No antennas installed

[pbogaerts]

I know that there should be antennas installed on the APs, but i have 24 APs to configure with a basic config, another team shall do the rest of the configuration in remote. Now i tought to disable the radio interface (no power anymore on the antenna connector) and leave the APs on without antenna(s), so that the other team them can configure when they have the time, is this dangerous to do or is this a possible scenario.

[john.preves]

as long as the radio interface is shutdown you should be ok - otherwise you could eventually burn stuff up.

[robert.wright]

I have a few lab APs for testing out new IOS releases/playing with, which i have left with the wireless adapters disabled for several months and have not witnessed and adverse effects.

[pbogaerts]

Thanks for the replys.

I found also following on the site, when i read this it should be also no real problem to have the AP without any antenna (the risk stays)

Q. If you operate the radio but do not attach the antenna, can you damage the radio?

A. Some radio equipment manufacturers specifically warn against the operation of radios without the attachment of the antenna. Operation without the antenna can damage the transmitter. Most pieces of amateur or commercial radio equipment carry this warning because the equipment operates at a much higher transmitter power. A failure to use a proper antenna or load causes a reflected wave standing wave ratio (SWR) that can damage the final amplifier stage. This final amplifier stage is the power amplifier (PA).

For Cisco Aironet equipment, the transmitter power output is 100 milliwatts (mW) for the 350 Series and 30 mW for the 340 Series. Damage is unlikely, but possible. If you need to run the devices without antennae, turn the transmitter power down to 1?5 mW. Also, you can use a 50?52 ohm dummy load (attenuator) to be safe. Cisco always recommends that you use proper antennas with the wireless devices. Some wireless devices come with integrated antennas whereas others need an external antenna. Refer to Cisco Aironet Antenna Reference Guide for a detailed list of the antennas and accessories that Cisco offers.

Peter