FortiWLC – Configure an AP’s Radios with the CLI

Configure an AP’s Radios with the CLI

Before you can configure any radio settings, you need to enter radio interface configuration mode. To do this, follow these steps:

TABLE 22: Entering Radio Interface Configuration Mode

Command Purpose
configure terminal Enter global configuration mode.
interface Dot11Radio <ap-id> <Interface ID> Enter interface configuration for the specified AP and radio interface. Use show interfaces Dot11Radio to obtain a list of radio interfaces.

For AP800, the second interface provides 802.11ac support.

… commands … Enter the 802.11 configuration commands here.
end Return to privileged EXEC mode.
copy running-config startup-config This is an optional step to save your entries in the configuration file.
Summary of Radio Interface Configuration Commands

The following is a summary of the commands available in radio interface configuration mode: TABLE 23: Commands available in Radio Interface Configuration Mode

Command Purpose
admin-mode Enables or disables a radio interface.
antenna-property Manages external wireless interface antennas.
channel Configures the channel ID.
localpower Configures the AP transmit power level for all APs
mode AP mode configuration.
n-only-mode Supports only 802.11n clients on the radio to improve performance.
preamble-short Enables or disables short preambles.
protection-mode Configures 802.11b/g interoperability mode. This setting defaults to auto and should not be changed without consulting Fortinet Support.

Configure an AP’s Radios with the CLI

TABLE 23: Commands available in Radio Interface Configuration Mode

Command Purpose
rf-mode Configures the Radio Frequency mode (802.11a, b, g, or bg, bgn, or an). Note that All APs on the same channel in a Virtual Cell must have the same setting for rf-mode.
scanning channels Configures the channels for scanning
tuning Tunes the wireless interface
Set Radio Transmit Power with the CLI

The radio transmit power changes the AP’s coverage area; this setting helps manage contention between neighboring access points. Transmit power for Fortinet APs is defined as the EIRP1 (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) at the antenna and includes the antenna gain.

(This is important to remember; transmit power is not the power at the connector.) Power level settings are dependent on the country code and the radio band (and for 802.11a, the channel) in use.

For example, if the transmit power, configured with the command localpower, is set to 20 dBm2, and the antenna gain is set 3 to 2 dBm, then the actual transmitted power at the connector is 18 dBm.

If an external antenna with an 8dBi (isotropic) gain is used, then adjust the gain value to the same value, 8. If the desired EIRP after the antenna is the same, then keep the transmit power set to the same value, 20. For higher or lower EIRP values, adjust the transmit power to the desired value.

The maximum power setting is an integer between 4-30dBm for 802.11/bg radios.

The Maximum Transmit Power for the 802.11a band is based on the channel in use, as detailed in the following table, which shows the levels for the United States:

802.11a Channel Maximum Transmit Power (dBm) for United States
36 17
40 23
44 23
48 23
52 30
56 30
60 30
64 30
100 30
104 30

Configure an AP’s Radios with the CLI

802.11a Channel Maximum Transmit Power (dBm) for United States
108 30
112 30
116 30
120 30
124 30
128 30
132 30
136 30
140 30
149 36
153 36
157 36
161 36
165 36

Use the localpower command in the Dot11Radio interface configuration mode to configure the maximum power level. localpower max‐level

For example, to set the 802.11a radio maximum power to 15, type

localpower 15

Enable and Disable Short Preambles with the CLI

The radio preamble, also called the header, is a section of data at the head of a packet that contains information that the access point and client devices need when sending and receiving packets. By default, a short preamble is configured, but you can set the radio preamble to long or short:

  • A short preamble improves throughput performance.
  • A long preamble ensures compatibility between the access point and some older wireless LAN cards. If you do not have any older wireless LAN cards, you should use short preambles.

To disable short preambles and use long preambles, type: no preamble-short

To enable short preambles, type: preamble-short

Configure an AP’s Radios with the CLI

Set a Radio to Scan for Rogue APs with the CLI

To configure radios to constantly scan for rogue APs, use this command from the Dot11Radio interface configuration mode: mode scanning

To set the radio back to servicing clients, use the command: mode normal

Enable or Disable a Radio Interface with the CLI

To temporarily disable a radio interface, use this command from Dot11Radio interface configuration mode: admin‐mode Down

To later enable the off-line interface, use the command: admin‐mode Up

Set a Radio to Support 802.11n Only with the CLI

To set an AP radio interface to support only 802.11n clients, and thus improve throughput, from the Dot11Radio interface configuration mode use the command: n‐only‐mode

To disable the 802.11n-only support, use the command: no n‐only‐mode

Note that All APs on the same channel in a Virtual Cell must have the same setting for n-only mode.


Having trouble configuring your Fortinet hardware or have some questions you need answered? Check Out The Fortinet Guru Youtube Channel! Want someone else to deal with it for you? Get some consulting from Fortinet GURU!

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About Mike

Michael Pruett, CISSP has a wide range of cyber-security and network engineering expertise. The plethora of vendors that resell hardware but have zero engineering knowledge resulting in the wrong hardware or configuration being deployed is a major pet peeve of Michael's. This site was started in an effort to spread information while providing the option of quality consulting services at a much lower price than Fortinet Professional Services. Owns PacketLlama.Com (Fortinet Hardware Sales) and Office Of The CISO, LLC (Cybersecurity consulting firm).

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