Covert LWAPP AP to autonomous possible?

[c.ong]

Hi Sir,

I understand that I can convert autonomous AP to Lwapp AP and i know the steps of doing it.

My customer has lots of LWAPP APs but intend to convert it to autonomous. Can it be done? I find no info on how to convert Lwapp APs to autonomous.

Pleas advise.

Thank you.

Delon

[Rob Huffman]

Hi Delon,

This is very possible, have a look at the following;

Reverting the Access Point Back to Autonomous Mode

It is possible to revert an LWAPP-enabled Cisco Aironet access point back to autonomous mode. Please refer to Upgrading Autonomous Cisco Aironet Access Points to Lightweight Mode for detailed instructions on reverting to autonomous mode. Use this URL

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps430/prod_technical_reference09186a00804fc3dc.html#wp161272

Converting a Lightweight Access Point Back to Autonomous Mode

You can convert an access point from lightweight mode back to autonomous mode by loading a Cisco IOS Release that supports autonomous mode (Cisco IOS release 12.3(7)JA or earlier). If the access point is associated to a controller, you can use the controller to load the Cisco IOS release. If the access point is not associated to a controller, you can load the Cisco IOS release using TFTP.

Using a TFTP Server to Return to a Previous Release

Follow these steps to revert from LWAPP mode to autonomous mode by loading a Cisco IOS release using a TFTP server:

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Step 1 The static IP address of the PC on which your TFTP server software runs should be between 10.0.0.2 and 10.0.0.30.

Step 2 Make sure that the PC contains the access point image file (such as c1200-k9w7-tar.122-15.JA.tar for a 1200 series access point) in the TFTP server folder and that the TFTP server is activated.

Step 3 Rename the access point image file in the TFTP server folder to c1200-k9w7-tar.default for a 1200 series access point, c1130-k9w7-tar.default for an 1130 series access point, and c1240-k9w7-tar.default for a 1240 series access point.

Step 4 Connect the PC to the access point using a Category 5 (CAT5) Ethernet cable.

Step 5 Disconnect power from the access point.

Step 6 Press and hold MODE while you reconnect power to the access point.

Step 7 Hold the MODE button until the status LED turns red (approximately 20 to 30 seconds) and then release.

Step 8 Wait until the access point reboots, as indicated by all LEDs turning green followed by the Status LED blinking green.

Step 9 After the access point reboots, reconfigure it using the GUI or the CLI.

From this doc;

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps430/prod_technical_reference09186a00804fc3dc.html#wp161272

Hope this helps!

Rob

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[c.ong]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your reply. I know the steps to revert from Lwapp to Autonomous if I convert the original AP from IOS to Lwapp.

However, my customer has purchase the following part number, AIR-LAP1242AG-C-K9 and he would like to know whether it can be converted to IOS-based AP.

I would be glad to hear from you soon.

Delon

[Stephen Rodriguez]

Yes, all Aironet AP's can be converted back and forth. WARNING!!!! If you ever need to RMA that device, you will get a replacement LAP, can only RMA what the serial number shows.

[Rob Huffman]

Hi Delon,

This conversion from LWAPP to Autonomous is very possible as Stephen from Cisco noted. This question comes up quite often when people end up with an LWAPP AP and they really wanted an autonomous one. The really great thing that Cisco has done with this product is the ability to convert them back and forth. Here is a little Q & A excerpt that covers a related question;

Q. I have converted my AP to lightweight mode, but I need to convert it back to autonomous mode. Is it possible?

A. Yes, you can convert autonomous APs that you have converted to lightweight mode back to autonomous mode.

From this FAQ doc;

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6306/products_qanda_item09186a00806a4da3.shtml

Hope this helps! You should be good to go!

Rob

[Chris Bomba]

I have a BR1310 that is LWAPP. It also comes up with a 10.0.0.1 address. I set it up to look for the tftp-server but there is no "mode" button on the 1310 to make it reboot and look for the tftp-server. I can't go into config mode and change it because it is already LWAPP. And it won't find the controller because the controller is on a different subnet. How do I get it to 1) find the controller or 2) convert it back to IOS then convert it again to LWAPP?

Thanks,

Chris

[Rob Huffman]

Hi Chris,

I am not very familar with the 1310, but pehaps you could reset it to default using this method and let it rediscover the controller;

Clearing Manually Entered Controller Information

When you need to move your access point to a different location in your network, you must clear the manually entered controller information to allow your access point to associate with a different controller.

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Note This command requires the controller-configured Enable password to enter the CLI EXEC mode.

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To clear or remove the manually entered controller information, you can use these EXEC mode CLI commands:

clear lwapp ap ip address

clear lwapp ip default-gateway

clear lwapp controller ip address

clear lwapp ap hostname

Manually Resetting the Access Point to Defaults

You can manually reset your access point to default settings using this EXEC mode CLI command:

clear lwapp private-config

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Note This command requires the controller-configured Enable password to enter the CLI EXEC mode.

From this doc;

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5861/products_installation_guide_chapter09186a008072151f.html#wp1076073

Hope this helps!

Rob