Configuring Wi-Fi

• ENABLE the interface.
• Select the BAND the Access Point will use — 2.4GHz or 5GHz
• Select the MODE — Access Point in this case.

• Select the LAN SEGMENT that you’re going to use for this access point.

  Tip: Click X to display the list of available LAN segments. LAN segments are configured under Bridges (Networking > Zones Settings > Bridges).

  Best Practice recommendation: If 2.4GHz and 5GHz APs are configured on different LAN segments, use different SSIDs and security passphrases to make sure DHCP renews IP adresses when switching between the APs.

• Enter the access point’s SSID (a case-sensitive network name).

• Select the SECURITY MODE — Depending on the mode selected, specific security credential types are required:

  • OPEN — No security. (This mode is not recommended.)
  • WPA — This option appears only when LEGACY MODE is enabled. Requires only a SECURITY PASSPHRASE. (This mode is not recommended.)
  • WPA2 — Requires a SECURITY PASSPHRASE, plus 802.11w options.
  • WPA2/WPA3 Transition Mode — Requires a SECURITY PASSPHRASE, plus automatically sets 802.11w internally as Optional.
  • WPA3 — Requires only a SECURITY PASSPHRASE, plus automatically sets 802.11w internally as Required.
  • WPA2-Enterprise — Requires operation; clients that do not support 802.11w will not connect.
    

  Note: The 802.11w options do not appear for WPA3 or WPA2/WPA3 Transition Mode. For WPA2/WPA3 Transition Mode, ‘Optional’ is automatically used. For WPA3, ‘Required’ is automatically used.

• For WPA2-Enterprise security mode only:

  • Select the RADIUS AUTHENTICATION SERVER to use.
  • Select the RADIUS ACCOUNTING SERVER to use. Note: RADIUS servers must use IPv4 addresses. FQDNs and IPv6 addresses are not supported.

• Set LEGACY MODE — When enabled, Legacy Mode restores security option WPA (version 1) in the SECURITY MODE list, and supports TKIP encryption for WPA/WPA2 modes. When disabled, only AES encryption is supported.

• Enable AUTO-CHANNEL to have the router choose the channel on which to operate.
  To use a specific channel, disable AUTO-CHANNEL and then select a channel from the CHANNEL list that appears.

• Enable DFS CHANNELS to open up more Wi-Fi channels for the router to use, while preventing the router interfering with channels used by radar equipment (near airports, for example). With DFS CHANNELS enabled, the router will switch channels if it detects radar equipment using the same channel. Unless you know that your operating equipment is DFS capable, Sierra Wireless recommends leaving DFS CHANNELS disabled.

  Enabling DFS allows for more 5GHz channels, but may result in delayed connectivity at boot and in the presence of radar.

To use a scanned SSID:

1. In the SCANNED SSIDS table, click + to add the desired SSID to the SELECTED SSIDS table. You must then fully enable the new SSID by adding the SSID’s security passphrase.
2. In the SELECTED SSIDS table, click (Edit) for the desired Client SSID.
3. In the Edit SSID screen, add the security passphrase and assign a priority (optional).
4. Click UPDATE.

After you configure the SSID with a passphrase, the Wi-Fi Client interface starts using it (if another SSID with a higher priority is not configured).

To create an SSID manually:

1. Under the SELECTED SSIDS table, click CREATE SSID.
2. In the Create SSID screen, enter the SSID name.
3. Select a SECURITY MODE. For mode WPA2 or WPA2 Enterprise, 802.11w options appear. If required, select an option to enable 802.11w operation. The 802.11w standard uses Security Association Query Requests to ensure that clients are legitimate. Options are:
   • Disabled
   • Optional (default): 802.11w will be used when connecting to access points that support it.
   • Required: forces 802.11w operation; the router will not connect to access points unless they have 802.11w enabled. For WPA2/WPA3 Transition mode access points, Optional is used automatically. For WPA3-only access points, Required is used automatically.
4. Select the PRIORITY. The smaller the value, the higher the priority. Leaving PRIORITY blank puts this SSID at the lowest priority.
5. Click CREATE.

To configure an interface as a Client, click at the end of the row of a Client interface.

The Edit Wi-Fi Interface menu appears — configure the fields in any order.

• ENABLE the interface
• Select the BAND — 5GHz, 2.4GHz, or 2.4GHz + 5GHz

• Leave the MODE as Client.

• Set the SSID SELECTION switch:

  When you have multiple SSIDs configured, Sierra Wireless recommends leaving SSID SELECTION at the default Auto (Highest Priority) setting. The router will automatically search and connect to an SSID depending on priority. If priorities are identical, the router will use the closest SSID with the fastest estimated link speed. To configure the Wi-Fi client to use only a single, specific SSID, set SSID Selection to “Manual” and then choose the CONFIGURED SSID you wish to connect to.

• Enable DFS CHANNELS to open up more Wi-Fi channels for the router to use, while preventing the router interfering with channels used by radar equipment (near airports, for example). With DFS CHANNELS enabled, the router will switch channels if it detects radar equipment using the same channel. Unless you know that your operating equipment is DFS capable, Sierra Wireless recommends leaving DFS CHANNELS disabled.

  Enabling DFS allows for more 5GHz channels, but may result in delayed connectivity at boot and in the presence of radar.

• Enter the SCAN INTERVAL, which sets how often the router scans for SSIDs when disconnected.
• Set MSS CLAMPING — MSS (Maximum TCP Segment Size) Clamping controls the maximum packet size used for TCP connections between a local (LAN-side) host and a remote host over the Wi-Fi WAN interface. MSS Clamping helps avoid possible issues with sending and receiving large TCP packets over the cellular network when other standard MTU mechanisms do not appear to be working with your installation. The options are:
  • Disabled (default)
  • Auto — MSS is clamped at 40 bytes (20 byte IP header + 20 byte TCP header) less than the MTU of the Wi-Fi interface.
  • Manual — MSS is clamped to the specified maximum value bi-directionally for all inbound (remote-to-LAN) and outbound (LAN-to-remote) TCP connections when the TCP session is established using the Wi-Fi interface.
• MSS — When MSS CLAMPING is set to Manual, set the Maximum TCP Segment Size.
  • Range is 1–2000 bytes (default is 1460)