ARISTA C-400P Access Point User Guide

About This Guide
This guide explains how to deploy the C-400/C-400P access point. Make sure to read the End User License Agreement (EULA) before installation. You can access the EULA at https://www.arista.com/en/support/product-documentation.

Package Content
The package includes the access point components. C-400P includes a power adapter, while C-400 does not. Refer to the provided figure and table for details.

Access Point Overview
Details the front and rear panels of the access point.

Installing the Access Point
Instructions for ceiling and wall mounting the access point.

Power On the Access Point
Guidance on using the access point with a power adapter.

Connecting the Access Point to the Network
Steps to connect the access point using PoE.

Access Point Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting tips for common issues.

About This Guide

This installation guide explains how to deploy the C-400/C-400P access point (AP).

Important: Please read the EULA before installing the access point (AP). You can download and read the EULA from: https://www.arista.com/en/support/product-documentation
Installing the AP constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the EULA mentioned above.

Intended Audience
This guide can be referred to by anyone installing and configuring the access point.

Document Overview
This guide contains the following chapters:

Package Content
Access Point Overview

Installing the Access Point
Access Point Troubleshooting

Note: Unless otherwise explicitly stated, all instances of the term ‘server’ in this document refer to the Wireless Manager.

Product and Documentation Updates
To receive important news on product updates, please visit our website at Arista Product Documentation.
We continuously enhance our product documentation based on customer feedback.

Package Content

The access point (AP) package must contain the components shown in the following figure. The difference between C-400P and C-400 is that C-400P comes with a power adapter in the package content, whereas C-400 doesn’t have a power adapter included in the package content. The rest of the specifications are the same between them.

Figure 2-1: Package Components

Table 1: Labels: Package Components

C-400 or C-400P Access Point
15/16″ (24 mm) Mounting Bracket (MNTAP-24MM)

Important: Make a note of the AP MAC address and the IP address in a safe place before installing it in a hard-to-reach location. Locate the AP MAC address on a label at the bottom of the product.

If you don’t have a complete package, please contact the Arista Networks Technical Support Team at support-campus@arista.com or return the package to the vendor or dealer where you purchased the product.

Access Point Overview

C-400/C-400P is a Wi-Fi 7 multi-radio 802.11be access point. Refer to the datasheet for more information.

Note: This equipment is suitable for use in environment air spaces (plenums).

This chapter provides an overview of the access point (AP) and describes:

Front Panel
Rear Panel

Front Panel
The front panel of the AP has 6 LEDs that indicate the status of various AP functions.

Figure 3-1: Front Panel LEDs

Table 2: Labels: Front Panel LEDs

Power
2.4 GHz Radio
5 GHz Radio
6 GHz Radio
LAN1

Power LED: The following table describes the Power LED indicator states.

Table 3: Power LED Indicator States Description

	Green	Orange
Solid	Running at full capability	Running at reduced capability
Blinking	Received IP address, but not connected to the server	Did not receive an IP address

Reduced capability indicates that the AP receives less than the required maximum power from the PoE+switch. The AP receives 802.3af instead of 802.3at.

LAN1 LED: ON when the corresponding interface UP.

Radio LEDs: ON when the corresponding radio is operational.

Rear Panel
The rear panel of the AP has a DC power port and a 802.3at compliant PoE+ LAN port to power the AP and connect it to a wired LAN.

Figure 3-2: Rear Panel

Table 4: Labels: Rear Panel

LAN1, POE+

DC Power
Reset
Console

Table 5: Port Details

Port	Description	Connector Type	Speed/Protocol
Power	12V DC/2A	5.5 mm overall diameter / 2.1 mm center pinhole	N/A
LAN 1	5 Gigabit Ethernet with 802.3at compliant PoE	RJ-45	100 /1000 Mbps / 2.5/ 5 Gbps Ethernet
Reset	Reset to factory default settings port. Hold down and power cycle the device to reset.	Pin hole push button	NA
Console	Establish a ‘config shell’ terminal session through a serial connection	RJ-45	NA

Installing the Access Point

This chapter contains the procedure to install the access point (AP).

Zero-Configuration of the Access Point
The AP supports zero-configuration under the following conditions:

The device must be in AP mode with background scanning on and without a configured SSID
Set up a DNS entry for wifi-security-server on all the DNS servers. This entry should point to the server
IP address. By default, the AP looks for the DNS entry wifi-security-server.
Place the AP on a DHCP-enabled subnet.
Refer to these articles to understand how APs communicate with the server, and the ports that you need to open to enable the communication:

Wi-Fi Access Points-Server Communication
TCP Ports and UDP Ports Used by Access Points

Important: If placing the device on a network segment separated from the server by a firewall, you must first open port 3851, the port assigned to Arista Networks, for User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transport Control Protocol (TCP) bidirectional traffic on the firewall. Zero-configuration does not support setting up multiple devices to connect to multiple servers. In this case, you must manually configure the APs. For details on configuring an AP manually, see the Access Point CLI Guide.

Assign a static IP address to the AP or change the settings to DHCP. Make a note of the AP MAC address and the IP address in a safe place before installing it in a hard-to-reach location. Locate the AP MAC address on a label at the bottom of the product.

Use the following steps to install the AP with zero-configuration:

Ceiling Mounting the Access Point or Wall Mount the Access Point

Connecting the Access Point to the Network
Power On the Access Point

Ceiling Mounting the Access Point
Mounting the access point (AP) on the ceiling consists of the following steps:

Attach the bracket to the T-grid – Use the mounting bracket to install the AP on the ceiling. Attach the bracket to the T-grid and rotate the bracket so that it snaps on the T-grid. The bracket becomes parallel to an arm of the T-grid. Be sure the bracket properly snaps to the T-grid, as shown below.
Mounting the AP on the bracket – Place the first mounting post on the back of the AP to the lower notch of the bracket. Rotate the AP so that the center mounting post fits into the center notch on the bracket.
Be sure all the mounting posts on the back of the AP snap to the respective notches on the bracket. The mounting posts now properly fit in the respective notches of the bracket and the AP mounts properly.

Mounting Instructions using the Silhouette/Interlude Bracket Mount: The Silhouette/Interlude mounting bracket does not ship as part of the standard package and must be procured separately.
The mounting instructions for the Silhouette/Interlude Bracket Mount contain similar instructions as the Standard Package Content’s mounting instructions.

Note: As a best practice, label the APs using MAC addresses or user your own convention. For example, use serial numbers so that you can easily identify the APs.

Wall Mount the Access Point

Note: The wall mounting accessory SKU (MNT-AP-FLAT-14CM) can be ordered and purchased separately.

For instructions on wall mounting the access point, refer to Wall Mount the Access Point article.

Power On the Access Point

Power on the access point (AP) by plugging one end of the Ethernet cable into the PoE+ (802.3at) switch or injector and the other end into the LAN1 PoE+ port on the AP. Be sure to turn on the PoE+ source or use a compatible power adapter (Arista SKU: PWR-AP-W3) to power the AP. The power adapter must be connected to a socket outlet with an earthing connection.

Note: If not using PoE+, use only an AC power adapter supported by the AP.

Using the Access Point with a Power Adapter
Use a compatible power adapter (Arista SKU: PWR-AP-W3) to power the AP.

Warning: C-400 is intended to be supplied by approved external power source (UL listed/ IEC 60950-1/IEC 62368-1) whose output complies with ES1/SELV, PS2/LPS, output rating 12V DC, 2A minimum (for DC port) or 54V DC, 0.6A minimum (for PoE port), at an ambient temperature of 45°C, and at maximum altitude of 5000m. For any assistance, please contact your Arista representative. For C-400P, use the power adater provided in the packaged contents.
The maximum altitude of operation for the power adapter is 5000m.

To power up the device with a power adapter, perform the following steps:

Plug the power cable into the DC power receptacle at the rear of the AP.
Plug the other end of the power cable into an 110V~240V, 50/60 Hz AC power source.

Wait until the AP LED indicators light up. Refer to the LED Indicator status table.

Connecting the Access Point to the Network

To connect the AP to the network, perform the following steps:

Install the AP on a network with a DHCP-enabled server.

Set up a DNS entry for wifi-security-server on all DNS servers. This entry should point to the server IP address. By default, the AP looks for the DNS entry, wifi-security-server.
Verify the AP LED indicators as ON with green LEDs, indicating an operational AP connected to the server
Log on to the server using SSH and run the get sensor list command.
The command returns a list of all Arista devices recognized by the server. Single Sign-On users can go to the Monitor tab in CloudVision CUE and check if the device appears on the Access Points tab.

Note: If zero configuration fails, the AP must be configured manually.

Important: If you do not have DHCP enabled on a subnet, the AP cannot connect to that subnet with zero configuration. If the DNS entry does not exist on the DNS servers or you do not have the DHCP server running on the subnet, you must manually configure the device. For details on configuring an AP manually, see the Access Point CLI Guide.

Connecting the Access Point using PoE
If using a PoE injector, plug the data connection into a suitable switch port with proper network connectivity. For PoE port details, see the Rear Panel section.

Troubleshooting

The table below lists some of the troubleshooting guidelines for the access point (AP).

Problem	Solution
The AP did not receive a valid IP address via the DHCP.	Be sure that the DHCP server is on and available on the VLAN/subnet connected to the AP. If the AP fails to get a valid IP address, you can reboot it to see if that resolves the problem.
Unable to connect to the server.	• Be sure you have an active server and reachable from the network connected to the AP. If a firewall or a router has Access Control Lists (ACLs) enabled between the AP and the server, allow traffic on UDP port 3851. • Use the IP-based server discovery method and be sure you have correctly entered the DNS name, wifi-security-server , on the DNS server. • Be sure the DNS server has correctly configured IP addresses or provided by the DHCP server. • The AP might fail to authenticate with the server. In this case, an ‘Authentication failed ‘ event logs to the server. Refer to the event for recommended action.
The AP has encountered a problem.	• If using Arista Cloud Services, then open the TCP port 443 (SSL). If you have an on-premises installation, then open UDP port 3851 and TCP 443. • If using a Proxy, Web Accelerator, or URL Content Filter between the AP and the Internet, ensure that the settings allow communication between the AP and Arista Cloud Services. For more information, see Wi-Fi Access Points Server Communication Workflow. • If your configuration requires you to specify an exact IP address or IP range for Arista Cloud Services, please contact support- campus@arista.com

Appendix A: AP-Server Mutual Authentication

The AP-server communication begins with a mutual authentication step where the AP and server authenticate each other using a shared secret. The AP-server communication takes place only if this authentication succeeds.

After the authentication succeeds, the server generates a session key and encrypts all communication between the AP and the server using the session key.

The AP and server ship with the same default value for the shared secret. Use the CLI commands on the server and the AP to change the shared secret.

Note: After changing the shared secret (communication key) on the server, all APs connected to the server automatically use the new communication key.

You must manually configure the new communication key on an AP if not connected to the server when the key changes on the server.

For more information on the AP-server communication process, see the Wi-Fi Access Point Server Communication Workflow article.

Appendix B: Product Compliance
Singapore IMDA Registration Mark

FAQ

Q: Where can I find product updates?
A: Visit Arista Product Documentation on our website for the latest updates.

Q: What should I do before installing the access point?
A: Make sure to read and accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) available on our website.

Documents / Resources

ARISTA C-400P Access Point [pdf] User Guide
C-400, C-400P, C-400P Access Point, C-400P, Access Point, Point

References

User Manual

ARISTA C-400P Access Point

Product Usage Instructions