church&Main-Outdoor-St - Point
     
    AP Installation Mode: Outdoor  (was Default)

     

    That seemed to do the trick.  Missed that in setup.   Much thanks.

     

    What does that mode actually do?  Why did it make the difference?



  • 4.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Apr 17, 2018 07:27 AM

    Provisioning as outdoor will limit the channels that a device can use.  If the point was not using the same channels as the portal channels, it would never form a mesh.

     

    Use the "show ap allowed-channels ap-name <name of ap>" to get an idea of this.



  • 5.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    Posted Apr 17, 2018 07:48 AM

    Okay, so the Outdoor mode helps to negotiate the channels used between the Portal and the Points.  

     

    That command does show me the Allowed Channels, per physical type of radio. 

     

    Will try to keep this in mind.  Much thanks.



  • 6.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Apr 17, 2018 11:07 AM

    What you are seeing (WPA2 working indoors and not working outdoors) should not happen. So this is same hardware indoor in staging versus outdoor deployment?

     

    The MOST common issue when doing this is the hardware outdoors needs to have the power raised. Additionally, while you can provision them as 'outdoor', the latest regulatory rules make that almost obsolete (though not completely). Where the 'outdoor' provisioning setting matters is that it defines the starting channel to scan, which with outdoor defines the starting point in the UNI3 band, which has a higher max EIRP. 

     

    You should look at raising the EIRP of the mesh portals and points unless your portals and points are very close together. I don't know how or why MPV is set in your mesh radio profile, were you instructed to set that value to 150?  

     

     



  • 7.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    Posted Apr 17, 2018 11:42 AM

    I am using the same AP-275s indoors, while I am setting them up and testing, that are deployed outdoors.    And for the most part using default settings.  

    I double checked and the MPV for an older mesh radio config was set to 150, so I changed the one I am using for these AP groups to match.  Thank you for that.

     

    What is considered "very close together" for points and portals?  They certainly are closer together in the office than when deployed outdoors downtown.



  • 8.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Apr 17, 2018 12:06 PM

    Anything under a few hundred meters will work fine with the lower power. Over say 300m though and the power needs to go up.



  • 9.  RE: AP-275 Mesh Not Working with Encryption

    Posted Apr 18, 2018 09:07 AM

     

    @jhoward2wrote:

    Anything under a few hundred meters will work fine with the lower power. Over say 300m though and the power needs to go up.


    Thanks.  So far we are only looking at about 250m as the furthest distance between a portal and point.