Site Surveys with a CW9162 AP

[stgonzo]

Hi, we normally carry out site surveys with Meraki MR APs, but we are now looking into getting an AP for this purpose with Wi-Fi 6E capability, can the CW9162 be set to site-survey mode like the MR APs i.e. through the local status page?

Thank you

[alemabrahao]

@stgonzo,

What are you talking about? I didn't find a menu to set MR to site survey mode. Can you show the print screen?

Edited:

 Do you have a software to perform a site survey? 

[Brash]

You can place Meraki AP's into survey mode

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/WiFi_Basics_and_Best_Practices/Conducting_Site_Surveys_with_MR_A...

[stgonzo]

Hi alemabrahao,

This needs to be done from the Local Status page on MR APs, see the screen shot below

The following links describe the process

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/WiFi_Basics_and_Best_Practices/Conducting_Site_Surveys_with_MR_A...

https://meraki.cisco.com/blog/tag/site-survey/

[alemabrahao]

For me, It's unnecessary, you can create a SSID for It, the result will be the same. It's my opinion, I have performed a lot of site survey without enable this mode and I have never had an issue. 

[alemabrahao]

Probably CW9162 supports because It uses the same firmware, but talking as a Wi-Fi design in my opinion It really doesn't make any difference.

[Brash]

That's a good question.

Probably best to ask your Cisco rep.

[GIdenJoe]

I personally have a really bad experience with site survey mode on each MR model that came after the MR33.
They have this annoying bug where the AP loses it's regional code after a second boot without an internet connection and it won't broadcast on 5 GHz anymore.  The only way to get it back is to reset the AP to get it back on the cloud and then put it on survey mode again.  That's a real timewaster.

The whole point of site survey mode is to use it for AP on a stick surveys where you don't have an internet connection.  You only have a battery and a PoE injector (or both in the same device) and your device has to transmit an SSID you can or passive survey or actively connect to if you want to include some ping tests.

I haven't had any CW AP's yet so I'm not sure if you get one with Meraki software on it if it will support site survey mode and if the same bug will be present.

Also if you get a CW AP in Catalyst software mode it does not support the EWC image as far as the documentation goes.

[Radarspeed5]

Site survey mode on the CW916x models from a catalyst perspective you just have to ensure you have the correct image on the AP must be above 17.3 and it is a easy conversion to enable the AP to work in site survey mode. see below lin.

https://www.jiribrejcha.net/2023/04/new-site-survey-mode-on-cisco-catalyst-wi-fi-6e-access-points/

Not sure if it would be similar on a meraki flavoured version not tried.

[GIdenJoe]

I'll definitely try that mode if I get such an AP in Catalyst mode.
Most of our customers are Meraki though so it won't be easy to get one.

I don't want to flip between DNA en Meraki mode after ordering it.

[stgonzo]

Thanks @GIdenJoe , I had that no 5GHz issue on an MR42 a couple of months ago

[TBHPTL]

Why would you survey with an end of sale AP that hasn't been offered by Cisco for over a year?

[Radarspeed5]

Why not survey with it, it provides 6GHz capabilities and if you know how to survey correctly it's not about the AP, its about attentuation, airtime utilisation, capacity & SINR. the AP is just to to prove you can get signal into the desired areas for the technology.  

[TBHPTL]

@Radarspeed5  my reply was to @stgonzo...an MR42 does not support 6GHz. Its 100% about the AP. The AP model is unique unto itself. Rule #1 of AP on a stick survey is always use the model AP (and antenna) that you intend on deploying to conduct said survey.  If you want to guess use modeling software that at least uses antenna patterns for said AP. 

[Radarspeed5]

Thats all good and well but who as access to every single AP model ever made by every manufacturer, as long as your meeting the customer requirements an you use the access point to determine your cell edges & attenuation measurements you can then model the network and optimise the network with a post validation survey. No need to do a full AP on a stick survey unless your in a really challenging environment IMHO & i have surveyed lots of challenging environments in the past.

[stgonzo]

The customer were moving to a new building and wanted to carry on using the MR42s they had.  

[thomasthomsen]

We have done lots of surveying with the 9164 in Meraki survey mode, so my guess is that it would also work with the 9162.

BUT ... I just had one of the APs back to "normal operation" on the dashboard, and when I put it back into survey mode, 6Ghz was no longer functioning.

So I have no idea whats going on there.

I think we, moving forward, will run it in "DNA Persona" survey mode, that is now available, because that seems more "stable" (from some short testing we have done). 

[Radarspeed5]

have you set the relevant country code on the AP, once this is set then AP should show 5 & 6GHz as working, also dont forget the 6GHz to a PSC channel.

[thomasthomsen]

Yep ... as mentioned.

Worked fine for a long time, where we of course had it connected to the dashboard to start with just to get new firmware and so on , then in survey mode (offline) works. Recently we had it connected back to the same dashboard , same network (and of course same country code) .. now , back in survey mode, nothing on 6Ghz ... it is very strange. We have decided to convert back to "DNA persona" and run them there in the "DNA Persona" survey mode.