Dual-Radio Operation

Chapter 1 Overview

Hardware Features

The access point can be initially configured at the factory for single- or dual-radio operation. You can also upgrade an access point configured for single-radio operation to support dual-radio operation using

a5-GHz radio module or a 2.4-GHz mini-PCI radio card. The access point supports one radio of each type, but it does not support two 2.4-GHz or two 5-GHz radios.

The 1200 series access point supports these radios:

•2.4-GHz IEEE 802.11b mini-PCI radio card: MP20B, hereafter called 802.11b radio.

Note The lightweight access points do not support the MP20B 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.11b radio.

•2.4-GHz 802.11g mini-PCI radio cards: MP21G or MP31G, hereafter called the 802.11g radio.

Note The autonomous access points require Cisco IOS Release 12.2(13)JA or later

•5-GHz 802.11a radio modules:

–AIR-RM20A-x-K9—802.11a radio module with integrated antenna, hereafter called the RM20A radio module.

Note The lightweight access points do not support the RM20A 5-GHz 802.11a radio module.

–AIR-RM21A-x-K9—802.11a radio module with integrated antenna, hereafter called the RM21A radio module.

Note The autonomous access points require Cisco IOS Release 12.3(2)JA or later.

–AIR-RM22A-x-K9—802.11a radio module with external RP-TNC antenna connectors, hereafter called the RM22A radio module.

Note The autonomous access points require Cisco IOS Release 12.3(2)JA or later.

Note Cisco Aironet CB20A client radios can sometimes fail to associate to the RM21A or RM22A radio modules because the CB20A client radio does not support all the channels supported by the radio modules. The default channel setting for the RM21A or RM22A radio module, least congested, often results in the access point settling on one of these frequencies that the CB20A client radio does not support: channel 149 (5745 GHz), channel 153 (5765 GHz), channel 157 (5785 GHz), and channel 161 (5805 GHz). To avoid this problem, set the channel on the RM21A or RM22A radio module to one of the channels supported by the CB20A client radio. For additional information, refer to the Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide for Cisco Aironet Access Points or the Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide for Cisco Aironet Access Points.

The 2.4-GHz mini-PCI radio card connects to an internal mini-PCI slot. The 5-GHz radio module connects to the access point’s modified card bus connector.

Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Point Hardware Installation Guide

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