Arista WiFi Access Point Deployment and Configuration Guide

1.1 Pre-requisites

• Ethernet network with Internet connection.
• AC power outlet or network port with Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3af/at/bt).
• AP with valid IP address from DHCP server or a valid static IP address¹.
• DNS should be able to resolve the server discovery (primary: redirector.online.spectraguard.net, secondary: wifi-security-server).
• Firewall rule to enable communication with Arista Cloud:
  • UDP 3851 & TCP 443 redirector.online.spectraguard.net, IP/Hostname for Arista Wireless Manager
  • TCP 80 & 443 devices.srv.wifi.arista.com

1.2 Connect to N/W

Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the LAN1/PoE² port on the device and the other end to an active LAN port on your network.

1.3 Powering the AP

AC Power: If using an AC power source, connect a supported power adapter to the power pin-hole on the device.

Power Over Ethernet (PoE/PoE+): If using a PoE/PoE+ source³, connect one end of the Ethernet cable to the LAN1/PoE port on the device and the other end of the cable to a PoE-enabled port on your network switch or to a PoE injector.

1.4 LED Status

Wait for the power-up diagnostics to finish and for the Power LED on the device to glow a steady GREEN⁴. This indicates the device has successfully connected to the network. If the Power LED does not glow GREEN, refer to the Troubleshooting section.

Notes:

1. Refer the Install Guide for the AP to know how to set a static IP address.
2. Check the QSG for the AP to confirm the PoE port.
3. Check the AP specs/datasheet to confirm the PoE/PoE+ requirement for the AP to operate at peak performance.
4. Check the Install Guide for the AP to understand the significance of the LED states.

2.1 Log in to Arista Cloud

Access the URL provided in the email you received from Arista Networks, and log in to Arista Cloud using the credentials provided in the email.

After you log in, the Arista Cloud services dashboard will appear on the screen. Click the Aware tile.

2.2 Device Discovery

If the AP is already provisioned and assigned the appropriate cloud service, the device must be able to discover and communicate with the respective service in the Arista Cloud once you add the device to your network and power it ON. The discovered device name will be listed under the Access Points tab of the Monitor page in CloudVision WiFi.

If your AP is not listed on the Monitor page, try registering the device with the appropriate service from Arista Launchpad:

1. Click the Device Registration tile.
2. Click the Import tab.
3. Enter serial number and registration key and click Import.
4. On the Devices tab, select the device, click assign icon [assign-icon], and select service.

2.3 Device Upgrade

On the Monitor page of CloudVision WiFi, if you see the upgrade icon [upgrade-icon] under the Update column corresponding to your AP, as a best practice, click the icon and upgrade the AP firmware to the latest supported version. If the AP is on an older firmware version, some of the newly introduced features might not function as desired or at all.

2.4 Device Location

You can define a location hierarchy in CloudVision WiFi and move the devices to the respective location. This logical arrangement of the devices in your network helps you to manage them easily.

On the Navigator tab of the System page, you can create folders and floors to define your location hierarchy.

To move the device to respective location, click the menu icon [menu-icon] next to the device on the Access Points tab of the Monitor page and then click Move.

3.1 Basic

In the Basic tab, enter an SSID Name and Profile Name. The AP broadcasts the SSID Name, to which the WiFi clients can connect.

By default, the SSID is Private. This type of SSID is for the employees within your organization who can connect their client devices to it. If you want to create an SSID for your guest users, you can select the SSID Type as Guest. Defining the SSIDs as Private or Guest helps you manage them better and apply appropriate policies for your WiFi network.

3.2 Security

In the Security tab, select WPA2 and specify a Passphrase. WiFi clients must use this passphrase to connect to the SSID.

Note: If you select Open as the security mode, then select Client Isolation to protect guests from other guest users. Additionally, as a recommended practice, configure a captive portal on which guest users can authenticate themselves before accessing the guest WiFi network.

3.3 Network

In the Network tab, specify a VLAN ID for the SSID. 0 indicates untagged VLAN.

Bridged: In Bridge mode, AP and its associated clients will be on the same subnet.

NAT: In the NAT mode, specify the Start and End IP Addresses and the Subnet Mask to define the IP pool to assign IP addresses to WiFi clients. The Local IP Address is the gateway IP address of connected clients and must be outside the NAT range.

3.4 Switch ON & Connect

Click Save & Turn SSID On to save the SSID and enable it on the AP. The AP will broadcast this SSID and WiFi clients can connect to it.

The clients associated with the SSID can be seen on the Clients tab of the Monitor page.