8
Preparing the Access Point
Before you mount and deploy your access point, we recommend that you perform a site survey (or use the site planning tool) to
determine the best location to install your access point.
You should have the following information about your wireless network available:
•Access point locations.
•Access point mounting options: below a suspended ceiling, on a flat horizontal surface, or on a desktop.
Note You can mount the access point above a suspended ceiling but you must purchase additional mounting hardware:
See “Mounting the Access Point” section on page 10 for additional information.
•Access point power options: power supplied by the recommended external power supply (Cisco AIR-PWR-B), a DC power
supply, PoE from a network device, or a PoE power injector/hub (the Cisco-recommended injector is the AIR-PWRINJ5=),
usually located in a wiring closet.
Note Access points mounted in a building’s environmental airspace must be powered using PoE to comply with safety
regulations.
Cisco recommends that you make a site map showing access point locations so that you can record the device MAC addresses
from each location and return them to the person who is planning or managing your wireless network.
Installation Summary
Installing the access point involves these operations:
•Performing a pre-installation configuration (optional)
•Mounting the access point
•Grounding the access point
•Deploying the access point on the wireless network
Performing a Pre-Installation Configuration
The following procedures ensure that your access point installation and initial operation go as expected. A pre-installation
configuration is also known as priming the access point. This procedure is optional.
Note Performing a pre-installation configuration is an optional procedure. If your network controller is properly configured,
you can install your access point in its final location and connect it to the network from there. See the “Deploying the
Access Point on the Wireless Network” section on page 10 for details.
Pre-Installation Configuration Setup
The pre-installation configuration setup is shown in Figure 3.