User's Manual
Table Of Contents
- 1 About this Guide
- 2 Introduction to the Access Point
- 3 Unpacking the Access Point
- 4 Configurations
- 5 Becoming Familiar With the Access Point
- 6 Network Deployment Examples
- 7 Preparing the Access Point
- 8 Deploying the Access Point
- 9 Declarations of Conformity and Regulatory Information
- Manufacturers Federal Communication Commission Declaration of Conformity Statement
- VCCI Statement for Japan
- Guidelines for Operating Cisco Aironet Access Points in Japan
- Statement 371-Power Cable and AC Adapter
- Industry Canada
- Canadian Compliance Statement
- European Community, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein
- Declaration of Conformity with regard to the R&TTE Directive 1999/5/EC & Medical Directive 93/42/EEC
- Declaration of Conformity for RF Exposure
- Administrative Rules for Cisco Aironet Access Points in Taiwan
- Operation of Cisco Aironet Access Points in Brazil
- Declaration of Conformity Statements
- 10 In Case of Difficulty
- 11 Cisco 90-Day Limited Hardware Warranty Terms
5
2 Introduction to the Access Point
The Cisco Aironet 1550 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point (hereafter called the access point or AP) is
a ruggedized outdoor access designed for service in mesh networks. The 1550 series leverages 802.11n
technology with integrated radio and internal/external antennas. The 1550 outdoor platform consists
of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) WLAN radios and with integrated spectrum intelligence
(Clean Air).
CleanAir provides full 11n data rates while detecting, locating, classifying and mitigating radio
frequency (RF) interference to provide the best client experience possible. CleanAir technology on the
outdoor 11n platform mitigates WiFi and non-WiFi interference on 2.4 GHz radios.
The 1550 AP series offers multi-band 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz configurations with an option to configure
access and backhaul radios. The 1550 outdoor radios are called 2.4 GHz MIMO radios and 5 GHz
MIMO radios. The radios can be configured for one or two radio operation. The 2.4 GHz radios are
used primarily for local access and the 5 GHz radios for both local access and wireless backhaul in the
Mesh mode.
The 1550 series supports the modularity of the 1520 series and allows flexibility in radio
configuration. In addition to full interoperability with 802.11n clients, the 1550 series interoperates
with legacy clients and offers enhanced backhaul performance. The 1552C access point is configured
with an integrated DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem.
The access point is a standalone unit that can be cable strand or tower mounted. The access point can
also operate as a relay node for other access points not directly connected to a wired network.
Intelligent wireless routing is provided by the Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol (AWPP). This enables
each access point to identify its neighbors and intelligently choose the optimal path to the wired
network by calculating the cost of each path in terms of signal strength and the number of hops
required to get to a controller. The access point is configured, monitored, and operated through a Cisco
wireless LAN controller (WLC), referred to as a controller in this document. The WLC is described in
the appropriate Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Configuration Guide. The Cisco Mesh Networking
Solution Deployment Guide describes how to plan and initially configure the Cisco mesh network,
which supports wireless point-to-multipoint mesh deployments. The controllers use a browser-based
management system, a command-line interface (CLI), or the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS)
network management system to manage the controller and the associated access points. The access
point is compliant with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) and employs hardware-based Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES) encryption between wireless nodes to provide end-to-end security.