Lab Objective
Perform the initial setup of a Wireless LAN Controller, confirm a lightweight access point successfully joins it, and create a centrally managed WLAN that the AP then broadcasts automatically.
Lab Purpose
Unlike the standalone access point configured in the previous lab, a lightweight AP has no independent configuration of its own — it receives everything from a central WLC. This lab demonstrates exactly how that relationship forms and how configuration propagates from controller to AP.
Lab Topology
Switch1 ---- Gi1/0/1 ---- WLC1 (management: 192.168.1.5/24)
Switch1 ---- Gi1/0/10 ---- LAP1 (lightweight AP,
obtains IP via DHCP)
Both connected to the same management VLAN,
DHCP server already providing addresses on
192.168.1.0/24Task 1: Perform Initial WLC Setup
Complete the WLC's initial configuration wizard, assigning it the management IP address shown.
Task 2: Verify the Access Point Joins the WLC
Power on LAP1 and confirm it automatically discovers and joins the WLC.
Task 3: Create a Dynamic Interface
On the WLC, create a dynamic interface mapped to VLAN 1 for client traffic.
Task 4: Create a WLAN
Create a WLAN with SSID CorpWiFi-Managed, associating it with the dynamic interface and WPA3 security.
Task 5: Verify the AP Is Broadcasting the WLAN
Confirm the SSID is now broadcast from LAP1, entirely as a result of the centralized WLC configuration.
Solution and Verification
WLC1 Initial Setup Wizard:
System Name: WLC1
Management Interface IP: 192.168.1.5
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1-- After powering on LAP1, it uses CAPWAP,
-- discussed earlier in this series regarding
-- wireless architecture, to discover and
-- register with the WLC automatically
WLC1# show ap summary
AP Name Status IP Address
LAP1 Registered 192.168.1.40WLC1 Dynamic Interface:
Interface Name: client-vlan1
VLAN ID: 1
IP Address: 192.168.1.6
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0WLC1 WLAN Configuration:
SSID: CorpWiFi-Managed
Interface: client-vlan1
Security: WPA3-Personal
Passphrase: ManagedWifi2026!
Status: EnabledWLC1# show wlan summary
WLAN ID WLAN Name Status Interface
1 CorpWiFi-Managed Enabled client-vlan1
-- On LAP1, checking nearby available networks
-- confirms CorpWiFi-Managed is now broadcasting,
-- despite no configuration ever being entered
-- directly on LAP1 itselfKey Takeaway
A lightweight AP's entire wireless configuration — SSID, security, VLAN mapping — lives on the WLC, not the AP itself; this is precisely what makes the centralized architecture scale to hundreds of access points, since adding or changing a WLAN happens once on the controller and propagates automatically to every joined AP, rather than requiring individual reconfiguration of each device.