Cisco Systems AIRCAP1552EUAK9, AIRCAP1552EAK9RF manual Overview, About the 1552 Access Point

C H A P T E R 1

Overview

The Cisco Aironet 1550 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point (hereafter called the access point or AP) is a modularized wireless outdoor access point designed for use in a mesh network. The access point also supports wireless client access, point-to-point bridging, point-to-multipoint bridging, and point-to-multipoint mesh wireless connectivity.

About the 1552 Access Point

The 1552 access point supports two radios (2.4-GHz and 5-GHz) and provides client access without the need for a license. The 5-GHz radios are primarily used for backhaul operations to reach a wired network and the 2.4-GHz radio is used for wireless clients. Depending on the radio, the access point can support 1 to 300 Mb/s data rates (for specific data rates, refer to Appendix D, “Access Point Specifications”).

The 1552 access point supports the modularity of the 1520 series and allows flexibility in radio configuration. In addition to full interoperability with 802.11n clients, the 1552 access point interoperates with legacy clients and offers enhanced backhaul performance. The 1552 access point can also be configured with an integrated DOCSIS 3.0/Euro DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem.

The access point is a standalone unit that can be cable strand or tower mounted. The access point can also operate as a relay node for other access points not directly connected to a wired network. Intelligent wireless routing is provided by the patented Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol (AWPP). This enables each access point to identify its neighbors and intelligently choose the optimal path to the wired network by calculating the cost of each path in terms of signal strength and the number of hops required to get to a controller.

The access point is configured, monitored, and operated through a Cisco wireless LAN controller (hereafter called a controller) as described in the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Configuration Guide. The Cisco Wireless Mesh Access Points, Design and Deployment Guide, Release 7.3 describes how to plan and initially configure the Cisco mesh network, which supports wireless point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and mesh deployments. The controllers use a browser-based management system, a command-line interface (CLI), or the Cisco Prime Infrastructure (PI) network management system to manage the controller and the associated access points. The access point supports hardware-based advanced encryption standard (AES) encryption between wireless nodes to provide end-to-end security.

This chapter provides information on the following topics:

•Hardware Models, page 1-2

•Hardware Features, page 1-5

•Network Deployment Examples, page 1-25

Cisco Aironet 1550 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point Hardware Installation Guide

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