FortiWiFi and FortiAP-6.4.3-Configuration Guide
FortiWiFi and FortiAP-6.4.3-Configuration Guide
FortiWiFi and FortiAP-6.4.3-Configuration Guide
Version 6.4.3
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Feb 1, 2021
FortiWiFi and FortiAP 6.4.3 Configuration Guide
01-643-623275-20210201
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Change log 8
What's new in this release 9
Introduction 10
Wireless network equipment 10
FortiAP units 10
FortiGate units 10
FortiWiFi units 11
Wireless management topologies 11
Integrated wireless management 11
Cloud AP management 12
Dedicated wireless controller 12
Related products for wireless networks 12
FortiPlanner 12
FortiManager 13
FortiAnalyzer 13
Wireless network configuration 14
SSIDs on FortiWiFi units 15
Reserved VLAN IDs 15
Wireless network configuration tasks 16
Setting your geographic location 17
Creating a FortiAP profile 17
Defining a wireless network interface (SSID) 21
Configuring DHCP for WiFi clients 24
Configuring security 25
WPA-Personal security 25
WPA-Enterprise security 27
Captive portal security 28
Adding a MAC filter 30
Limiting the number of clients 32
Enabling multicast enhancement 32
Enabling IGMP Snooping 33
Defining SSID groups 33
Configuring dynamic user VLAN assignment 33
VLAN assignment by RADIUS 34
VLAN assignment by VLAN pool 35
Configuring user authentication 37
WPA2 Enterprise authentication 37
WiFi single sign-on (WSSO) authentication 38
Assigning WiFi users to VLANs dynamically 38
MAC-based authentication 39
Authenticating guest WiFi users 39
Configuring firewall policies for the SSID 40
Configuring the built-in access point on a FortiWiFi unit 41
Enforcing UTM policies on a local bridge SSID 41
2020-11-17 Update DARRP scheduling commands in Creating a FortiAP profile on page 17.
2020-11-30 Update DRMA explanation in Enabling Dynamic Radio Mode Assignment (DRMA) on page
103.
2020-12-08 Update ARRP profile configuration in Creating a FortiAP profile on page 17.
2021-02-01 Update instructions for adding a MAC filter in Configuring security on page 25.
This guide describes how to configure a wireless network and access points using FortiGate (or FortiWiFi) units and
FortiAP units.
FortiAP units
FortiAP units are thin wireless access points (AP) supporting the latest Wi-Fi technologies (multi-user MIMO 802.11ac
Wave 1 and Wave 2, 4x4) as well as 802.11n, and the demand for plug and play deployment. FortiAP units come in
various form factors (desktop, indoor, outdoor, or wall jack). Indoor and outdoor units can have internal or external
antennas.
For large deployments, some FortiAP models support a mesh mode of operation in which control and data backhaul
traffic between APs and the controller are carried on a dedicated wireless network. Users can roam seamlessly from one
AP to another.
In dual-radio models, each radio can function as an AP or as a dedicated monitor. The monitoring function is also
available during AP operation, subject to traffic levels.
FortiAP, FortiAP-C, FortiAP-S, FortiAP-W2, and FortiAP-U units are available in a variety of models to address specific
use cases and management modes. For detailed information about the various models currently available, see the
Fortinet website.
For assistance in choosing an AP, visit the AP product selector.
FortiGate units
A FortiGate unit is an industry leading enterprise firewall. In addition to consolidating all the functions of a network
firewall, IPS, anti-malware, VPN, WAN optimization, Web filtering, and application control in a single platform,
FortiGate also has an integrated Wi-Fi controller. With this integrated Wi-Fi controller, a FortiGate unit can configure
and manage access points such as FortiAP, FortiAP-C, FortiAP-S, FortiAP-W2, and FortiAP-U units.
For detailed information about FortiGate models currently available, see the Fortinet website.
FortiWiFi units
or
l Connect to another wireless network. This is called Client mode. A FortiWiFi unit operating in client mode can only
have one wireless interface.
or
l Monitor access points within radio range. This is called Monitoring mode. You can designate the detected access
points as Accepted or Rogue for tracking purposes. No access point or client operation is possible in this mode.
However, you can enable monitoring as a background activity while the unit is in Access Point mode.
For detailed information about FortiWiFi models currently available, see the Fortinet website.
This section includes the following three topologies available for the management of access points:
l Integrated wireless management on page 11
l Cloud AP management on page 12
l Dedicated wireless controller on page 12
Cloud AP management
FortiAP Cloud offers management capabilities for standalone FortiAPs that scale from individual organizations
managing a handful of APs, to large enterprises managing several thousand APs. FortiAP Cloud allows you to provision,
monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize your FortiAP deployment through a simple, intuitive, and easy-to-use cloud
interface that is accessible from anywhere. With zero-touch deployment options, FortiAP Cloud eliminates the need for
costly on-site technical expertise. A FortiAP Cloud license key ships with each FortiAP, allowing an administrator to
quickly add APs to the service.
With the FortiAP Cloud provisioning and management portal, you can manage and configure FortiAP, FortiAP-C,
FortiAP-S, FortiAP-W2, and FortiAP-U units.
For more details about FortiAP Cloud, see the FortiAP Cloud documentation.
Some wireless deployments require high mobility with high performance and the Fortinet Wireless Controller can
provide enterprise-class secure Wi-Fi to large and high-density environments. Dedicated WLAN controllers deliver
seamless mobility, quick deployment, and easy capacity expansion with radio frequency virtualization for large numbers
of access points.
The FortiWLC (wireless LAN controller) and FortiWLM (wireless LAN manager) platforms deliver seamless mobility and
superior reliability with optimized client distribution and channel utilization. Both single- and multi-channel deployment
options are supported, maximizing efficiency to make the most of available wireless spectrum.
The FortiWLC platform can manage FortiAP-U units.
For more details about the FortiWLC dedicated wireless LAN controller platform, see the FortiWLC and FortiWLM
documentation.
FortiPlanner
FortiPlanner provides a simple and intuitive user interface to help you with wireless LAN planning. FortiPlanner makes
sure of a successful deployment with features such as the ability to import floor plans, select the type of AP and
automatically calculate the required AP number and their placement. The built-in reporting automatically creates a
complete plan along with the number of FortiAP units required and the exact stock keeping unit (SKU) codes for
ordering.
For more information about FortiPlanner, see the Fortinet website and FortiPlanner documentation.
FortiManager
FortiManager is the full-featured central management solution for Fortinet products. To centrally manage wireless
networks, FortiManager includes the following features:
l Global wireless management and monitoring
l Centralized SSID and radio policy configuration
l Centralized AP firmware upgrades
l Centralized rogue AP suppression
For more details about FortiManager, see the Fortinet website and FortiManager documentation.
FortiAnalyzer
FortiAnalyzer delivers critical insight into threats across the entire attack surface and provides instant visibility, situation
awareness, real-time threat intelligence and actionable analytics, along with Network Operation Center and Security
Operation Center (NOC-SOC) security analysis and operations perspective for the Fortinet Security Fabric.
FortiAnalyzer provides the following features:
l Centralized logs, searches, and reports
l Automated indicators of compromise (IOC)
l Real-time and historical views into network activity
l Advanced compliance reporting
For more details about FortiAnalyzer, see the Fortinet website and FortiAnalyzer documentation.
When working with a FortiGate WiFi controller, you can configure your wireless network before you install any access
points. If you are working with a standalone FortiWiFi unit, the access point hardware is already present but the
configuration is quite similar. Both are covered in this section.
The FortiGate WiFi controller configuration is composed of three types of object: the SSID, the AP Profile and the
physical Access Point.
l An SSID (service set identifier) defines a virtual wireless network interface, including security settings. One SSID is
sufficient for a wireless network, regardless how many physical access points are provided. However, you may want
to create multiple SSIDs to provide different services or privileges to different groups of users. Each SSID has
separate firewall policies and authentication. Each radio in an access point can support up to eight SSIDs.
A more common use of the term SSID is for the identifier that clients must use to connect to the wireless network.
Each SSID (wireless interface) that you configure will have an SSID field for this identifier. In Managed Access
Point configurations, you choose wireless networks by SSID values. In firewall policies, you choose wireless
interfaces by their SSID name.
l An AP Profile defines the radio settings, such as band (802.11n for example) and channel selection. The
AP Profile identifies the SSIDs to which it applies. Managed APs can use automatic profile settings or the settings
of the AP profiles that you create.
l Managed Access Points represent local wireless APs on FortiWiFi units and FortiAP units that the FortiGate unit
has discovered. There is one managed access point definition for each AP device. An access point definition can
use automatic AP profile settings or select a FortiAP Profile. When automatic profile settings are used, the
managed AP definition also selects the SSIDs to be carried on the AP.
FortiWiFi units have a default SSID (wireless interface) named wlan. You can modify or delete this SSID as needed. As
with external APs, the built-in wireless AP can be configured to carry any SSID.
The AP settings for the built-in wireless access point are located at WiFi & Switch Controller > Local WiFi Radio.
The available operational settings are the same as those for external access points which are configured at WiFi &
Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs.
The following table lists the VLAN IDs reserved for internal use only. Do not use those VLAN IDs in FAP management
VLAN, SSID static VLAN, and dynamically assigned VLAN.
On FortiGate model 30D, GUI configuration of the WiFi controller is disabled by default. To
enable it, enter the following CLI commands:
config system global
set gui-wireless-controller enable
end
The WiFi and Switch Controllers are enabled through the Feature Store (under System >
Feature Visibility). However, they are separately enabled and configured to display in the
GUI via the CLI.
To enable both WiFi and Switch Controllers, enter the following CLI commands:
config system global
set wireless-controller enable
set switch-controller enable
end
To enable the GUI display for both controllers, enter the following CLI commands::
config system settings
set gui-wireless-controller enable
set gui-switch-controller enable
end
The maximum allowed transmitter power and permitted radio channels for WiFi networks depend on the region in which
the network is located. By default, the WiFi controller is configured for the United States. If you are located in any other
region, set your geographic location before you begin the wireless network configuration.
To see the list of country codes, enter a question mark (‘?’) instead of a country code.
Before changing the country setting, you must remove all FortiAP Profiles. To do this, go to
WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles.
To view all country and region codes, and regulatory domains - CLI
The following CLI command can be entered to view a list of the country and region codes, and regulatory domains
supported by Fortinet:
cw_diag -c all-countries
Below is a table showing a sample of the list displayed by entering this command:
A FortiAP profile defines radio settings for a particular platform (FortiAP model). The profile also selects which SSIDs
(virtual APs) the APs will carry. FortiAP units contain two or more radio transceivers, making it possible to provide both
2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n and 5 GHz 802.11a/n service from the same access point. The radios can also be used for
monitoring accepted or rogue APs through the Rogue AP detection feature.
You can modify existing FortiAP profiles or create new ones of your own.
WIDS Profile Optionally, select a Wireless Intrusion Detection (WIDS) profile. See Wireless
network protection on page 105.
Radio Resource Select to enable the distributed radio resource provisioning (DARRP) feature.
Provision This feature measures utilization and interference on the available channels
and selects the clearest channel at each access point. The measurement can
be repeated periodically to respond to changing conditions.
Band Select the wireless protocols that you want to support. The available choices
depend on the radio’s capabilities. Where multiple protocols are supported,
the letter suffixes are combined: “802.11g/b” means 802.11g and 802.11b.
Note that on two-radio units such as the FortiAP-221C it is not possible to put
both radios on the same band.
Short Guard Select to enable the short guard interval for 802.11ac or 802.11n on 5 GHz.
Interval
Channels Select the channel or channels to include. The available channels depend on
which IEEE wireless protocol you selected in Band. By default, all available
channels are enabled.
range between 1 and 20 for both the lower and upper limits.
l Manual – the TX Power is set by default to 100% of the maximum
power permitted in your region. To change the level, drag the slider.
TX Power Specify either the minimum and maximum TX power levels in dBm or as a
percentage.
radio.
l Bridge – available bridge-mode SSIDs are automatically assigned to this
radio.
l Manual – manually select which available SSIDs and SSID groups to
Radio 1 settings are the same as Radio 2 settings except for the options for Channel.
Radio 2 settings are available only for FortiAP models with dual radios.
8. Click OK.
This example configures a FortiAP-220B to carry all SSIDs on Radio 1 but only SSID example_wlan on Radio 2.
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit guest_prof
config platform
set type 220B
end
config radio-1
set mode ap
set band 802.11g
set vap-all enable
end
config radio-2
set mode ap
set band 802.11g
set vaps example_wlan
end
end
To prevent interference between APs, the FortiOS WiFi Controller includes the Distributed Automatic Radio Resource
Provisioning (DARRP) feature. Through DARRP, each FortiAP unit autonomously and periodically determines the
channel that is best suited for wireless communications. FortiAP units to select their channel so that they do not
interfere with each other in large-scale deployments where multiple access points have overlapping radio ranges.
In this example, DARRP is enabled for both radios in the FAP321C-default profile:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP321C-default
config radio-1
set darrp enable
end
config radio-2
set darrp enable
end
end
Channels are selected based on parameters including total RSSI, Noise Floor, Channel Load, Spectral RSSI, and more.
Each of those parameters are multiplied by a weight value assigned by default under the arrp-profile. Once you
enable DARRP under radio, the default arrp-profile takes effect.
DARRP periodically runs based on the "darrp-optimize" timer within active schedules. By default, DARRP runs
once a day (every 86400 seconds) from 1:00am to 1:30am, 7 days a week (recurring). You can change the timer and
select up to 16 schedules in the CLI.
FortiOS provides the following default settings:
config firewall schedule recurring
edit "default-darrp-optimize"
set start 01:00
set end 01:30
set day sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
next
end
end
You begin configuring your wireless network by defining one or more SSIDs to which your users can connect. When you
create an SSID, a virtual network interface is also created with the Name you specified in the SSID configuration.
If a software switch interface contains an SSID (but only one), the WiFi SSID settings are
available in the switch interface settings.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and select Create New > SSID.
2. Fill in the SSID fields as described below.
1. Either
l Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID .
or
l Go to Network > Interfaces.
WiFi interfaces list the SSID beside the interface Name.
2. Edit the SSID fields, as needed.
SSID fields
Traffic Mode Tunnel — (Tunnel to Wireless Controller) Data for WLAN passes through WiFi Controller.
This is the default.
Bridge — (Local bridge with FortiAP Interface) FortiAP unit Ethernet and WiFi interfaces are
bridged.
Mesh — (Mesh Downlink) Radio receives data for WLAN from mesh backhaul SSID.
IP/Network Mask Enter the IP address and netmask for the SSID.
IPv6 Address Enter the IPv6 address. This is available only when IPv6 has been enabled on the unit.
Administrative Select which types of administrative access are permitted on this SSID.
Access
IPv6 Administrative If you have IPv6 addresses, select the permitted IPv6 administrative access types for this
Access SSID.
DHCP Server To assign IP addresses to clients, enable DHCP server. You can define IP address ranges for
a DHCP server on the FortiGate unit or relay DHCP requests to an external server.
If the unit is in transparent mode, the DHCP server settings will be unavailable.
For more information, see Configuring DHCP for WiFi clients on page 24.
WiFi Settings
SSID Enter the SSID. By default, this field contains fortinet.
Security Mode Select the security mode for the wireless interface. Wireless users must use the same
security mode to be able to connect to this wireless interface. Additional security mode
options are available in the CLI. For more information, see Configuring security on page 25.
WPA2-Personal with Captive Portal – The user will need to know the pre-shared key and
will also be authenticated through the custom portal.
User Groups Select permitted user groups for captive portal authentication.
Exempt List Select exempt lists whose members will not be subject to captive portal authentication.
Redirect after Optionally, select Specific URL and enter a URL for user redirection after captive portal
Captive Portal authentication. By default, users are redirected to the URL that they originally requested.
Allow New WiFi This option is available for local bridge SSIDs with WPA-Personal security. See Continued
Client Connections FortiAP operation when WiFi controller connection is down on page 87.
When Controller Is
Down
Broadcast SSID Optionally, disable broadcast of SSID. By default, the SSID is broadcast.
Schedule Select when the SSID is enabled. You can choose any schedule defined in Policy & Objects
> Objects > Schedules.
Block Intra-SSID Select to enable the unit to block intra-SSID traffic.
Traffic
Maximum Clients Select to limit the number of clients permitted to connect simultaneously. Enter the limit
value.
Split Tunneling Select to enable some subnets to remain local to the remote FortiAP. Traffic for these
networks is not routed through the WiFi Controller. Specify split-tunnel networks in the
FortiAP Profile. See Remote WLAN FortiAPs on page 89.
Optional VLAN ID Enter the ID of the VLAN this SSID belongs to. Enter 0 for non-VLAN operation. See
Reserved VLAN IDs on page 15.
Enable Explicit Select to enable explicit web proxy for the SSID.
Web Proxy
Listen for RADIUS Enable if you are using RADIUS-based single sign-on (SSO).
Accounting
Messages
Secondary IP Optionally, enable and define secondary IP addresses. Administrative access can be enabled
Address on secondary interfaces.
The example below creates an access point with SSID “example” and WPA2-Personal security. The wireless interface is
named example_wlan.
WiFi SSIDs include a schedule that determines when the WiFi network is available. The default schedule is Always. You
can choose any schedule (but not schedule group) that is defined in Policy & Objects > Objects > Schedules.
config wireless-controller vap
edit example_wlan
set ssid "example"
set broadcast-ssid enable
set security wpa2-only-personal
Wireless clients need to have IP addresses. If you use RADIUS authentication, each user’s IP address can be stored in
the Framed-IP-Address attribute. Otherwise, you need to configure a DHCP server on the WLAN interface to assign IP
addresses to wireless clients.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and edit your SSID entry.
2. In DHCP Server select Enable.
3. In Address Range, select Create New.
4. In the Starting IP and End IP fields, enter the IP address range to assign.
By default an address range is created in the same subnet as the wireless interface IP address, but not including
that address.
5. Set the Netmask to an appropriate value, such as 255.255.255.0.
6. Set the Default Gateway to Same as Interface IP.
7. Set the DNS Server to Same as System DNS.
8. If you want to restrict access to the wireless network by MAC address, see Adding a MAC filter on page 30.
9. Select OK.
In this example, WiFi clients on the example_wlan interface are assigned addresses in the 10.10.120.2-9 range to
connect with the WiFi access point on 10.10.120.1.
config system dhcp server
edit 0
set default-gateway 10.10.120.1
set dns-service default
set interface example_wlan
set netmask 255.255.255.0
config ip-range
edit 1
set end-ip 10.10.120.9
set start-ip 10.10.120.2
end
end
You cannot delete an SSID (wireless interface) that has DHCP enabled on it.
Configuring security
Captive portal security connects users to an open web portal defined in replacement messages. To navigate to any
location beyond the web portal, the user must pass FortiGate user authentication.
WPA-Personal security
WPA2-Personal security setup requires a pre-shared key (PSK) that you provide to clients. You can select between
creating a single PSK or batch generating multiple pre-shared keys (MPSK).
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and edit your SSID entry.
2. In Security Mode, select WPA2 Personal.
3. In Pre-shared Key, select Single as the PSK mode.
You can batch generate or import MPSK keys, export MPSK keys to a CSV file, dynamically assign VLANs based on
used MPSK, and apply an MPSK schedule in the GUI.
In the GUI, MPSK key entries are organized in different MPSK groups. An MPSK group can be created manually or
imported. When MPSK is enabled, the previous single passphrase is dropped and a dynamic VLAN is automatically
enabled.
In the CLI, an mpsk-profile is assigned in the VAP settings and MPSK is enabled. The dynamic VLAN is
automatically enabled. Only one MPSK profile can be assigned to one VAP at a time.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and edit your SSID entry.
2. In Security Mode, select WPA2 Personal.
3. In Pre-shared Key, select Multiple as the PSK mode.
4. In the table, click Add > Create Group.
5. Enter a group name and VLAN ID.
6. Configure the pre-shared key settings:
a. In the table, click Add > Generate Keys.
b. Configure the settings as needed and click OK.
7. Click OK to close the Pre-shared Key Group window.
8. Click OK.
You can go to WiFi & Switch Controller > WiFi Clients to view the MPSK name in the Pre-shared Key column.
next
end
next
edit "group-b"
set vlan-type fixed-vlan
set vlan-id 20
config mpsk-key
edit "key-b-1"
set passphrase ENC
set concurrent-client-limit-type unlimited
set mpsk-schedules "always"
next
end
next
end
next
end
2. Configure the VAP settings:
config wireless-controller vap
edit "wifi-mpsk"
set ssid "wifi-mpsk"
set local-bridging enable
set schedule "always"
set mpsk-profile "wifi-mpsk"
set dynamic-vlan enable
next
end
3. Verify the event log after the WiFi client is connected:
1: date=2020-07-10 time=16:57:20 logid="0104043573" type="event"
subtype="wireless" level="notice" vd="root" eventtime=1594425440439070726 tz="-
0700" logdesc="Wireless client authenticated" sn="FP423E3X16000320"
ap="FP423E3X16000320" vap="wifi-mpsk" ssid="wifi-mpsk" radioid=2 user="N/A"
group="N/A" stamac="3c:2e:ff:83:91:33" srcip=10.0.10.2 channel=144
radioband="802.11ac" signal=-52 snr=50 security="WPA2 Personal"
encryption="AES" action="client-authentication" reason="Reserved 0" mpsk="key-
a-1" msg="Client 3c:2e:ff:83:91:33 authenticated."
WPA-Enterprise security
If you will use FortiOS user groups for authentication, go to User & Device > User > User Groups and create those
groups first. The groups should be Firewall groups.
If you will use a RADIUS server to authenticate wireless clients, you must first configure the FortiGate unit to access the
RADIUS server.
3. a. In Primary Server area:
i. IP/Name — enter the network name or IP address for the server.
ii. Secret — enter the shared secret used to access the server.
4. Optionally, enter the information for a secondary or backup RADIUS server.
5. Select OK.
The CoA feature enables the FortiGate to receive a client disconnect message from the RADIUS server. This is used to
disconnect clients when their time, credit or bandwidth had been used up. Enable this on the RADIUS server using the
CLI:
config user radius
edit <name>
set radius-coa enable
end
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and edit your SSID entry.
2. In Security Mode, select WPA2 Enterprise.
3. In Authentication, do one of the following:
l If you will use a RADIUS server for authentication, select RADIUS Server and then select the RADIUS server.
l If you will use a local user group for authentication, select Local and then select the user group(s) permitted to
use the wireless network.
4. Select OK.
Captive portal security provides an access point that initially appears open. The wireless client can connect to the AP
with no security credentials. The AP responds to the client’s first HTTP request with a web page requesting user name
and password. Until the user enters valid credentials, no communication beyond the AP is permitted.
The captive portal can be hosted on the FortiGate unit, or externally. For details see
Configuring WiFi captive portal security - FortiGate captive portal on page 29
Configuring WiFi captive portal security - external server on page 29
For general information about captive portals, see the Captive Portal chapter of the Authentication Guide.
The built-in FortiGate captive portal is simpler than an external portal. It can even be customized if needed.
Portal Type The portal can provide authentication and/or disclaimer, or perform user email
address collection.
User Groups Select permitted user groups or select Use Groups from Policies, which
permits the groups specified in the security policy.
Exempt List Select exempt lists whose members will not be subject to captive portal
authentication.
Customize Portal Messages Click the link of the portal page that you want to modify. For more information
see the Captive Portal chapter of the Authentication Guide.
4. Select OK.
An external captive portal is a web page on a web server. The essential part of the web portal page is a script that
gathers the user’s logon credentials and sends back to the FortiGate a specifically-formatted POST message. The
portal page can also contain links to local information such as legal notices, terms of service and so on. Without
authenticating, the user cannot access any other information. This is sometimes called a “walled garden”.
On the captive portal page, the user submits credentials, which the script returns to the FortiGate at the URL
https://<FGT_IP>:1000/fgtauth with data
magic=session_id&username=<username>&password=<password>.
(The magic value was provided in the initial FortiGate request to the web server.)
To ensure that credentials are communicated securely, enable the use of HTTPS for authentication:
config user setting
set auth-secure-http enable
end
Portal Type The portal can provide authentication and/or disclaimer, or perform user email
address collection.
Authentication Portal External - enter the FQDN or IP address of the external portal. Typically, this
is the URL of a script. Do not include the protocol (http:// or https://) part of
the URL.
User Groups Select permitted user groups or select Use Groups from Policies, which
permits the groups specified in the security policy.
Exempt List Select exempt lists whose members will not be subject to captive portal
authentication.
4. Select OK.
On each SSID or FortiAP, you can create a MAC address filter list to either permit or exclude a list of clients identified by
their MAC addresses.
This is actually not as secure as it appears. Someone seeking unauthorized access to your network can obtain MAC
addresses from wireless traffic and use them to impersonate legitimate users. A MAC filter list should only be used in
conjunction with other security measures such as encryption.
To block a specific client from connecting to an SSID using a MAC filter - CLI
1. Create a wireless controller address with the client's MAC address, and set the policy to deny:
config wireless-controller address
edit "client_1"
set mac b4:ae:2b:cb:d1:72
set policy deny
next
end
2. Create a wireless controller address group using the above address and setting the default policy to allow:
config wireless-controller addrgrp
edit mac_grp
set addresses "client_1"
set default-policy allow
next
end
3. On the VAP, select the above address group:
config wireless-controller vap
edit wifi-vap
set ssid "Fortinet-psk"
set security wpa2-only-personal
set passphrase fortinet
set address-group "mac_grp"
next
end
The client's MAC address (b4:ae:2b:cb:d1:72 in this example) will be denied a connection to the SSID (Fortinet-psk),
but other clients (such as e0:33:8e:e9:65:01) will be allowed to connect.
1. Create a wireless controller address with the client's MAC address, and set the policy to allow:
config wireless-controller address
edit "client_1"
set mac b4:ae:2b:cb:d1:72
set policy allow
next
end
2. Create a wireless controller address group using the above address and setting the default policy to deny:
config wireless-controller addrgrp
edit mac_grp
set addresses "client_1"
set default-policy deny
next
end
3. On the VAP, select the above address group:
config wireless-controller vap
edit wifi-vap
set ssid "Fortinet-psk"
set security wpa2-only-personal
set passphrase fortinet
set address-group "mac_grp"
next
end
The client's MAC address (b4:ae:2b:cb:d1:73 in this example) will be allowed to connect to the SSID (Fortinet-psk), but
other clients (such as e0:33:8e:e9:65:01) will be denied a connection.
You can log in to the FortiAP CLI to see the list of denied MAC addresses with the following command:
cw_diag -c deny-mac-list
00:09:11:ef:37:67
---------------Total 1 MAC entries----------------
You can also see the denied event recorded from the FortiGate wireless event log.
You might want to prevent overloading of your access point by limiting the number of clients who can associate with it at
the same time. Limits can be applied per SSID, per AP, or per radio.
FortiOS can translate multicast traffic into unicast traffic to send to clients, maintaining its own multicast client through
IGMP snooping. You can configure this in the CLI:
config wireless-controller vap
edit example_wlan
set multicast-enhance enable
set me-disable-thresh 32
end
If the number of clients on the SSID is larger than me-disable-thresh, multicast enhancement is disabled.
IGMP snooping on SSID can prevent WiFi clients and hosts from receiving traffic for a multicast group they have not
explicitly joined. Upon detecting clients' multicast group IDs, FortiAPs join the corresponding multicast groups and the
controller sends multicast packets to only CAPWAP multicast groups. Thus, the controller can prune multicast traffic
from managed APs that do not contain a multicast listener (an IGMP client).
Optionally, you can define SSID groups. An SSID group has SSIDs as members and can be specified just like an SSID in
a FortiAP Profile.
Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and select Create New > SSID Group. Give the group a Name and
choose Members (SSIDs, but not SSID groups).
Clients connecting to the WiFi network can be assigned to a VLAN. You can do this with RADIUS attributes when the
user authenticates or with VLAN pooling when the client associates with a particular FortiAP. You cannot use both of
these methods at the same time.
You can assign each individual user to a VLAN based on information stored in the RADIUS authentication server. If the
user’s RADIUS record does not specify a VLAN ID, the user is assigned to the default VLAN for the SSID.
The RADIUS user attributes used for the VLAN ID assignment are:
IETF 81 (Tunnel-Private-Group-ID) 1–4094 One VLAN ID per user. See Reserved VLAN IDs on
page 15.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID, select Create New > SSID and enter:
Authentication RADIUS Server. Select the RADIUS server that you configured.
2. Select OK.
3. Enable dynamic VLAN in the CLI. Optionally, you can also assign a VLAN ID to set the default VLAN for users
without a VLAN assignment. See Reserved VLAN IDs on page 15.
config wireless-controller vap
edit dynamic_vlan_ssid
set dynamic-vlan enable
set vlanid 10
end
Platform The FortiAP model you are using. If you use more than one model of FortiAP,
you will need a FortiAP Profile for each model.
SSID Select the SSID you created (example dynamic_vlan_ssid). Do not add other
SSIDs.
Addressing mode Select Manual and enter the IP address / Network Mask for the virtual
interface.
DHCP Server Enable and then select Create New to create an address range.
3. Select OK.
4. Repeat the preceding steps to create other VLANs as needed.
Security policies determine which VLANs can communicate with which other interfaces. These are the simple Firewall
Address policy without authentication. Users are assigned to the appropriate VLAN when they authenticate.
VLAN assignment by VLAN pool
In an SSID, you can define a VLAN pool. As clients associate to an AP, they are assigned to a VLAN. A VLAN pool can
l assign a specific VLAN based on the AP's FortiAP group, usually for network configuration reasons, or
l assign one of several available VLANs for network load balancing purposes (tunnel mode SSIDs only)
See Reserved VLAN IDs on page 15.
In this example, VLAN 101, 102, or 103 is assigned depending on the AP's FortiAP group.
config wireless-controller vap
edit wlan
set vlan-pooling wtp-group
config vlan-pool
edit 101
set wtp-group wtpgrp1
next
edit 102
set wtp-group wtpgrp2
next
edit 101
set wtp-group wtpgrp3
end
end
end
Load balancing
There are two VLAN pooling methods used for load balancing:
The choice of VLAN can be based on any one of the following criteria:
l round-robin - from the VLAN pool, choose the VLAN with the smallest number of clients
l hash - choose a VLAN from the VLAN pool based on a hash of the current number of SSID clients and the number
of entries in the VLAN pool
If the VLAN pool contains no valid VLAN ID, the SSID's static VLAN ID setting is used.
In this example, VLAN 101, 102, or 103 is assigned using the round-robin method:
config wireless-controller vap
edit wlan
set vlan-pooling round-robin
config vlan-pool
edit 101
next
edit 102
next
edit 103
end
end
end
In this example, VLAN 101, 102, or 103 is assigned using the hash method:
config wireless-controller vap
edit wlan
set vlan-pooling hash
config vlan-pool
edit 101
next
edit 102
next
edit 103
end
end
end
You can perform user authentication when the wireless client joins the wireless network and when the wireless user
communicates with another network through a firewall policy. WEP and WPA-Personal security rely on legitimate users
knowing the correct key or passphrase for the wireless network. The more users you have, the more likely it is that the
key or passphrase will become known to unauthorized people. WPA-Enterprise and captive portal security provide
separate credentials for each user. User accounts can be managed through FortiGate user groups or an external
RADIUS authentication server.
WPA2 Enterprise authentication
Enterprise authentication can be based on the local FortiGate user database or on a remote RADIUS server. Local
authentication is essentially the same for WiFi users as it is for wired users, except that authentication for WiFi users
occurs when they associate their device with the AP. Therefore, enterprise authentication must be configured in the
SSID. WiFi users can belong to user groups just the same as wired users and security policies will determine which
network services they can access.
If your WiFi network uses WPA2 Enterprise authentication verified by a RADIUS server, you need to configure the
FortiGate unit to connect to that RADIUS server.
To implement WPA2 Enterprise security, you select this server in the SSID security settings. See Defining a wireless
network interface (SSID) on page 21.
To use the RADIUS server for authentication, you can create individual FortiGate user accounts that specify the
authentication server instead of a password, and you then add those accounts to a user group. Or, you can add the
authentication server to a FortiGate user group, making all accounts on that server members of the user group.
Most wireless networks require authenticated access. To enable creation of firewall policies specific to WiFi users, you
should create at least one WiFi user group. You can add or remove users later. There are two types of user group to
consider:
l A Firewall user group can contain user accounts stored on the FortiGate unit or external authentication servers such
as RADIUS that contain and verify user credentials.
l A Fortinet single sign-on (FSSO) user group is used for integration with Windows Active Directory or Novell
eDirectory. The group can contain Windows or Novell user groups who will be permitted access to the wireless LAN.
WSSO is RADIUS-based authentication that passes the user's user group memberships to the FortiGate. For each user,
the RADIUS server must provide user group information in the Fortinet-Group-Name attribute. This information is
stored in the server's database. After the user authenticates, security policies provide access to network services based
on user groups.
1. Configure the RADIUS server to return the Fortinet-Group-Name attribute for each user.
2. Configure the FortiGate to access the RADIUS server, as described in WPA2 Enterprise authentication on page 37.
3. Create firewall user groups on the FortiGate with the same names as the user groups listed in the RADIUS
database. Leave the groups empty.
4. In the SSID choose WPA2-Enterprise authentication. In the Authentication field, select RADIUS Server and
choose the RADIUS server that you configured.
5. Create security policies as needed, using user groups (Source User(s) field) to control access.
When a user authenticates by WSSO, the Firewall Users widget (Dashboard > Users & Device) shows the
authentication method as WSSO.
Some enterprise networks use Virtual LANs (VLANs) to separate traffic. In this environment, to extend network access
to WiFi users might appear to require multiple SSIDs. But it is possible to automatically assign each user to their
appropriate VLAN from a single SSID. To accomplish this requires RADIUS authentication that passes the appropriate
VLAN ID to the FortiGate by RADIUS attributes. Each user’s VLAN assignment is stored in the user database of the
RADIUS server.
1. Configure the RADIUS server to return the following attributes for each user:
Tunnel-Type (value: VLAN)
Tunnel-Medium-Type (value: IEEE-802)
Tunnel_Private-Group-Id (value: the VLAN ID for the user's VLAN)
2. Configure the FortiGate to access the RADIUS server.
3. Configure the SSID with WPA2-Enterprise authentication. In the Authentication field, select RADIUS Server
and choose the RADIUS server that you will use.
4. Create VLAN subinterfaces on the SSID interface, one for each VLAN. Set the VLAN ID of each as appropriate. You
can do this on the Network > Interfaces page.
5. Enable Dynamic VLAN assignment for the SSID. For example, if the SSID interface is "office", enter:
config wireless-controller vap
edit office
set dynamic-vlan enable
end
6. Create security policies for each VLAN. These policies have a WiFi VLAN subinterface as Incoming Interface and
allow traffic to flow to whichever Outgoing Interface these VLAN users will be allowed to access.
MAC-based authentication
Wireless clients can also be authenticated by MAC address. A RADIUS server stores the allowed MAC address for each
client and the wireless controller checks the MAC address independently of other authentication methods.
MAC-based authentication must be configured in the CLI. In the following example, MAC-based authentication is
added to an existing access point “vap1” to use RADIUS server hq_radius (configured on the FortiGate):
config wireless-controller vap
edit vap1
set radius-mac-auth enable
set radius-mac-auth-server hq_radius
end
The FortiOS Guest Management feature enables you to easily add guest accounts to your FortiGate unit. These
accounts are authenticate guest WiFi users for temporary access to a WiFi network managed by a FortiGate unit.
To implement guest access, you need to
1. Go to User & Device > User Groups and create one or more guest user groups.
2. Go to User & Device > Guest Management to create guest accounts. You can print the guest account
credentials or send them to the user as an email or SMS message.
3. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and configure your WiFi SSID to use captive portal authentication.
Select the guest user group(s) that you created.
Guest users can log into the WiFi captive portal with their guest account credentials until the account expires.
For users on the WiFi LAN to communicate with other networks, firewall policies are required. This section describes
creating a WiFi network to Internet policy.
Before you create firewall policies, you need to define any firewall addresses you will need.
Interface Select the interface where this address is used. For example, example_wifi.
Both FortiGate and FortiWiFi units have the WiFi controller feature. If you configure a WiFi network on a FortiWiFi unit,
you can also use the built-in wireless capabilities in your WiFi network as one of the access points.
If Virtual Domains are enabled, you must select the VDOM to which the built-in access point belongs. You do this in the
CLI. For example:
config wireless-controller global
set local-radio-vdom vdom1
end
If a bridge mode SSID is configured for a managed FortiAP-S (or smart FortiAP), you can add a security profile group to
the wireless controller configuration that allows you to apply the following security profile features to the traffic over the
bridge SSID:
l AntiVirus (including botnet protection)
l Intrusion Prevention
l Application Control
l Web Filter
1. For this configuration to work, you must go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and enable the Security
profile group option on the bridge mode SSID assigned to the FortiAP Profile for your smart FortiAP.
2. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Security Profile Groups. Select Create New or edit the wifi-default
profile.
3. Enable or disable Logging.
4. Enable or disable Scan Botnets. This option is enabled by default. If you enable this option, select Blocked or
Monitor. The default is Monitor.
5. Under Security Profiles, you can enable or disable the AntiVirus, Web Filter, Application Control, and
Intrusion Prevention profiles. To view available profiles, click the down arrow. The defaults for these options are
wifi-default.
You configure security profile groups on managed smart FortiAPs by using the config wireless-controller
utm-profile command. Then, you can assign a security profile group by using the set utm-profile command
under config wirelesscontroller vap, after local-bridging is set to enable.
Note that the default utm-profile, named wifi-default, has all applicable options within the command set to
wifi-default.
To view all available profiles that you can assign, type "?". For example, "set ips-sensor ?".
config wireless-controller utm-profile
edit <name>
set comment <comment>
set utm-log {enable | disable}
set ips-sensor <name>
set application-list <name>
set antivirus-profile <name>
set webfilter-profile <name>
set scan-botnet-connections {disable | block | monitor}
next
end
To debug the wireless-controller configurations related to security profile groups, use the following
diagnose command:
This section describes how to configure access points for your wireless network.
FortiAP units discover WiFi controllers. The administrator of the WiFi controller authorizes the FortiAP units that the
controller can manage.
In most cases, FortiAP units can find WiFi controllers through the wired Ethernet without any special configuration.
Review the Network topology of managed APs on page 44 section to make sure that your method of connecting the
FortiAP unit to the WiFi controller is valid. Then, you are ready to follow the procedures in Discovery and authorization of
APs on page 46.
If your FortiAP units are unable to find the WiFi controller, refer to Advanced WiFi controller discovery on page 57 for
detailed information about the FortiAP unit controller discovery methods and how you can configure them.
The FortiAP unit can be connected to the FortiGate unit in any of the following ways:
l Direct connection: The FortiAP unit is directly connected to the FortiGate unit with no switches between them.
This configuration is common for locations where the number of FortiAPs matches the number of internal ports
available on the FortiGate. In this configuration, the FortiAP unit requests an IP address from the FortiGate unit,
enters discovery mode and quickly finds the FortiGate WiFi controller. This configuration is also known as a
wirecloset deployment.
l Switched connection: The FortiAP unit is connected to the FortiGate WiFi controller by an Ethernet switch
operating in L2 switching mode or L3 routing mode. There must be a routable path between the FortiAP unit and
the FortiGate unit and ports 5246 and 5247 must be open. This configuration is also known as a gateway
deployment.
l Connection over WAN: The FortiGate WiFi controller is off-premises and connected by a VPN tunnel to a local
FortiGate. In this method of connectivity, it's best to configure each FortiAP with the static IP address of the WiFi
controller. Each FortiAP can be configured with three WiFi controller IP addresses for redundant failover. This
configuration is also known as a data center remote management deployment.
Connection-over-WAN deployment
To complete the discovery and authorization of APs, perform the following tasks:
l Configuring the network interface for the AP unit on page 47
l Pre-authorizing a FortiAP unit on page 48
l Enabling and configuring a discovered AP on page 48
l Disabling the automatic discovery of unknown FortiAPs on page 49
l Enabling the automatic authorization of extension devices on page 49
l Assigning the same FortiAP profile to multiple FortiAP units on page 49
l Overriding the FortiAP profile on page 50
The interface to which you connect your wireless access point needs an IP address. No administrative access, DNS
Query service or authentication should be enabled.
In this example, the FortiAP units connect to port3 and are controlled through IP addresses on the 10.10.70.0/24
network.
1. Go to Network > Interfaces, and edit the interface to which the AP unit connects (in this example, port3).
2. In Addressing mode, select Manual.
3. In IP/Network Mask, enter an IP address and netmask for the interface (in this example,
10.10.70.1/255.255.255.0).
4. In the Administrative Access section, go to IPv4 and select the Security Fabric Connection checkbox.
5. When FortiAP units are connected to the interface on FortiGate (directly or through a switch), you can go to the Edit
Interface section and set the Role to LAN .
Selecting the LAN role loads the DHCP Server toggle. If you enable DHCP Server, the GUI can automatically set
the DHCP IP range based on the interface IP address.
6. Click OK.
In the CLI, you must configure the interface IP address and DHCP server separately.
config system interface
edit "port3"
set mode static
set ip 10.10.70.1 255.255.255.0
set allowaccess fabric
next
end
config system dhcp server
edit 3
set interface "port3"
config ip-range
edit 1
set start-ip 10.10.70.2
set end-ip 10.10.70.254
next
end
set default-gateway 10.10.70.1
set netmask 255.255.255.0
set vci-match enable
set vci-string "FortiAP"
next
end
The optional vci-match and vci-string fields ensure that the DHCP server will provide IP addresses only to
FortiAP units.
If you enter the FortiAP unit information in advance, the unit is authorized and begins to function when it is connected.
1. Connect the FortiAP unit to the FortiGate unit. Within two minutes, the WiFi & Switch Controller >
Managed FortiAPs page displays the discovered FortiAP unit.
2. Select the FortiAP unit, right-click and select Authorize.
When you authorize (enable) a FortiAP unit, it is configured by default to use the default FortiAP profile (determined by
model). You can create and select a different profile, if needed. The FortiAP profile defines the entire configuration for
the AP.
First get a list of the discovered access point unit serial numbers:
get wireless-controller wtp
edit FAP22A3U10600118
set admin enable
set wtp-profile AP-profile1
end
The join-time field should show a time, not “N/A”. See the preceding GUI procedure for more information.
By default, FortiGate adds newly discovered FortiAPs to the Managed FortiAPs list, awaiting the administrator's
authorization. Optionally, you can disable this automatic registration function to avoid adding unknown FortiAPs. A
FortiAP will be registered and listed only if its serial number has already been added manually to the Managed FortiAPs
list. AP registration is configured on each interface.
To disable automatic discovery and registration, enter the following command:
config system interface
edit port15
set ap-discover disable
end
To simplify adding FortiAP or FortiSwitch devices to your network, you can enable automatic authorization of devices as
they are connected, instead of authorizing each one individually.
This feature is only configurable in the CLI.
The same profile can now be applied to multiple managed FortiAP units at the same time. To do this, do the following:
In the FortiAP configuration WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs, there are several radio settings under
Override Radio 1 and Override Radio 2. You can choose to set a value independently of the FortiAP profile setting.
When each of the radios are disabled, you will see what the FortiAP Profile has each of the settings configured to.
Band The available options depend on the capability of the radio. Overriding Band also
overrides Channels. Make appropriate settings in Channels.
TX Power Control If you enable Auto, adjust to set the power range in dBm.
If you enable Manual, adjust the slider. The 100% setting is the maximum power
permitted in your region. See Setting your geographic location on page 17.
SSIDs Select Auto or Manual. Selecting Auto eliminates the need to re-edit the profile when
new SSIDs are created. However, you can still select SSIDs individually using Manual.
In this example, Radio 1 is set to 802.11n on channel 11, regardless of the profile setting.
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FP221C3X14019926
config radio-1
set override-band enable
set band 802.11n
set override-channel enable
set channel 11
end
You can override settings for band, channel, vaps (SSIDs), and TX power.
Outside of configuring radio settings, you can also override FortiAP LED state, WAN port mode, IP Fragmentation
prevention method, spectrum analysis, split tunneling, and login password settings.
After authorizing a FortiAP, you can resister that FortiAP to FortiCloud directly from the FortiGate GUI.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs.
2. Select the FortiAP unit you want to register.
3. Right-click and select Registration.
This section explains how to access the FortiAP CLI through the FortiAP Ethernet port or the FortiGate.
The FortiAP unit has a CLI through which some configuration options can be set.
1. Connect your computer to the FortiAP Ethernet interface, either directly with a cross-over cable or through a
separate switch or hub.
2. Change your computer IP address to 192.168.1.3
3. Using SSH, connect to IP address 192.168.1.2.
4. Ensure that FortiAP is in a private network with no DHCP server for the static IP address to be accessible.
5. Login with user name admin and no password.
6. Enter commands, as needed.
7. Optionally, use the passwd command to assign an administrative password for better security.
8. Save the configuration by entering the following command:
cfg –c .
9. Unplug the FortiAP and then plug it back in, in order for the configuration to take effect.
After the FortiAP has been installed, physical access to the unit can be inconvenient. You can access the FortiAP CLI of
a connected FortiAP unit through the FortiGate unit that controls it.
To facilitate the initial deployment, you can reset FortiAP to enter the Configuration mode. With your Wi-Fi device, you
can access the FortiAP Configuration mode GUI, and then configure FortiAP.
l The transmit power for the broadcasted SSID is tuned down to 1 dBm on each radio, so the broadcasted SSID can
only be connected to from a nearby location.
l FortiAP automatically exits the Configuration mode after 30 minutes or if you reboot FortiAP.
FortiAP enters the Configuration mode when you hold the reset button for 5 to 10 seconds while FortiAP is booted up.
Reset button behavior
5 to 10 Configuration mode
8. To exit the Configuration mode, go to the admin menu at the top-right corner and click Reboot.
You can view and upgrade the FortiAP unit firmware from the FortiGate unit that acts as its WiFi controller.
To view the list of FortiAP units that the FortiGate unit manages, go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed
FortiAPs. The OS Version column shows the current firmware version running on each AP.
You can upgrade the FortiAP firmware using either the GUI or the CLI. Only the CLI method can update all FortiAP units
at once.
You can connect to a FortiAP unit’s internal CLI to update its firmware from a TFTP server on the same network. This
method does not require access to the wireless controller.
A FortiAP unit can use any of six methods to locate a controller. By default, FortiAP units cycle through all six of the
discovery methods. In most cases there is no need to make configuration changes on the FortiAP unit.
There are exceptions. The following section describes the WiFi controller discovery methods in more detail and provides
information about configuration changes you might need to make so that discovery will work.
There are six methods that a FortiAP unit can use to discover a WiFi controller. Below is the list of AP Controller (AC)
discovery methods used in sequence, if the FortiAP discovery type is set to auto:
1(static) → 2(dhcp) → 3(dns) → 7(fortiapcloud) → 5(multicast) → 6(broadcast)
For every discovery type, FortiAP sends out discovery requests and sets a timer, an interval defined as a random
number of seconds (between 2 and 180, default is 5 seconds), which is set via the CLI:
CLI syntax
After the timeout is reached, FortiAP sends out another discovery request, up to a maximum of 3 times.
After about 3 - 15 seconds, if FortiAP has no AC connection, it will switch to another discovery type and repeat the above
process until the last one (broadcast) fails, which will lead to SULKING state.
After about 30 seconds, FortiAP will go into an AC_IP_DISCVER state. After the AC IP is found, it will go to IDLE state,
and will eventually go to the DISCOVERY state, and repeat the above process again.
Note that, while the process above is showcasing the auto discovery method, it's recommended to set the AC_
DISCOVERY_TYPE to your used method in order to reduce downtime.
Static IP configuration
If FortiAP and the controller are not in the same subnet, broadcast and multicast packets cannot reach the controller.
The admin can specify the controller’s static IP on the AP unit. The AP unit sends a discovery request message in
unicast to the controller. Routing must be properly configured in both directions.
cfg –a AC_IPADDR_1="192.168.0.100"
By default, the FortiAP unit receives its IP address, netmask, and gateway address by DHCP. If you prefer, you can
assign these statically.
cfg -a ADDR_MODE=STATIC
cfg –a AP_IPADDR="192.168.0.100"
cfg -a AP_NETMASK="255.255.255.0"
cfg –a IPGW=192.168.0.1
cfg -c
For information about connecting to the FortiAP CLI, see FortiAP CLI access on page 51.
DHCP
If you use DHCP to assign an IP address to your FortiAP unit, you can also provide the WiFi controller IP address at the
same time. This is useful if the AP is located remotely from the WiFi controller and other discovery techniques will not
work.
When you configure the DHCP server, configure Option 138 to specify the WiFi controller IP address. You need to
convert the address into hexadecimal. Convert each octet value separately from left to right and concatenate them. For
example, 192.168.0.1 converts to C0A80001.
If Option 138 is used for some other purpose on your network, you can use a different option number if you configure the
AP units to match.
For information about connecting to the FortiAP CLI, see FortiAP CLI access on page 51.
DNS
The access point can discover controllers through your domain name server (DNS). For the access point to do so, you
must configure your DNS to return controller IP addresses in response. Allow DNS lookup of the hostname configured in
FortiAP Cloud
The access point can discover FortiAP Cloud by doing a DNS lookup of the hardcoded FortiAP Cloud AP controller
hostname "apctrl1.fortinet.com". The FortiAP Cloud AC discovery technique finds the AC info from apctl1.fortinet.com
using HTTPS.
FortiAP Cloud - APController: apctrl1.fortinet.com:443 208.91.113.187:443
Broadcast request
The AP unit broadcasts a discovery request message to the network and the controller replies. The AP and the controller
must be in the same broadcast domain. No configuration adjustments are required.
Multicast request
The AP unit sends a multicast discovery request and the controller replies with a unicast discovery response message.
The AP and the controller do not need to be in the same broadcast domain if multicast routing is properly configured.
The default multicast destination address is 224.0.1.140. It can be changed through the CLI. The address must be
same on the controller and AP.
cfg –a AC_DISCOVERY_MC_ADDR="224.0.1.250"
For information about connecting to the FortiAP CLI, see FortiAP CLI access on page 51.
Wireless load balancing allows your wireless network to distribute wireless traffic more efficiently among wireless access
points and available frequency bands. FortiGate wireless controllers support the following types of client load balancing:
l Access point handoff - the wireless controller signals a client to switch to another access point.
l Frequency handoff - the wireless controller monitors the usage of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, and signals clients to
switch to the lesser-used frequency.
Load balancing is not applied to roaming clients.
Encouraging clients to use the 5 GHz WiFi band if possible enables those clients to benefit from faster interference-free
5GHz communication. The remaining 2.4 GHz clients benefit from reduced interference.
The WiFi controller probes clients to determine their WiFi band capability. It also records the RSSI (signal strength) for
each client on each band.
If a new client attempts to join the network, the controller looks up that client’s MAC address in its wireless device table
and determines if it is a dual band device. If it is not a dual band device, then it is allowed to join. If it is a dual band
device, then its RSSI on 5 GHz is used to determine whether the device is close enough to an access point to benefit
from movement to 5 GHz frequency.
If both conditions of 1) dual band device and 2) RSSI value is strong, then the wireless controller does not reply to the
join request of the client. This forces the client to retry a few more times and then timeout and attempt to join the same
SSID on 5 GHz. Once the Controller see this new request on 5 GHz, the RSSI is again measured and the client is
allowed to join. If the RSSI is below threshold, then the device table is updated and the controller forces the client to
timeout again. A client’s second attempt to connect on 2.4 GHz will be accepted.
Handoff configuration
From the GUI, edit a custom AP profile and in the Client load balancing field, select Frequency Handoff and AP
Handoff as required for the AP profile.
From the CLI, you configure wireless client load balancing thresholds for each custom AP profile.
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit new-ap-profile
set handoff-rssi <rssi_int>
set handoff-sta-thresh <clients_int>
Frequency handoff must be enabled on the 5 GHz radio to learn client capability.
FortiAP groups
FortiAP groups facilitate the application of FortiAP profiles to large numbers of FortiAPs. A FortiAP can belong to no
more than one FortiAP group. A FortiAP group can include only one model of FortiAP.
Through the VLAN pool feature, a FortiAP group can be associated with a VLAN to which WiFi clients will be assigned.
For more details about VLAN pool assignment, see VLAN assignment by VLAN pool on page 35.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs and select Create New > Managed AP Group.
2. Give the group a Name.
3. Choose Members.
4. Click OK.
In this example, wtp-group-1 is created for a FortiAP-221C and one member device is added.
config wireless-controller wtp-group
edit wtp-group-1
set platform-type 221C
config wtp-list
edit FP221C3X14019926
end
end
FortiAPs have at least one Ethernet port that operates as a WAN port to provide management connection to a WiFi
Controller such as FortiGate or FortiAP Cloud. Some FortiAP models have multiple LAN ports that can provide wired
network access.
There are some differences in LAN configuration among FortiAP models.
FortiAP models, including FAP-21D, FAP-24D, and FAP-C24JE, have one WAN port and one or more LAN ports. By
default, the LAN ports are offline. You can directly configure LAN port operation via the web UI of a WiFi Controller, or in
the FortiGate CLI (config wireless-controller wtp-profile > config lan).
FortiAP models, including FAP-320C, FAP-421E, and FAP-U421EV, have two ports, labeled LAN1 and LAN2. By
default, LAN1 and LAN2 are direct pass-through ports, and can work as the WAN interface. When necessary, the LAN1
and LAN2 ports can be re-configured for WAN-LAN operation.
This section covers the following topics:
l Configuring a port to WAN-LAN operation mode on page 62
l Bridging a LAN port with an SSID on page 63
l Bridging a LAN port with the WAN port on page 63
l Configuring FortiAP LAN ports on page 63
Some FortiAP models have two LAN ports instead of having both a WAN port and a LAN port. You can configure one of
the LAN ports to operate under the WAN-LAN mode. To configure a port to WAN-LAN operation, you must first
configure the CLI in the FortiGate, and then in the CLI of the FortiAP.
cfg -c
Note: By default, FAP_ETHER_TRUNK is set to 0.
5. Once the WiFi Controller and the FortiAP are both configured, LAN1 will work as the WAN interface and LAN2 will
work as the LAN interface.
Bridging a LAN port with a FortiAP SSID combines traffic from both sources to provide a single broadcast domain for
wired and wireless users.
In this configuration:
l The IP addresses for LAN clients come from the DHCP server that serves the wireless clients.
l Traffic from LAN clients is bridged to the SSID’s VLAN. Dynamic VLAN assignment for hosts on the LAN port is not
supported.
l Wireless and LAN clients are on the same network and can communicate locally, via the FortiAP.
l Any host connected to the LAN port will be taken as authenticated. RADIUS MAC authentication for hosts on the
LAN port is not supported.
For configuration instructions, see Configuring FortiAP LAN ports on page 63.
Bridging a LAN port with the WAN port enables the FortiAP unit to be used as a hub which is also an access point.
In this configuration
l The IP addresses for LAN clients come from the WAN directly and will typically be in the same range as the AP
itself.
l All LAN client traffic is bridged directly to the WAN interface.
l Communication between wireless and LAN clients can only occur if a policy on the FortiGate unit allows it.
For configuration instructions, see Configuring FortiAP LAN ports on page 63.
You can configure FortiAP LAN ports for APs through a FortiAP Profile. A profile applies to APs that are the same model
and share the same configuration. If you have multiple models or different configurations, you might need to create
several FortiAP Profiles. You can also override FortiAP Profile configurations by editing the individual AP directly.
1. If your FortiAP unit has LAN ports, but no WAN ports, enable LAN port options in the CLI. See Configuring a port to
WAN-LAN operation mode on page 62.
2. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles.
3. Edit the default profile for your FortiAP model or select Create New.
4. If you are creating a new profile, enter a Name and select the correct Platform (model).
5. Select SSIDs.
6. In the LAN Port section, set Mode to Bridge to and select an SSID or WAN Port as needed.
On some models with multiple LAN ports, you can set Mode to Custom and configure the LAN ports individually.
Enable each port that you want to use and select an SSID or WAN Port as needed.
7. Select OK.
Be sure to select this profile when you authorize your FortiAP units.
In this example, the default FortiAP-11C profile is configured to bridge the LAN port to the office SSID.
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP11C-default
config lan
set port-mode bridge-to-ssid
set port-ssid office
end
end
end
In this example, the default FortiAP-28C profile is configured to bridge LAN port1 to the office SSID and to bridge the
other LAN ports to the WAN port.
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP28C-default
config lan
set port1-mode bridge-to-ssid
set port1-ssid office
set port2-mode bridge-to-wan
set port3-mode bridge-to-wan
set port4-mode bridge-to-wan
set port5-mode bridge-to-wan
set port6-mode bridge-to-wan
set port7-mode bridge-to-wan
set port8-mode bridge-to-wan
end
end
In this example, the default FortiAP-320C profile is configured to bridge the LAN port to the office SSID.
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP320C-default
set wan-port-mode wan-lan
config lan
set port-mode bridge-to-ssid
set port-ssid office
end
end
end
For an individual AP, you can override the FortiAP profile settings by editing device configurations directly.
In this example, a FortiAP unit’s configuration overrides the FortiAP Profile to bridge the LAN port to the office SSID.
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FP320C3X14020000
set wtp-profile FAP320C-default
set override-wan-port-mode enable
set wan-port-mode wan-lan
set override-lan enable
config lan
set port-mode bridge-to-ssid
set port-ssid office
end
end
Certain FortiAP models including FAP-320C, FAP-421E, and FAP-U421EV, have two ports, labeled LAN1 and LAN2.
These ports can be re-configured to function as one aggregated link, per IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control
Protocol (LACP), allowing data traffic across both ports to increase the overall throughput and support redundancy.
Note: You can only enable the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) from the FortiAP CLI. The commands for
enabling LACP differ depending on the FortiAP model type.
1. Access the CLI of your FortiAP (see FortiAP CLI access on page 51).
2. In the FortiAP CLI, set the WANLAN_MODE parameter to AGGREGATE by entering the following command:
cfg -a WANLAN_MODE=AGGREGATE
Note: By default, WANLAN_MODE is set to WAN-ONLY.
3. Save the changes to the device flash with the following command:
cfg -c
1. Access the CLI of your FortiAP (see FortiAP CLI access on page 51).
2. In the FortiAP CLI, set the FAP_ETHER_TRUNK parameter to 2 by entering the following command:
cfg -a FAP_ETHER_TRUNK=2
Note: By default, FAP_ETHER_TRUNK is set to 0.
3. Save the changes to the device flash with the following command:
cfg -c
A common problem with controller-based WiFi networks is reduced performance due to IP fragmentation of packets in
the CAPWAP tunnel.
Fragmentation can occur because of CAPWAP tunnel overhead increasing packet size. If the original wireless client
packets are close to the maximum transmission unit (MTU) size for the network (usually 1500 bytes for Ethernet
networks unless jumbo frames are used) the resulting CAPWAP packets may be larger than the MTU, causing the
packets to be fragmented. Fragmenting packets can result in data loss, jitter, and decreased throughput.
The FortiOS/FortiAP solution to this problem is to cause wireless clients to send smaller packets to FortiAP devices,
resulting in 1500-byte CAPWAP packets and no fragmentation. The following options configure CAPWAP IP
fragmentation control:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP321C-default
set ip-fragment-preventing {tcp-mss-adjust | icmp-unreachable}
set tun-mtu-uplink {0 | 576 | 1500}
set tun-mtu-downlink {0 | 576 | 1500}
end
end
If the FortiAP Profile settings for IP fragmentation are not appropriate for a particular FortiAP, you can override the
settings on that specific unit.
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FAP321C3X14019926
set override-ip-fragment enable
set ip-fragment-preventing {tcp-mss-adjust | icmp-unreachable}
set tun-mtu-uplink {0 | 576 | 1500}
set tun-mtu-downlink {0 | 576 | 1500}
end
end
The following section provides information on how to calculate the control plane CAPWAP traffic load in local bridging.
The formula provided can help estimate the approximate package bandwidth cost. This is important for knowing
precisely how much bandwidth is required on a WAN link for a centralized FortiGate managing hundreds of access
points.
There are multiple factors that might affect the volume of CAPWAP control traffic, including the number of stations
there are and large WiFi events.
The Ethernet/IP/UDP/CAPWAP uplink header cost should be approximately 66 bytes.
The tables below depict basic and commonly used optional CAPWAP bandwidth costs, on a per-AP basis.
Note the following:
l STA: The number of stations associated with the FortiAP.
l ARP scan: Finds hidden devices in your network.
l VAP: The number of VAPS held by the FortiAP.
l Radio: The number of radios (maximum of two) enabled by the FortiAP.
Total: 908.7+343.2*sta+9.6*vap+13.3*radio
Total: 932.96+343.2*sta+9.6*vap+13.3*radio+16.8*scanned-ap
Enabling WIDS features, LLDP, MESH, FortiPresence, and Client Station Locating Service
can lead to additional bandwidth consumption.
Example:
There are 100 FortiAPs, with 187 stations distributed among them. Each FortiAP holds five VAPs among their radios,
and each enables two radios. The basic CAPWAP bandwidth cost would be:
908.7*100+343.2*187+9.6*5*100+13.3*2*100 = 162.51 kbps
Additionally, if two FortiAPs enabled "AP scan", and suppose one scans 99 APs in each scan and the other scans 20 APs
in each scan, the additional CAPWAP bandwidth cost would be:
(24.26+16.8*99)+(24.26+16.8*20) = 2 kbps
LLDP protocol
The LLDP protocol is enabled by default when you create a new FortiAP profile. Each FortiAP using that profile can then
send back information about the switch and port that it is connected to. You can also manage the LLDP protocol in the
FortiAP Profile via the CLI.
To enable LLDP, enter the following:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit <profile-name>
set lldp enable
end
LED options
Optionally, the status LEDs on FortiAP can be kept dark. This is useful in dormitories, classrooms, hotels, medical
clinics, and hospitals where lights can distract or annoy occupants.
On FortiGate, the LED state is controlled in the FortiAP Profile. By default the LEDs are enabled. The setting is CLI-
only. For example, to disable the LEDs on FortiAP-221C units controlled by the FAP221C-default profile, enter:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP221C-default
set led-state disable
end
You can override the FortiAP Profile LED state setting on an individual FortiAP using the CLI. For example, to make
sure the LEDs are disabled on one specific unit, enter:
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FAP221C3X14019926
set override-led-state enable
set led-state disable
end
The LED state is also controllable from the FortiAP unit itself. By default, the FortiAP follows the FortiAP Profile setting.
LED schedules
Use the command below (led-schedule) to assign recurring firewall schedules for illuminating LEDs on the FortiAP.
This entry is only available when led-state is enabled, at which point LEDs will be visible when at least one of the
schedules is valid.
Separate multiple schedule names with a space, as configured under config firewall schedule group and
config firewall schedule recurring.
Syntax
The access points of a WiFi network are usually connected to the WiFi controller through Ethernet wiring. A wireless
mesh eliminates the need for Ethernet wiring by connecting WiFi access points to the controller by radio. This is useful
where installation of Ethernet wiring is impractical.
A wireless mesh is a multiple access point (AP) network in which only one FortiAP unit is connected to the wired
network. The other FortiAPs communicate with the controller over a separate backhaul SSID that isn't available to
regular WiFi clients. The AP connected to the network by Ethernet is called the mesh root node. The backhaul SSID
carries CAPWAP discovery, configuration, and other communications that would usually be carried on an Ethernet
connection.
The root node can be a FortiAP unit or the built-in AP of a FortiWiFi unit. APs that serve regular WiFi clients are called
leaf nodes. Leaf APs also carry the mesh SSID for more distant leaf nodes. A leaf node can connect to the mesh SSID
directly from the root node or from any of the other leaf nodes. This provides redundancy in case of an AP failure.
All access points in a wireless mesh configuration must have at least one of their radios configured to provide mesh
backhaul communication. As with wired APs, when mesh APs start up, they can be discovered by a FortiGate or
FortiWiFi unit WiFi controller and authorized to join the network.
The backhaul SSID delivers the best performance when it is carried on a dedicated radio. On a two-radio FortiAP unit,
for example, the 5 GHz radio could carry only the backhaul SSID while the 2.4 GHz radio carries one or more SSIDs that
serve users. You can configure background WiFi scanning in this mode.
The backhaul SSID can also share the same radio with SSIDs that serve users. Performance is reduced because the
backhaul and user traffic compete for the available bandwidth. Background WiFi scanning isn't available in this mode.
One advantage of this mode is that a two-radio AP can offer WiFi coverage on both bands.
Wireless mesh Access points are connected to a FortiGate or FortiWiFi unit WiFi controller. WiFi users
connect to wireless SSIDs in the same way as on non-mesh WiFi networks.
Wireless bridging Two LAN segments are connected together over a wireless link (the backhaul SSID). On the
leaf AP, the Ethernet connection can be used to provide a wired network. Both WiFi and wired
users on the leaf AP are connected to the LAN segment to which the root AP is connected.
Firmware requirements
All FortiAP units that are part of the wireless mesh network must be upgraded to FortiAP firmware version 5.0, build
003, or higher. FortiAP-222B units must have their BIOS upgraded to version 400012. The FortiWiFi or FortiGate unit
used as the WiFi controller must be running FortiOS firmware version 5.0 or higher.
A WiFi mesh can provide access to widely-distributed clients. The mesh root AP which is directly connected to the WiFi
controller can be either a FortiAP unit or the built-in AP of a FortiWiFi unit that is also the WiFi controller.
An alternate use of the wireless mesh is as a point-to-point relay. Both wired and WiFi users on the leaf AP side are
connected to the LAN segment on the mesh root side.
Mesh implementations for leaf FortiAP can perform background scanning when the leaf AP is associated with the root.
Various options for background scanning can be configured with the CLI. For more details about the mesh variables
available in the FortiAP CLI, see Mesh variables on page 165
The mesh route SSID is the radio backhaul that conveys the user SSID traffic to the leaf FortiAPs.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and select Create New > SSID.
2. Enter a Name for the WiFi interface.
3. In Traffic Mode, select Mesh Downlink.
4. Enter the SSID.
5. Set Security Mode to WPA2 Personal and enter the Pre-shared key.
Remember the key because you need to enter it for the leaf FortiAP configuration.
6. Select OK.
Create a FortiAP profile for the meshed FortiAPs. If more than one FortiAP model is involved, you need to create a
profile for each model. Typically, the profile is configured so that Radio 1 (5GHz) carries the mesh backhaul SSID while
Radio 2 (2.4GHz) carries the SSIDs to which users connect.
For Radio 1, use the Select SSIDs option and choose only the backhaul SSID. The radio that carries the backhaul
traffic must not carry other SSIDs.
Radio 2 carries user SSIDs and shouldn't carry the backhaul. Use the Select SSIDs option and choose the networks
that you want to provide.
The mesh root AP can be either a FortiWiFi unit’s built-in AP or a FortiAP unit.
In a network with multiple wireless controllers, make sure that each mesh root has a unique
SSID. Other controllers using the same mesh root SSID may be detected as fake or rogue
APs. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID to change the SSID.
1. On the FortiGate unit, go to Network > Interfaces, and edit the interface to which the AP unit connects.
2. In Addressing mode, select Manual.
3. In IP/Network Mask, enter an IP address and netmask for the interface.
4. In the Administrative Access section, go to IPv4 and select the Security Fabric Connection checkbox.
5. When FortiAP units are connected to the interface on FortiGate (directly or through a switch), you can go to the Edit
Interface section and set the Role to LAN .
Selecting the LAN role loads the DHCP Server toggle. If you enable DHCP Server, the GUI can automatically set
the DHCP IP range based on the interface IP address.
6. Click OK.
At this point you can connect the mesh root FortiAP (see below). If you are planning to configure leaf FortiAPs through
the wireless controller (see Configuring the mesh leaf FortiAPs on page 75), then connect the root unit later.
1. Connect the root FortiAP unit’s Ethernet port to the FortiGate network interface that you configured.
2. On the FortiGate unit, go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs.
If the root FortiAP unit is not listed, wait 15 seconds and select Refresh. Repeat if necessary. If the unit is still
missing after a minute or two, power cycle the root FortiAP unit and try again.
3. Right-click the FortiAP entry and choose your profile from the Assign Profile submenu.
4. Right-click the FortiAP entry and select Authorize.
Initially, the State of the FortiAP unit is Offline. Periodically click Refresh to update the status. Within about two
minutes, the state changes to Online.
5. Select OK.
The FortiAP units that serve as leaf nodes must be preconfigured. This involves changing the FortiAP unit's internal
configuration. You can do this by direct connection or through the FortiGate wireless controller.
1. Connect the Ethernet port on the leaf FortiAP to the FortiGate network interface that you configured for FortiAPs.
Connect the FortiAP unit to a power source unless PoE is used.
2. On the FortiGate unit, go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs.
If the FortiAP unit is not listed, wait 15 seconds and select Refresh. Repeat if necessary. If the unit is still missing
after a minute or two, power cycle the FortiAP unit and try again.
3. Select the discovered FortiAP unit and authorize it. Click Refresh every 10 seconds until the State indicator
changes to Online.
4. Right-click the FortiAP and select >_Connect to CLI. The CLI Console window opens. Log in as "admin".
5. Enter the following commands, substituting your own SSID and password (pre-shared key):
cfg -a MESH_AP_TYPE=1
cfg -a MESH_AP_SSID=fortinet.mesh.root
cfg -a MESH_AP_PASSWD=hardtoguess
cfg -c
exit
6. Disconnect the FortiAP and delete it from the Managed FortiAP list.
7. Repeat the preceding steps for each leaf FortiAP.
When the root FortiAP is connected and online, apply power to the preconfigured leaf FortiAPs. The leaf FortiAPs will
connect themselves wirelessly to the WiFi Controller through the mesh network. You must authorize each unit.
1. On the FortiGate unit, go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs. Periodically select Refresh until
the FortiAP unit is listed. This can take up to three minutes.
The State of the FortiAP unit should be Waiting for Authorization.
2. Right-click the FortiAP entry and choose your profile from the Assign Profile submenu.
3. Right-click the FortiAP entry and select Authorize.
Initially, the State of the FortiAP unit is Offline. Periodically click Refresh to update the status. Within about two
minutes, the state changes to Online.
To permit traffic to flow from the end-user WiFi network to the network interfaces for the Internet and other networks,
you need to create security policies and enable NAT.
On the FortiGate unit, go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs to view the list of APs.
The SSIDs column lists the SSID of each FortiAP radio and uses icons to show the Traffic mode of each radio.
Bridge
Mesh
Tunnel
To see more information about each radio, mouse over the SSIDs information.
To connect two wired network segments using a WiFi link, you can create a point-to-point bridge. The effect is the same
as connecting the two network segments to the same wired switch.
You need to:
l Configure a mesh-backhaul SSID and a mesh root AP as described in Configuring the mesh root AP on page 74.
Note: The mesh root AP for a point-to-point bridge must be a FortiAP unit, not the internal AP of a FortiWiFi unit.
l Configure a mesh leaf FortiAP as described in Configuring the mesh leaf FortiAPs on page 75 and add these steps
to configure the Ethernet bridge:
l If you are using the FortiAP GUI, select Ethernet Bridge.
l If you are using the FortiAP CLI, insert the following command before the line reading cfg -c:
cfg -a MESH_ETH_BRIDGE=1
l Connect the local wired network to the Ethernet port on the mesh leaf FortiAP unit. Users are assigned IP
addresses from the DHCP server on the wired network connected to the mesh root FortiAP unit.
In general, the mesh-Ethernet bridge automatically detects VLAN ID tags in data packets and
allows them to pass. When necessary, you can configure VLAN IDs for permanent support in
a mesh-Ethernet bridge. To do this, enter the following commands in the mesh leaf FortiAP
CLI:
cfg -a MESH_ETH_BRIDGE_VLANS=100,200,300
cfg -c
Hotspot 2.0 Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) is a query and response protocol that defines seamless roaming
services offered by an AP. To configure Hotspot 2.0 ANQP, use the CLI commands available under config
wireless-controller hostspot20:
A hotspot profile needs to be attached to a VAP, and can only be attached to an enterprise
security VAP. You can configure the security type and attach the hotspot profile with the
following commands:
config wireless-controller vap
edit {name}
set security wpa2-only-enterprise
set hotspot20-profile {string}
next
end
Syntax
next
next
end
A WiFi network can be combined with a wired LAN so that WiFi and wired clients are on the same subnet. This is a
convenient configuration for users.
Software switches are only available if your FortiGate is in Interface mode.
Wireless Mesh features cannot be used in conjunction with this configuration because they
enable the FortiAP Local Bridge option.
To create the WiFi network and wired LAN configuration, you need to:
l Configure the SSID so that traffic is tunneled to the WiFi controller.
l Configure a software switch interface on the FortiGate unit with the WiFi and internal network interface as
members.
l Configure Captive Portal security for the software switch interface.
Security Mode Configure security as you would for a regular WiFi network.
3. Click OK.
4. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs, select the FortiAP unit for editing.
5. Authorize the FortiAP unit.
The FortiAP unit can carry regular SSIDs in addition to the Bridge SSID.
This example creates a WiFi interface “homenet_if” with SSID “homenet” using WPA-Personal security, passphrase
“Fortinet1234”.
config wireless-controller vap
edit "homenet_if"
set vdom "root"
set ssid "homenet"
set security wpa-personal
set passphrase "Fortinet1234"
end
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FAP22B3U11005354
set admin enable
set vaps "homenet_if"
end
Interface Name A name for the new interface. For example, homenet_nw.
Physical Interface Members Add homenet_if and the internal network interface.
Security Mode Select Captive Portal. Add the permitted User Groups.
3. Select OK.
VLAN configuration
If your environment uses VLAN tagging, you assign the SSID to a specific VLAN in the CLI. See Reserved VLAN IDs on
page 15. For example, to assign the homenet_if interface to VLAN 100, enter:
config wireless-controller vap
edit "homenet_if"
set vlanid 100
end
Additional configuration
The configuration described above provides communication between WiFi and wired LAN users only. To provide access
to other networks, create appropriate firewall policies between the software switch and other interfaces.
A FortiAP unit can provide WiFi access to a LAN, even when the wireless controller is located remotely. This
configuration is useful for the following situations:
l Installations where the WiFi controller is remote and most of the traffic is local or uses the local Internet gateway
l Wireless-PCI compliance with remote WiFi controller
l Telecommuting, where the FortiAP unit has the WiFi controller IP address pre-configured and broadcasts the office
SSID in the user’s home or hotel room. In this case, data is sent in the wireless tunnel across the Internet to the
office and you should enable encryption using DTLS.
On the remote FortiGate wireless controller, the WiFi SSID is created with the Bridge with FortiAP Interface option
selected. In this mode, no IP addresses are configured. The WiFi and Ethernet interfaces on the FortiAP behave as a
switch. WiFi client devices obtain IP addresses from the same DHCP server as wired devices on the LAN.
The local bridge feature cannot be used in conjunction with Wireless Mesh features.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and select Create New > SSID.
2. Complete the following fields:
Security Mode Configure security as you would for a regular WiFi network.
3. Click OK.
4. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs and select the FortiAP unit for editing.
5. Authorize the FortiAP unit.
The FortiAP unit can carry regular SSIDs in addition to the Bridge SSID.
This example creates a WiFi interface “branchbridge” with SSID “LANbridge” using WPA-Personal security, passphrase
“Fortinet1234”.
config wireless-controller vap
edit "branchbridge"
set vdom "root"
set ssid "LANbridge"
set local-bridging enable
set security wpa-personal
set passphrase "Fortinet1234"
end
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FAP22B3U11005354
set admin enable
set vaps "branchbridge"
end
The wireless controller, or the connection to it, might occasionally become unavailable. During such an outage, clients
already associated with a bridge mode FortiAP unit continue to have access to the Wi-Fi and wired networks.
The FortiAP unit can continue to authenticate users if the SSID meets the following conditions:
l Traffic mode is set to Bridge with the FortiAP Interface.
In this mode, the FortiAP unit does not send traffic back to the wireless controller.
l Security mode is set to one of the following modes:
o Open
o WPA/WPA2-Personal
o WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
o WPA3-Enterprise
o WPA3-SAE
o WPA3-SAE Transition
o WPA3-OWE
You can increase the number of FortiAP units supported by the FortiGate wireless controller if you configure the
FortiAPs to run in local Bridge mode instead of in Tunnel mode.
For each FortiGate model, there are two maximum values that represent the number of FortiAP units that can be
supported:
l The number of FortiAPs that can be supported while operating in Tunnel mode; and
l The number of FortiAPs that can be supported while operating in Bridged mode.
To see the maximum number of FortiAPs that can be supported, go to the Managed FortiAP page (WiFi & Switch
Controller > Managed FortiAPs) and look at the top right for Managed. The number by Managed represents the
number of FortiAPs currently being managed.
Hold the pointer over the number to see the maximum number of FortiAPs that can be supported.
Label Description
1 The total number of Tunnel and Bridged FortiAPs currently being managed.
2 The maximum number of Tunnel and Bridged FortiAPs that can be supported by this FortiGate. For more
detailed information, consult the Maximum Values Table.
4 The maximum possible number of Tunnel FortiAPs that can be supported currently. This number may
change if you add or remove Bridged FortiAPs, but has an upper limit.
6 The maximum possible number of Bridged FortiAPs that can be supported currently. This number
changes if you add or remove Tunnel FortiAPs.
To configure FortiAP units for Bridge mode operation via the GUI
1. Create at least one SSID with Traffic Mode set to Local bridge with FortiAP's Interface.
2. Create a custom AP profile that includes only local bridge SSIDs.
3. Configure the designated FortiAP unit to use the custom AP profile.
The FortiAP unit automatically switches to Bridge mode.
To configure FortiAP units for Bridge mode operation via the CLI
1. Create at least one SSID with Traffic Mode set to Local bridge with FortiAP's Interface.
2. Create a custom AP profile that includes only local bridge SSIDs.
3. Use the following CLI example to manually select the custom AP profile for the FortiAP unit:
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FP221E3X16000017
set wtp-profile 221E_bridge
end
Remote WLAN FortiAP models enable you to provide a pre-configured WiFi access point to a remote or traveling
employee. Once plugged in at home or in a hotel room, the FortiAP automatically discovers the enterprise FortiGate
WiFi controller over the Internet and broadcasts the same wireless SSID used in the corporate office. Communication
between the WiFi controller and the FortiAP is secure, eliminating the need for a VPN.
By default, all traffic from the remote FortiAP is sent to the FortiGate WiFi controller. If you want to use split tunneling,
you can configure which traffic is routed to the FortiGate. Other general Internet traffic is routed unencrypted through
the local gateway. Split tunneling avoids loading the FortiGate with unnecessary traffic and allows direct access to local
private networks at the location of the FortiAP even if the connection to the WiFi controller goes down.
This section assumes that you have already defined SSIDs and now want to make them available to remote FortiAPs.
1. Create FortiAP profiles for the Remote LAN FortiAP models.
If you were not already using Remote LAN FortiAP models, you will need to create FortiAP profiles for them. In the
FortiAP profile, you specify the SSIDs that the FortiAP will broadcast. For more information, see Creating a FortiAP
profile on page 17.
2. If you want to configure split tunneling, you must do the following:
a. enable split tunneling in the FortiGate GUI
b. apply split tunneling to a FortiAP profile
c. configure split tunneling behavior in the FortiAP CLI
d. enable split tunneling in the SSID
3. Configure a FortiAP to connect to FortiGate
4. Preauthorize a FortiAP for automatic authorization.
By default, split tunneling options are not visible in the FortiGate GUI. You can make these options visible using the
following CLI command:
config system settings
set gui-fortiap-split-tunneling enable
end
Once you enable split tunneling, you can apply it via the FortiAP profile.
Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and edit your SSID. In the WiFi Settings section, enable Split Tunneling.
Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles and edit the FortiAP Profile(s) that apply to the AP types used in
the WiFi network. In the Split Tunneling section, enable Include Local Subnet and Split Tunneling Subnet(s).
You can enter a list of the destination IP address ranges.
l Depending on how you configure split tunneling behavior in the CLI (see Configure split tunneling behavior on page
90), you can decide if you want the listed IP addresses to be tunneled to the FortiGate, or if you want to avoid
tunneling these IP addresses to the FortiGate.
There are two methods the FortiAP can use to tunnel networks from the remote AP:
l Tunnel: Define the subnets in the profile that you want to tunnel to the FortiGate. These are usually the IP subnets
that contain internal corporate applications such as file shares.
Uncheck the Include Local Subet option in the FortiAP profile if you want the remote wireless client to be able to
communicate with internal devices at their home/remote site.
l Local: Define the subnets that you do not want to be tunneled back to the FortiGate. Use this method if you want
all traffic to be inspected by the FortiGate, including traffic destined for the internet. This method is more secure
but can add latency to the user's internet browsing.
Check the Include Local Subnet option in the FortiAP profile if you want the remote wireless client to be able to
communicate with internal devices at their home/remote site
From the FortiGate CLI, enter the following commands to change the split tunneling behavior in a FortiAP profile:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit <profile_name>
set split-tunneling-acl-path {tunnel | local}
end
end
In this example, split tunneling is configured on the example-ssid WiFi network. On FortiAP model 21D, traffic destined
for the 192.168.x.x range will not be routed through the FortiGate WiFi controller. This private IP address range is
typically used as a LAN by home routers.
config wireless-controller vap
edit example-ssid
set split-tunneling enable
end
If the FortiAP Profile split tunneling settings are not appropriate for a particular FortiAP, you can override the settings on
that unit.
config wireless-controller wtp
edit FAP321C3X14019926
set override-split-tunnel enable
set split-tunneling-acl-local-ap-subnet enable
config split-tunneling-acl
edit 1
set dest-ip 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0
end
end
Once you create your FortiAP profile, you need to enable split tunneling on the SSIDs you want to use on the remote
APs.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and edit the SSIDs the remote AP will use.
2. Enable Split tunneling.
3. Click OK.
Prior to providing a remote WLAN FortiAP unit to an employee, you need to preconfigure the FortiAP to connect to your
FortiGate WiFi controller.
1. Plug the FortiAP you want to deploy into a port or VLAN that has DHCP configured.
l If no DHCP server is available, the default IP information to log in to the AP is:
IP Address: 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
DGW: 192.168.1.1
2. Look for the assigned IP Address on the router or DHCP server.
If no DHCP server is available, use a cross-over cable to connect your Ethernet port directly to the LAN port on the
AP.
Note: You might need a power adapter for the FortiAP if POE is not available.
3. From a web browser, access your FortiAP at https://<FAP-IP> where <FAP-IP> is the IP address of the FortiAP.
4. Log in with username admin and no password.
5. From the FortiAP page, click Local Configuration.
6. In the AC Discovery Type field, select how you want the FortiAP to discover the controller and complete any
required fields:
For more information on discovery methods, refer to Advanced WiFi controller discovery on page 57.
l Auto: Automatically cycle through all six of the discovery methods until it establishes an AC connection.
l Static: Provide up to three Static IP Addresses (most likely the public facing IP addresses for remote workers).
l DHCP: Use DHCP Option 138.
l DNS: Provide up to three FQDN entries that are resolvable by the FortiAP.
l FortiAP Cloud: Enter your FortiAP Cloud username and password.
7. In the AP Data Channel Security field, select IPsec Enabled.
8. Click OK to save your changes.
By preauthorizing FortiAP units, you facilitate their automatic authorization on the network. Also, you can assign each
unit a unique name, such as the employee name, for easier tracking.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs and create a new entry.
2. Enter the Serial Number of the FortiAP unit and give it a Name.
3. Select the appropriate FortiAP Profile.
4. Click OK.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for each FortiAP.
High-density environments such as auditoriums, classrooms, and meeting rooms present a challenge to WiFi providers.
When a large number of mobile devices try to connect to a WiFi network, difficulties arise because of the limited number
of radio channels and interference between devices.
FortiOS and FortiAP devices provide several tools to mitigate the difficulties deploying in high-density environments.
l Upgrading the firmware for multiple FortiAPs l Enabling the AP load balancing
l Controlling the power save feature l Setting the Application Control feature
l Configuring the broadcast packet suppression l Managing the FortiAP group and assigning a dynamic VLAN
l Converting multicast streams to unicast l Sharing tunnel SSIDs within a single managed FortiAP
l Enabling the manual quarantine of devices on FortiAP (tunnel
l Ignoring weak or distant clients
mode)
l Turning off the 802.11b protocol l Locating a FortiAP with LED blinking
l Disabling low data rates l Uploading a FortiAP image on the wireless controller
l Enabling the automatic TX power control l Configuring control message off-loading
l Enabling the frequency band load-balancing l Enabling Dynamic Radio Mode Assignment (DRMA)
Administrators can upgrade the firmware for multiple FortiAPs from WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed
FortiAPs. They don't need to upgrade each AP individually.
Occasionally, voice calls can become disrupted. One way to alleviate this issue is by controlling the power save feature,
or to disable it altogether.
Manually configure packet transmit optimization settings by entering the following command:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit <name>
config <radio-1> | <radio-2>
set transmit-optimize {disable | power-save | aggr-limit | retry-limit | sendbar}
The following powersave-optimize parameters (under config radio) are used for 11n radios to optimize
system performance for specific situations.
l tim: Set traffic indication map (TIM) bit for client in power save mode. TIM bit mask indicates to any sleeping
listening stations if the AP has any buffered frames present. If enabled, the AP will always indicate to the
connected client that there is a packet waiting in the AP, so it will help to prevent the client from entering a sleep
state.
l ac-vo: Use Access Category (AC) Voice (VO) priority to send packets in the power save queue. AC VO is one of the
highest classes/priority levels used to ensure quality of service (QoS). If enabled, when a client returns from a sleep
state, the AP will send its buffered packet using a higher priority queue, instead of the normal priority queue.
l no-obss-scan: Do not put Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS), or high-noise (i.e. non-802.11), scan IE into a
Beacon or Probe Response frame.
l no-11b-rate: Do not send frame using 11b data rate.
l client-rate-follow: Adapt transmitting PHY rate with receiving PHY rate from client. If enabled, the AP will
integrate the current client's transmission PHY rate into its rate adaptation algorithm for transmitting.
You can use broadcast packet suppression to reduce the traffic on your WiFi networks. In addition, some broadcast
packets are unnecessary or even potentially detrimental to the network and should be suppressed. To configure
broadcast suppression for each virtual access point, enter the following commands:
config wireless-controller vap
edit <name>
set broadcast-suppression {dhcp-up | dhcp-down | dhcp-starvation | arp-known | arp-
unknown | arp-reply | arp-poison | arp-proxy | netbios-ns | netbios-ds | ipv6 | all-
other-mc | all-other-bc}
end
netbios-ns Suppress NetBIOS name services packets with UDP port 137.
netbios-ds Suppress NetBIOS datagram services packets with UDP port 138.
ipv6 Suppress IPv6 broadcast packets.
all-other-mc Suppress multicast packets not covered by any of the specific options.
all-other-bc Suppress broadcast packets not covered by any of the specific options.
The default configuration enables both the dhcp-up and arp-known options. The following example leaves the
default settings in place and also configures a virtual access point to suppress:
l unnecessary DHCP down link broadcast packets
l broadcast ARP requests for unknown WiFi clients
l other broadcast packets not specifically identified
config wireless-controller vap
edit <name>
set broadcast-suppression dhcp-up arp-known dhcp-down arp-unknown all-other-bc
end
FortiOS provides a multicast enhancement option (disabled by default) that converts multicast streams to unicast and
improves performance in WiFi networks. Multicast data, such as streaming audio or video, is sent at a low data rate in
WiFi networks. A unicast stream is sent to each client at high data rate that makes more efficient use of air time. To
enable multicast-to-unicast conversion, enter the following commands:
config wireless-controller vap
edit <vap_name>
set multicast-enhance enable
end
Clients beyond the intended coverage area can have some impact on your high-density network. Your APs will respond
to these clients' probe signals, consuming valuable air time. You can configure your WiFi network to ignore weak signals
that most likely come from beyond the intended coverage area. The settings are available in the CLI:
config wireless-controller vap
edit <vap_name>
set probe-resp-suppression enable
set probe-resp-threshold <level_int>
end
By disabling support for the obsolete 802.11b protocol, you can reduce the air time that data frames occupy. These
signals will now be sent at a minimum of 6 Mbps, instead of 1 Mbps. You can set this for each radio in the FortiAP
profile, using the CLI:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit <name_string>
config radio-1
set powersave-optimize no-11b-rate
end
Each of the 802.11 protocols supports several data rates. By disabling the lowest rates, air time is conserved, allowing
the channel to serve more users. You can set the available rates for each 802.11 protocol: a, b, g, n, ac. Data rates set
as Basic are mandatory for clients to support. Other specified rates are supported.
The 802.11 a, b, and g protocols are specified by data rate. 802.11a can support 6,9,12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mb/s.
802.11b/g can support 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9,12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mb/s. Basic rates are specified with the suffix "basic", "12-
basic" for example. The capabilities of expected client devices need to be considered when deciding the lowest Basic
rate.
The 802.11n and ac protocols are specified by the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) Index and the number of
spatial streams.
l 802.11n with 1 or 2 spatial streams can support mcs0/1, mcs1/1, mcs2/1, mcs3/1, mcs4/1, mcs5/1, mcs6/1,
mcs7/1,mcs8/2,mcs9/2, mcs10/2, mcs11/2, mcs12/2, mcs13/2, mcs14/2, mcs15/2.
l 802.11n with 3 or 4 spatial streams can support mcs16/3, mcs17/3, mcs18/3, mcs19/3, mcs20/3, mcs21/3,
mcs22/3, mcs23/3, mcs24/4, mcs25/4, mcs26/4, mcs27/4, mcs28/4, mcs29/4, mcs30/4, mcs31/4.
l 802.11ac with 1 or 2 spatial streams can support mcs0/1, mcs1/1, mcs2/1, mcs3/1, mcs4/1, mcs5/1, mcs6/1,
mcs7/1, mcs8/1, mcs9/1, mcs0/2, mcs1/2, mcs2/2, mcs3/2, mcs4/2, mcs5/2, mcs6/2, mcs7/2, mcs8/2, mcs9/2.
l 802.11ac with 3 or 4 spatial streams can support mcs0/3, mcs1/3, mcs2/3, mcs3/3, mcs4/3, mcs5/3, mcs6/3,
mcs7/3, mcs8/3, mcs9/3, mcs0/4, mcs1/4, mcs2/4, mcs3/4, mcs4/4, mcs5/4, mcs6/4, mcs7/4, mcs8/4, mcs9/4
Here are some examples of setting basic and supported rates.
config wireless-controller vap
edit <vap_name>
set rates-11a 12-basic 18 24 36 48 54
set rates-11bg 12-basic 18 24 36 48 54
set rates-11n-ss34 mcs16/3 mcs18/3 mcs20/3 mcs21/3 mcs22/3 mcs23/3 mcs24/4 mcs25/4
set rates-11ac-ss34 mcs0/3 mcs1/3 mcs2/3 mcs9/4 mcs9/3
end
High-density deployments usually cover a small area that has many clients. Maximum AP signal power is usually not
required. Reducing the power reduces interference between APs. Fortinet recommends that you use FortiAP automatic
power control which can be set from the FortiAP profile.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles and edit the profile for your AP model.
2. For each radio, enable Auto TX Power Control and set the TX Power Low and TX Power High levels.
The default range of 10 to 17 dBm is recommended.
In a high-density environment, it is important to make the best use of the two WiFi bands, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 5
GHz band has more non-overlapping channels and receives less interference from non-WiFi devices, but not all devices
support it. Clients that are capable of 5 GHz operation should be encouraged to use 5 GHz rather than the 2.4 GHz
band.
To load-balance the WiFi bands, you enable Frequency Handoff in the FortiAP profile. In the FortiGate GUI, go to WiFi
& Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles and edit the relevant profile to set Client Load Balancing to Frequency
Handoff. Or, you can use the CLI:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP221C-default
set frequency-handoff enable
end
The FortiGate WiFi controller continuously scans all clients in the area and records their signal strength (RSSI) on each
band. When Frequency Handoff is enabled, the AP does not reply to clients on the 2.4 GHz band that have sufficient
signal strength on the 5 GHz band. These clients can associate only on the 5 GHz band. Devices that support only 2.4
GHz receive replies and associate with the AP on the 2.4 GHz band.
The FortiAP applies load balancing to a client only if the client has a sufficient signal level on 5GHz. The minimum
signal strength threshold is set in the FortiAP profile, but is accessible only through the CLI:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP221C-default
set handoff-rssi 25
end
handoff-rssi has a range of 20 to 30. RSSI is a relative measure; the higher the number, the stronger the signal.
The performance of an AP degrades if it attempts to serve too many clients. In high-density environments, multiple
access points are deployed with some overlap in their coverage areas. The WiFi controller can manage the association
of new clients with APs to prevent overloading.
To load-balance between APs, enable AP Handoff in the FortiAP profile.
In the FortiGate GUI, go to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles and edit the relevant profile to set Client
Load Balancing to AP Handoff.
Or, you can use the CLI:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP221C-default
set ap-handoff enable
end
When an AP exceeds the threshold (the default is 30 clients), the overloaded AP does not reply to a new client that has a
sufficient signal at another AP.
The thresholds for AP handoff are set in the FortiAP profile, but is accessible only through the CLI:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit FAP221C-default
set handoff-sta-thresh 30
set handoff-rssi 25
end
handoff-sta-thresh sets the number of clients at which AP load balancing begins. It has a range of 5 to 35.
handoff-rssi sets the minimum signal strength that a new client must have at an alternate AP for the overloaded
AP to ignore the client. It has a range of 20 to 30. RSSI is a relative measure. The higher the number, the stronger the
signal.
To prevent particular application types from consuming too much bandwidth, you can use the FortiOS Application
Control feature.
1. Go to Security Profiles > Application Control. You can use the default profile or create a new one.
2. Click the category, select Traffic Shaping and then select the priority for the category.
Repeat for each category to be controlled.
3. Select Apply.
4. Go to Policy & Objects > IPv4 Policy and edit your WiFi security policy.
5. In the Security Profiles section, enable Application Control and select the security profile that you edited.
6. Click OK.
You can create FortiAP groups to manage multiple APs at once. Grouping an AP enables you to apply specific profile
settings and assign VLANs to all the APs in that group, simplifying the administrative workload. Each AP can belong to
one group only.
To create a FortiAP group, navigate to WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed FortiAPs and click Create New
> Managed AP Group.
In addition, VLANs can be assigned dynamically based on FortiAP groups. Dynamic VLAN assignment allows the same
SSID to be deployed to many APs, avoiding the need to produce multiple SSIDs.
1. Navigate to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID to define an SSID.
2. Enable VLAN Pooling and select Managed AP Group to assign a VLAN ID to a specified group.
You can also choose other methods of assigning VLAN IDs:
l Round Robin: Assigns the next VLAN ID to each device as it is detected.
l Hash: Always assigns the same VLAN ID to a specific device.
3. Under VLAN pooling, click Create New to enter the VLAN ID you want to assign and the AP group you want to
apply the ID to.
This feature enables you to move a tunnel mode virtual AP (VAP) into a VDOM, similar to an interface/VLAN in VDOMs.
FortiAP is registered into the root VDOM.
Within a customer VDOM, customer VAPs can be created or added. In the root VDOM, the customer VAP can be added
to the registered FortiAP. Any necessary firewall rules and interfaces can be configured between the two VDOMs.
Syntax
Quarantined MAC addresses are blocked on the connected FortiAP from the network and the LAN. When a tunnel
VAP is created, a sub-interface named wqtn is automatically created under tunnel interface. This sub-interface is added
under a software switch.
To quarantine an SSID:
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID.
2. Edit the SSID.
3. Under WiFi Settings section, enable Quarantine Host.
Alternatively, you can quarantine an SSID using the CLI console. This feature consolidates previous CLI syntax for
quarantining a host, so that the host does not need to be configured in multiple places (FortiAP and FortiSwitch). Host
endpoints can be entered in a single place and the host will be quarantined throughout the access layer devices on the
Fortinet Security Fabric.
Syntax - SSID:
Upon creating or editing an SSID, a Quarantine Host option is available to enable (by default) or disable quarantining
devices that are connected in Tunnel-mode. The option to quarantine a device is available on Topology and FortiView
WiFi pages.
When a host is put into quarantine VLAN, it will get its IP from the quarantine VLAN's DHCP server, and become part of
the quarantined network.
Syntax
If you have an environment that contains numerous APs it can be difficult to locate a specific AP that you need to
monitor. To help you locate specific APs, you can configure the AP lights to blink, making it easier to find.
The following models support LED blink control through the CLI, operating on FortiAP software 5.6.2, or later:
l FortiAP-112D, 221C, 223C, 224D, 320C, 321C
l FortiAP-S/W2
Using the CLI to upgrade the FortiAP image is the preferred method especially for large deployments. Use the following
CLI command to upload the desired FortiAP image on the wireless controller:
execute wireless-controller upload-wtp-image
After entering the command, reboot the FortiAP devices. This feature allows the administrator to configure all FortiAP
devices to download the image from the controller at join time.
Syntax
To fine-tune this process, in order to deploy FortiAP image upgrades to a subset of devices for pilot testing, use the
following command:
config wireless-controller wtp
edit <name>
set image-download {enable | disable}
next
end
Users can configure control message off-loading to optimize performance. This is especially useful in environments
where the AP count is from 300 to 350 (with a device count between 1500 and 3000), where existing users are
disconnected and unable to reauthenticate due to high CPU usage. This feature includes aeroscout enhancements.
Syntax
In deployments with a high AP density, there can be redundant coverage and strong radio interference. Dynamic Radio
Mode Assignment (DRMA) allows FortiAP devices to calculate the Network Coverage Factor (NCF) based on radio
interference and reassign the AP mode.
When DRMA is enabled in the WTP profile or on the specific AP, the APs run in automatic mode. The AC assigns the
radio mode to the APs based on the DRMA NCF value that is calculated at each configured interval.
The NCF value is calculated based on overlapping coverage in a radio coverage area. If a radio is determined to be
redundant based on the configured NCF threshold, then it switches from AP mode to monitor mode. When the NCF is
next calculated, if the value is below the threshold then the radio switches back to AP mode.
drma-interval Dynamic radio mode assignment (DRMA) schedule interval, in minutes (1 - 1440, default =
60).
The FortiGate Wireless Intrusion Detection System (WIDS) monitors wireless traffic for a wide range of security threats
by detecting and reporting on possible intrusion attempts. When an attack is detected the FortiGate unit records a log
message.
You can create a WIDS profile to enable these types of intrusion detection:
l Asleap Attack—ASLEAP is a tool used to perform attacks against LEAP authentication.
l Association Frame Flooding—A Denial of Service attack using a large number of association requests. The default
detection threshold is 30 requests in 10 seconds.
l Authentication Frame Flooding—A Denial of Service attack using a large number of association requests. The
default detection threshold is 30 requests in 10 seconds.
l Broadcasting De-authentication—This is a type of Denial of Service attack. A flood of spoofed de-authentication
frames forces wireless clients to de-authenticate, then re-authenticate with their AP.
l EAPOL Packet Flooding—Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) packets are used in WPA and
WPA2 authentication. Flooding the AP with these packets can be a denial of service attack. Several types of
EAPOL packets are detected: EAPOL-FAIL, EAPOL-LOGOFF, EAPOL-START, EAPOL-SUCC.
l Invalid MAC OUI—Some attackers use randomly-generated MAC addresses. The first three bytes of the MAC
address are the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI), administered by IEEE. Invalid OUIs are logged.
l Long Duration Attack—To share radio bandwidth, WiFi devices reserve channels for brief periods of time.
Excessively long reservation periods can be used as a denial of service attack. You can set a threshold between
1000 and 32 767 microseconds. The default is 8200.
l Null SSID Probe Response—When a wireless client sends out a probe request, the attacker sends a response with
a null SSID. This causes many wireless cards and devices to stop responding.
l Spoofed De-authentication—Spoofed de-authentication frames are a denial of service attack. They cause all
clients to disconnect from the AP.
l Weak WEP IV Detection—A primary means of cracking WEP keys is by capturing 802.11 frames over an extended
period of time and searching for patterns of WEP initialization vectors (IVs) that are known to be weak. WIDS
detects known weak WEP IVs in on-air traffic.
l Wireless Bridge—WiFi frames with both the fromDS and ToDS fields set indicate a wireless bridge. This will also
detect a wireless bridge that you intentionally configured in your network.
You can enable wireless IDS by selecting a WIDS Profile in your FortiAP profile.
Rogue AP detection
The WIDS profile includes settings for detection of unauthorized (rogue) access points in your wireless network. For
more information, see Monitoring rogue APs on page 112.
As part of mitigating a Denial of Service (DoS) attack, the FortiGate sends de-authentication packets to unknown
clients. In an aggressive attack, this de-authentication activity can prevent the processing of packets from valid clients.
A WIDS Profile option in the CLI limits the de-authentication rate.
config wireless-controller wids-profile
edit default
set deauth-unknown-src-thresh <1-65535>
end
The value set is a measure of the number of de-authorizations per second. 0 means no limit. The default is 10.
Optionally, you can apply DTLS encryption to the data channel between the wireless controller and FortiAP units to
enhance security.
There are data channel encryption settings on both the FortiGate unit and the FortiAP units. At both ends, you can
enable Clear Text, DTLS encryption, or both. The settings must agree or the FortiAP unit will not be able to join the WiFi
network. By default, both Clear Text and DTLS-encrypted communication are enabled on the FortiAP unit, allowing the
FortiGate setting to determine whether data channel encryption is used. If the FortiGate unit also enables both Clear
Text and DTLS, Clear Text is used.
Data channel encryption settings are located in the FortiAP profile. By default, only Clear Text is supported.
Data channel encryption is software-based and can affect performance. Verify that the system
meets your performance requirements with encryption enabled.
To enable encryption
In the CLI, the wireless wtp-profile command contains a new field, dtls-policy, with options clear-
text and dtls-enabled. To enable encryption in profile1 for example, enter:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit profile1
set dtls-policy dtls-enabled
end
The FortiAP unit has its own settings for data channel encryption.
l DTLS Enabled
2. Select Apply.
Protected Management Frames (PMF) protect some types of management frames like deauthorization, disassociation
and action frames. This feature, now mandatory on WiFi certified 802.1ac devices, prevents attackers from sending
plain deauthorization/disassociation frames to disrupt or tear down a connection/association. PMF is a Wi-Fi Alliance
specification based on IEEE 802.11w.
To facilitate faster client roaming, you can enable Opportunistic Key Caching (OKC) on your WiFi network. When a
client associates with an AP, its PMK identifier is sent to all other APs on the network. This eliminates the need for an
already-authenticated client to repeat the full EAP exchange process when it roams to another AP on the same network.
edit <vap_name>
set pmf {disable | enable | optional}
set pmf-assoc-comeback-timeout <integer>
set pmf-sa-query-retry-timeout <integer>
set okc {disable | enable}
next
end
When pmf is set to optional, it is considered enabled, but will allow clients that do not use PMF. When pmf is set
to enable, PMF is required by all clients.
The FortiGate can configure FortiAP Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scan, incorporating Google's BLE beacon profile
known as Eddystone, used to identify groups of devices and individual devices.
Use the following syntax to configure BLE profiles and BLE report intervals, and assign BLE profiles to WTP profiles.
Note that txpower determines the transmit power level on a scale of 0-12:
The following command can be enabled so that when a client connects to a VAP, and its traffic is not tunneled to the
controller, the admin can control whether the client can access the local network.
Note that this entry is only available when local-standalone-nat is set to enable.
Syntax:
If a bridge mode SSID is configured for a managed FortiAP-S (or smart FortiAP), you can add a security profile group to
the wireless controller configuration that allows you to apply the following security profile features to the traffic over the
bridge SSID:
l AntiVirus (including botnet protection)
l Intrusion Prevention
l Application Control
l Web Filter
1. For this configuration to work, you must go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and enable the Security
profile group option on the bridge mode SSID assigned to the FortiAP Profile for your smart FortiAP.
2. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > Security Profile Groups. Select Create New or edit the wifi-default
profile.
3. Enable or disable Logging.
4. Enable or disable Scan Botnets. This option is enabled by default. If you enable this option, select Blocked or
Monitor. The default is Monitor.
5. Under Security Profiles, you can enable or disable the AntiVirus, Web Filter, Application Control, and
Intrusion Prevention profiles. To view available profiles, click the down arrow. The defaults for these options are
wifi-default.
You configure security profile groups on managed smart FortiAPs by using the config wireless-controller
utm-profile command. Then, you can assign a security profile group by using the set utm-profile command
under config wirelesscontroller vap, after local-bridging is set to enable.
Note that the default utm-profile, named wifi-default, has all applicable options within the command set to
wifi-default.
To view all available profiles that you can assign, type "?". For example, "set ips-sensor ?".
config wireless-controller utm-profile
edit <name>
set comment <comment>
set utm-log {enable | disable}
set ips-sensor <name>
set application-list <name>
set antivirus-profile <name>
set webfilter-profile <name>
set scan-botnet-connections {disable | block | monitor}
next
end
To debug the wireless-controller configurations related to security profile groups, use the following
diagnose command:
Commands are available to enable or disable (by default) DHCP option-82 data insertion for wireless access points.
DHCP snooping is used to prevent rogue DHCP servers from offering IP addresses to DHCP clients. This feature adds
the Circuit ID and Remote ID sub-option onto the DHCP packets, which helps the user identify which FortiAP makes the
request and for which SSID it requests.
Syntax
The circuit-id option includes information specific to the cirtcuit the request came from. This option is an identifier
that identifies the FortiAP.
The remote-id option includes information on the remote host end of the circuit. This option usually contains
information that identifies the station.
Options Description
This feature is only supported in Bridge mode, Tunnel mode, and Mesh SSIDs.
You can get an overview of your FortiGate or FortiWiFi unit by navigating to Dashboard > WiFi. The WiFi dashboard
provides a comprehensive view of the health of your network’s wireless infrastructure.
The following widgets are displayed on the dashboard:
Historical Clients Real-time number of WiFi clients over the selected time frame.
To add a new widget, click + Add Widget and select from a list of predefined widget categories.
The access point radio equipment can scan for other available access points, either as a dedicated monitor or in idle
periods during AP operation.
To see all the rogue APs detected by your managed FortiAP or FortiWiFi unit, go to Dashboard > WiFi > Rogue
APs. The Rogue AP widget shows three charts containing rogue AP statistic information in different categories.
l The Detected By chart shows the amount of rogue APs detected by each managed FortiAP unit or FortiWiFi local
radio.
l The SSID chart shows the amount of SSID names detected as rogue APs.
l The Vendor Info chart shows the vender information of the detected rogue APs.
All the rogue APs are listed in a table, where you can mark each one as either Accepted or Rogue access points. You
can click the Show Offline or Show Accepted button to toggle views for seeing offline rogue APs and accepted rogue
APs.
It is also possible to suppress rogue APs. See Suppressing rogue APs on page 116.
Other APs that are available in the same area as your own APs are not necessarily rogues. A neighboring AP that has no
connection to your network might cause interference, but it is not a security threat. A rogue AP is an unauthorized AP
connected to your wired network. This can enable unauthorized access. When rogue AP detection is enabled, the On-
wire column in the Rogue APs widget shows a green up-arrow on detected rogues.
Rogue AP monitoring of WiFi client traffic builds a table of WiFi clients and the Access Points that they are
communicating through. The FortiGate unit also builds a table of MAC addresses that it sees on the LAN. The
FortiGate unit’s on-wire correlation engine constantly compares the MAC addresses seen on the LAN to the MAC
addresses seen on the WiFi network.
There are two methods of Rogue AP on-wire detection operating simultaneously: Exact MAC address match and MAC
adjacency.
If the same MAC address is seen on the LAN and on the WiFi network, this means that the wireless client is connected
to the LAN. If the AP that the client is using is not authorized in the FortiGate unit configuration, that AP is deemed an
‘on-wire’ rogue. This scheme works for non-NAT rogue APs.
MAC adjacency
If an access point is also a router, it applies NAT to WiFi packets. This can make rogue detection more difficult.
However, an AP’s WiFi interface MAC address is usually in the same range as its wired MAC address. So, the MAC
adjacency rogue detection method matches LAN and WiFi network MAC addresses that are within a defined numerical
distance of each other. By default, the MAC adjacency value is 7. If the AP for these matching MAC addresses is not
authorized in the FortiGate unit configuration, that AP is deemed an ‘on-wire’ rogue.
Limitations
On-wire rogue detection has some limitations. There must be at least one WiFi client connected to the suspect AP and
continuously sending traffic. If the suspect AP is a router, its WiFi MAC address must be very similar to its Ethernet port
MAC address.
Logging
Information about detected rogue APs is logged and uploaded to your FortiAnalyzer unit, if you have one. By default,
rogue APs generate an alert level log, unknown APs generate a warning level log. This log information can help you with
Each WiFi radio can perform monitoring of radio channels in its operating band while acting as an AP. It does this by
briefly switching from AP to monitoring mode. By default, a scan period starts every 300 seconds. Each second a
different channel is monitored for 20ms until all channels have been checked.
During heavy AP traffic, it is possible for Spectrum Analysis background scanning to cause lost packets when the radio
switches to monitoring. To reduce the probability of lost packets, you can set the CLI ap-bgscan-idle field to delay
the switch to monitoring until the AP has been idle for a specified period. This means that heavy AP traffic may slow
background scanning.
The following CLI example configures default background rogue scanning operation except that it sets ap-bgscan-
idle to require 100ms of AP inactivity before scanning the next channel.
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit ourprofile
config radio-1
set wids-profile ourwidsprofile
set spectrum-analysis enable
end
end
config wireless-controller wids-profile
edit ourwidsprofile
set ap-scan enable
set rogue-scan enable
set ap-bgscan-period 300
set ap-bgscan-intv 1
set ap-bgscan-duration 20
set ap-bgscan-idle 100
end
All APs using the same FortiAP Profile share the same rogue scanning settings, unless override is configured.
end
By default, if Rogue AP Detection is enabled, it is enabled on all managed FortiAP units. Optionally, you can exempt an
AP from scanning. You should be careful about doing this if your organization must perform scanning to meet PCI-DSS
requirements.
MAC adjacency
You can adjust the maximum WiFi to Ethernet MAC difference used when determining whether a suspect AP is a rogue.
To view the list of other wireless access points that are receivable at your location, go to Dashboard > WiFi > Rogue
APs.
SSID The wireless service set identifier (SSID) or network name for the wireless interface.
State Accepted AP — Use this status for APs that are an authorized part of your network or are
neighboring APs that are not a security threat. To see accepted APs in the list, select Show
Accepted.
Rogue AP — Use this status for unauthorized APs that the On-wire status indicates are
attached to your wired networks.
Suppressed Rogue AP — Use this status to suppress unauthorized APs.
Unclassified — This is the initial status of a discovered AP. You can change an AP back
to unclassified if you have mistakenly marked it as Rogue or Accepted.
Signal Interference The relative signal strength of the AP. Mouse over the symbol to view the signal-to-noise
ratio.
Detected By The name or serial number of the AP unit that detected the signal.
Channel The wireless radio channel that the access point uses.
On-wire A green up-arrow indicates a suspected rogue, based on the on-wire detection technique. A
red down-arrow indicates AP is not a suspected rogue.
To change the state of a rogue AP, select the AP and hover over the State column until an Edit icon appears. Click the
Edit icon and select the state you want, and then click Apply.
In addition to monitoring rogue APs, you can actively prevent your users from connecting to them. When suppression is
activated against an AP, the FortiGate WiFi controller sends deauthentication messages to the rogue AP’s clients,
posing as the rogue AP, and also sends deauthentication messages to the rogue AP, posing as its clients. This is done
using the monitoring radio.
Before enabling this feature, verify that operation of Rogue Suppression is compliant with the
applicable laws and regulations of your region.
To enable rogue AP suppression, you must enable monitoring of rogue APs with the on-wire detection technique (see
Configuring rogue scanning on page 114). The monitoring radio must be in the Dedicated Monitor mode.
To deactivate AP suppression
You can use the GUI to view detailed information about the health of individual WiFi connections from the Dashboard or
the WiFi Clients console. You can also Quarantine or Disassociate a wireless client.
Signal Strength / The signal-to-noise ratio in decibels calculated from signal strength and noise level.
Noise
Association Time How long the client has been connected to this access point.
You can also click each row and drill down for a summary about the applications, destinations, policies, and logs on
each client. From the summary page, you can also choose to Quarantine or Disassociate the host.
You can block a specific host for your network by quarantining it.
1. From the WiFi Clients page, double-click the client you want to quarantine.
The client summary page loads.
2. Click Quarantine to open the Quarantine Host dialog.
3. Click OK to quarantine the selected wireless client, and close the dialog.
To disassociate a host
You can remove a specific host from your network by disassociating it.
1. From the WiFi Clients page, double-click the client you want to disassociate.
The client summary page loads.
2. Click Disassociate.
The Confirm dialog opens.
3. Click OK to disassociate the selected wireless client, and close the dialog.
From the summary page, the Health section displays the overall health for the wireless connection. The overall health of
the connection is:
l Good if the value range for all three conditions are Good
l Fair or Poor if one of the three conditions is Fair or Poor.
FortiAP-S and FortiAP-W2 version 6.2.0 and later support Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) queries and
trap messages based on wireless-controller SNMP settings configured on FortiGate.
FortiAP-S and FortiAP-W2 support all SNMP versions (v1, v2, and v3).
The local standalone mode does not support FortiAP direct SNMP.
The SNMP manager requires the following management information base (MIB) files:
l FortiAP MIB
l Fortinet Core MIB
To download the FortiAP SNMP MIB and Fortinet Core MIB files, perform the following steps:
1. Go to the Fortinet Support website.
2. Log in to your account. If you do not have an account, create one and then log in.
3. From the top banner, select Download > Firmware images.
4. From the Select Product list, select FortiAP-S or FortiAP-W2, as applicable.
5. Click the Download tab.
6. Locate the v6.00 folder (or later) and then the 6.2 (or later) folder to match the firmware release running on your
FortiAP-S or FortiAP-W2 device.
7. Navigate through the folders to find and then download the FORTINET-FORTIAP-MIB-buildxxxx.mib file.
8. From the Select Product list, select FortiGate.
9. Locate the v6.00 folder (or later) and then 6.2 (or later) folder to match the firmware release running on your
FortiGate device.
10. Navigate through the folders to find and then download the FORTINET-CORE-MIB-buildxxxx.mib file.
11. You can load the MIB files into your SNMP manager.
FortiAP-S and FortiAP-W2 can send the following trap messages to an SNMP manager or trap receiver:
fapCpuOverload The CPU usage of the specified FortiAP has exceeded the configured threshold.
fapMemOverload The memory usage of the specified FortiAP has exceeded the configured
threshold.
From your SNMP manager, you can use the SNMP GET and SNMP WALK commands to query FortiAP for status
information, variables values, SSID configuration, radio configuration, and so on. You can also use the SNMP SET
command to configure local FortiAP variables.
Here is an example of polling FortiAP data using the snmpwalk command from a Linux OS computer:
You need to configure user accounts and add the users to a user group. This example shows only one account, but
multiple accounts can be added as user group members.
Name wlan_users
Type Firewall
Members Add users.
First, establish the SSID (network interface) for the network. This is independent of the number of physical access
points that will be deployed. The network assigns IP addresses using DHCP.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and select Create New > SSID.
2. Enter the following information and select OK:
Netmask 255.255.255.0
SSID example_wifi
The radio portion of the FortiAP configuration is contained in the FortiAP Profile. By default, there is a profile for each
platform (FortiAP model). You can create additional profiles if needed. The SSID needs to be specified in the profile.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles and edit the profile for your model of FortiAP unit.
2. In Radio 1 and Radio 2, add example_wifi in SSID.
3. Select OK.
A security policy is needed to enable WiFi users to access the Internet on port1. First you create firewall address for the
WiFi network, then you create the example_wifi to port1 policy.
Name wlan_user_net
Type IP/Netmask
Interface example_wifi_if
Schedule always
Service ALL
Action ACCEPT
You need to connect each FortiAP unit to the FortiGate unit, wait for it to be recognized, and then assign it to the AP
Profile. But first, you must configure the interface to which the FortiAP units connect and the DHCP server that assigns
their IP addresses.
In this example, the FortiAP units connect to port3 and are controlled through IP addresses on the 10.10.70.0/24
network.
1. Go to Network > Interfaces, and edit the interface to which the AP unit connects (in this example, port3).
2. In Addressing mode, select Manual.
3. In IP/Network Mask, enter an IP address and netmask for the interface (in this example,
10.10.70.1/255.255.255.0).
4. In the Administrative Access section, go to IPv4 and select the Security Fabric Connection checkbox.
5. When FortiAP units are connected to the interface on FortiGate (directly or through a switch), you can go to the Edit
Interface section and set the Role to LAN .
Selecting the LAN role loads the DHCP Server toggle. If you enable DHCP Server, the GUI can automatically set
the DHCP IP range based on the interface IP address.
6. Click OK.
3. Periodically select Refresh while waiting for the FortiAP unit to be listed.
Recognition of the FortiAP unit can take up to two minutes.
If FortiAP units are connected but cannot be recognized, try disabling VCI-Match in the DHCP server settings.
4. When the FortiAP unit is listed, select the entry to edit it.
The Edit Managed Access Point window opens.
5. In State, select Authorize.
6. In FortiAP Profile, select the default profile for the FortiAP model.
7. Select OK.
8. Repeat Steps 2 through 7 for each FortiAP unit.
Scenario example
In this example, Example Co. provides two wireless networks, one for its employees and the other for customers or
other guests of its business. Guest users have access only to the Internet, not to the company’s private network. The
equipment for these WiFi networks consists of FortiAP-220B units controlled by a FortiGate unit.
The employee network operates in 802.11n mode on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Client IP addresses are in the
10.10.120.0/24 subnet, with 10.10.120.1 the IP address of the WAP. The guest network also operates in 802.11n
mode, but only on the 2.4 GHz band. Client IP addresses are on the 10.10.115.0/24 subnet, with 10.10.115.1 the IP
address of the WAP.
On FortiAP-220B units, the 802.11n mode also supports 802.11g and 802.11b clients on the 2.4 GHz band and 802.11a
clients on the 5 GHz band.
The guest network WAP broadcasts its SSID, the employee network WAP does not.
The employee network uses WPA-Enterprise authentication through a FortiGate user group. The guest network
features a captive portal. When a guest first tries to connect to the Internet, a login page requests logon credentials.
Guests use numbered guest accounts authenticated by RADIUS. The captive portal for the guests includes a disclaimer
page.
In this example, the FortiAP units connect to port 3 and are assigned addresses on the 192.168.8.0/24 subnet.
Configuration example
Employees have user accounts on the FortiGate unit. This example shows creation of one user account, but you can
create multiple accounts and add them as members to the user group.
Name employee-group
Type Firewall
Members Add users.
To configure a WiFi user and the user group for employee access - CLI
edit "employee-group"
set member "user01"
end
The user authentication setup will be complete when you select the employee-group in the SSID configuration.
Guests are assigned temporary user accounts created on a RADIUS server. The RADIUS server stores each user’s
group name in the Fortinet-Group-Name attribute. Wireless users are in the group named “wireless”.
The FortiGate unit must be configured to access the RADIUS server.
To configure the FortiGate unit to access the guest RADIUS server - GUI
Name guestRADIUS
To configure the FortiGate unit to access the guest RADIUS server - CLI
Name guest-group
Type Firewall
Members Leave empty.
4. Enter:
5. Select OK.
The user authentication setup will be complete when you select the guest-group user group in the SSID configuration.
First, establish the SSIDs (network interfaces) for the employee and guest networks. This is independent of the number
of physical access points that will be deployed. Both networks assign IP addresses using DHCP.
1. Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > SSID and select Create New > SSID.
2. Enter the following information and select OK:
IP/Netmask 10.10.120.1/24
Netmask 255.255.255.0
SSID example_inc
Name example_guest
IP/Netmask 10.10.115.1/24
Netmask 255.255.255.0
SSID example_guest
The FortiAP Profile defines the radio settings for the networks. The profile provides access to both Radio 1 (2.4 GHz)
and Radio 2 (5 GHz) for the employee virtual AP, but provides access only to Radio 1 for the guest virtual AP.
Name example_AP
Platform FAP220B
Radio 1
Band 802.11n
Band 802.11n_5G
Identity-based firewall policies are needed to enable the WLAN users to access the Internet on Port1. First you create
firewall addresses for employee and guest users, then you create the firewall policies.
Interface example_inc
Interface example_guest
Schedule always
Service ALL
Action ACCEPT
Schedule always
Service ALL
Action ACCEPT
3. Optionally, select UTM and set up UTM features for wireless users.
4. Select OK.
You need to connect each FortiAP-220B unit to the FortiGate unit, wait for it to be recognized, and then assign it to the
AP Profile. But first, you must configure the interface to which the FortiAP units connect and the DHCP server that
assigns their IP addresses.
In this example, the FortiAP units connect to port 3 and are controlled through IP addresses on the 10.10.70.0/24
network.
1. Go to Network > Interfaces, and edit the interface to which the AP unit connects (in this example, port3).
2. In Addressing mode, select Manual.
3. In IP/Network Mask, enter an IP address and netmask for the interface (in this example,
10.10.70.1/255.255.255.0).
4. In the Administrative Access section, go to IPv4 and select the Security Fabric Connection checkbox.
5. When FortiAP units are connected to the interface on FortiGate (directly or through a switch), you can go to the Edit
Interface section and set the Role to LAN .
Selecting the LAN role loads the DHCP Server toggle. If you enable DHCP Server, the GUI can automatically set
the DHCP IP range based on the interface IP address.
6. Click OK.
The optional vci-match and vci-string fields ensure that the DHCP server will provide IP addresses only to
FortiAP units.
A FortiWiFi unit operates by default as a wireless access point. But a FortiWiFi unit can also operate as a wireless client,
connecting the FortiGate to another wireless network.
This section includes the following topics:
l FortiWiFi unit in client mode
l Configuring a FortiWiFi unit as a wireless client
In client mode, the FortiWiFi unit connects to a remote WiFi access point to access other networks or the Internet. This
is most useful when the FortiWiFi unit is in a location that does not have a wired infrastructure.
For example, in a warehouse where shipping and receiving are on opposite sides of the building, running cables might
not be an option due to the warehouse environment. The FortiWiFi unit can support wired users using its Ethernet ports
and can connect to another wireless access point as a client. This connects the wired users to the network using the
802.11 WiFi standard as a backbone.
In client mode, the FortiWiFi unit cannot operate as an AP. WiFi clients cannot see or connect to the FortiWiFi unit in
client mode.
To set up the FortiWiFi unit as a wireless client, you must use the CLI. Before you do this, make sure to remove any AP
WiFi configurations such as SSIDs, DHCP servers, and policies.
1. Change the wireless mode to client. In the CLI, enter the following commands:
config system global
set wireless-mode client
end
2. Respond “y” when asked if you want to continue. The FortiWiFi unit reboots.
3. Configure the WiFi interface settings.
For example, to configure the client for WPA-Personal authentication on the our_wifi SSID with passphrase
justforus, enter the following in the CLI:
config system interface
edit wifi
set mode dhcp
config wifi-networks
edit 0
set wifi-ssid our_wifi
set wifi-security wpa-personal
set wifi-passphrase "justforus"
end
end
Schedule always
Service ALL
Action ACCEPT
Use the following CLI commands to provide a more controlled AP selection method (supported in FortiWiFi client
mode).
Syntax
FortiOS supports location-based services by collecting information about WiFi devices near FortiGate-managed access
points, even if the devices do not associate with the network.
WiFi devices broadcast packets as they search for available networks. The FortiGate WiFi controller can collect
information about the interval, duration, and signal strength of these packets. The Euclid Analytics service uses this
information to track the movements of the device owner. A typical application of this technology is to analyze shopper
behavior in a shopping center. Which stores do people walk past? Which window displays do they stop to look at? Which
stores do they enter and how long do they spend there? The shoppers are not personally identified, each is known only
by the MAC address of their WiFi device.
After enabling location tracking on the FortiGate unit, you can confirm that the feature is working by using a specialized
diagnostic command to view the raw tracking data. The Euclid Analytics service obtains the same data in its proprietary
format using a JSON inquiry through the FortiGate GUI interface.
You can enable location tracking in any FortiAP profile, using the CLI. Location tracking is part of location-based
services. Set the station-locate field to enable. For example:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit "FAP220B-locate"
set ap-country US
config platform
set type 220B
end
config lbs
set station-locate enable
end
end
The FortiGate generates a log entry only the first time that station-locate detects a mobile client. No log is generated for
clients that have been detected before. To log repeat client visits, previous station presence data must be deleted
(flushed). The sta-locate-timer can flush this data periodically. The default period is 1800 seconds (30 minutes). The
timer can be set to any value between 1 and 86400 seconds (24 hours). A setting of 0 disables the flush, meaning a
client is logged only on the very first visit.
The timer is one of the wireless controller timers and it can be set in the CLI. For example:
config wireless-controller timers
set sta-locate-timer 1800
end
To avoid the duplication of logs, set the sta-locate-timer value to be more that the sta-capability-timer value (default 30
seconds).
When the FortiGate is located on a private IP network, the FortiPresence server cannot poll the FortiGate for
information. Instead, the FortiGate must be configured to push the information to the FortiPresence server.
Enter the following command:
config wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit "FP223B-GuestWiFi"
config lbs
set fortipresence {enable | disable}
set fortipresence-server <ip-address> Default is 3000.
set fortipresence-port <port>
set fortipresence-secret <password>
set fortipresence-project <name>
set fortipresence-frequency <5-65535> Default is 30.
set fortipresence-rogue {enable | disable} Enable/disable reporting of Rogue APs.
set fortipresence-unassoc {enable | disable} Enable/disable reporting of unassociated
devices.
end
end
You can use the FortiGate CLI to list located devices. This is mainly useful to confirm that the location data feature is
working, You can also reset device location data.
Example output
00:0b:6b:22:82:61 0
FAP22B3U11005354 0 0 00:09:0f:f1:bb:e4 5745 257 708 56 651 1836 6441 0 12 -21832 1855438 -
157758796 -88 -81 -84 -88 0
00:db:df:24:1a:67 0
FAP22B3U11005354 0 0 00:09:0f:f1:bb:e4 5745 42 1666 41 1625 97210 5831613 0 60 -3608 310072
-26658680 -90 -83 -85 -89 0
10:68:3f:50:22:29 0
FAP22B3U11005354 0 0 00:09:0f:f1:bb:e4 5745 102 1623 58 1565 94136 5664566 0 60 -8025 631703
-49751433 -84 -75 -78 -79 0
The output for each device appears on two lines. The first line contains only the device MAC address and the VLAN ID.
The second line begins with the ID (serial number) of the FortiWiFi or FortiAP unit that detected the device, the AP MAC
address, and then the fields that the Euclid service uses. Because of its length, this line wraps around and displays as
multiple lines.
To troubleshoot the FortiOS wireless controller and FortiAP units, this section includes the following topics:
l FortiAP shell command on page 143
l Signal strength issues on page 143
l Throughput issues on page 147
l Client connection issues on page 149
l FortiAP connection issues on page 150
l Best practices for OSI common sources of wireless issues on page 154
l Packet sniffer on page 157
l Debug commands on page 161
The FortiAP is often behind a NAT device and access to the FortiAP through SSH is not available. The FortiGate WiFi
controller can send a FortiAP shell command (up to 127 bytes) to the FortiAP. The FortiAP runs this command and then
returns the results to the controller using the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points Protocol
(CAPWAP) tunnel.
The maximum output from a FortiAP shell command is limited to 4 MB. The default output size is set to 32 KB.
The FortiAP reports the running results to the controller after the command is finished. If the controller sends a new
command to the FortiAP before the previous command is finished, the previous command is canceled.
Enter the following command:
diag w-c wlac wtpcmd wtp_ip wtp_port cmd [cmd-to-ap] cmd: run,show,showhex,clr,r&h,r&sh
l cmd-to-ap: any shell commands, but FortiAP does not report results until the command is finished on the FortiAP
l run: controller sends the ap-cmd to the FortiAP to run
l show: show current results reported by the FortiAP in text
l showhex: show current results reported by the FortiAP in hexadecimal format.
l clr: clear reported results
l r&s: run and show
l r&sh: run and show in hexadecimal format
This section includes information to help you identify and troubleshoot poor signal strength issues.
Asymmetric power issues are a typical problem in wireless communications. Access points (AP) can have a high
transmit power which means that a signal can travel a long distance. However, clients may not have a transmit power
strong enough for the APs to detect their signal.
To solve an asymmetric power issue, measure the signal strength in both directions. APs usually have enough power to
transmit long distances, but sometimes battery-powered clients have a reply signal that has less power, and therefore
the AP cannot detect their signal.
It is recommended that you match the transmission power of the AP to the least powerful wireless client—around 10
decibels per milliwatt (dBm) for iPhones and 14 dBm for most laptops.
Even if the signal is strong enough, other devices may also emit radiation and cause interference. To identify the
difference, read the client Rx strength from the Signal Strength widget (under Dashboard > WiFi) or CLI.
The Signal Strength/Noise value provides the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the wireless client. For
example, a value of -85 dBm to -95 dBm is equal to about 10 dB levels; this is not a desirable signal strength. In the
following screenshot, one of the clients is at 18 dB, which is getting close to the perimeter of its range.
The recommended Signal Strength/Noise value from and to the FortiAP by clients is in the
range of -20 dBm to -65 dBm.
You can also confirm the transmission (Tx) power of the controller on the AP profile (wtp-profile) and the FortiAP
(iwconfig), and check the power management (auto-Tx) options.
config <radio>
show
iwconfig wlan00
Result:
wlan00 IEEE 802.11ng ESSID:"signal-check"
Mode:Master Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point:<MAC add>
Bit Rate:130 Mb/s Tx-Power=28 dBm
Using FortiPlanner
The most thorough method to solve signal strength issues is to perform a site survey using FortiPlanner.
For details about FortiPlanner, visit the FortiPlanner website. You can download FortiPlanner here.
The site survey helps with the optimal placement for your APs based on the variables in your environment. You must
provide the site survey detailed information such as a floor plan (to scale) and structural materials. FortiPlanner allows
you to place the APs on the map and adjust the radio bands and power levels while providing you with visual wireless
coverage.
The following list includes mechanisms for gathering further information on the client for Rx strength. The goal is to see
how well the client is receiving the signal from the AP. You can also verify FortiAP signal strength on the client using
WiFi client utilities, or third-party utilities such as InSSIDer or MetaGeek Chanalyzer.
l Professional Site Survey software (Ekahau, AirMagnet survey Pro, FortiPlanner)
l InSSIDer
l On Windows: “netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid” (look for the BSSID, it's in % not in dBm)
l On MacOS: Use the “airport” command:
“/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/A/Resources/airport” airport –s | grep <the_
bssid> (live scan each time)
l On Android: WiFiFoFum
Frequency interference
If the wireless signal seems to be strong but then periodically drops, this may be a symptom of frequency interference.
Frequency interference is when another device also emits radio frequency using the same channel, co-channel, or
adjacent channel, thereby overpowering or corrupting your signal. This is a common problem on a 2.4 GHz network.
There are two types of interference: coherent and non-coherent.
l Coherent interference is a result of another device using the same channel as your AP, or poor planning of a
wireless infrastructure. Perhaps the other nearby APs are using the same channel or the signal strength is too high.
l Non-coherent interference is a result of other radio signals such as Bluetooth, microwave, cordless phone, or x-
ray machines (as in medical environments).
The most common and simple solution for frequency interference is to change your operation channel. Typically, the
channel can be set from 1 to 11 for the broadcast frequency, although it is recommended to use channels 1, 6, and 11
on the 2.4 GHz band.
Another solution, if it is appropriate for your location, is to use the 5 GHz band instead.
MetaGeek Chanalyzer
You can perform a site survey using spectrum analysis at various points in your environment to locate sources of
interference. MetaGeek Chanalyzer is an example of a third-party utility used for spectrum analysis of complex WiFi
networks.
Fortinet wireless adapters ignore signals of -95 dBm or less.
Throughput issues
This section helps you identify throughput issues and suggests actions to address them.
Link testing
You can identify delays or lost packets by sending ping packets from your wireless client. If there is more than 10 ms of
delay, there may be a problem with your wireless deployment, such as:
l The client transmits a week signal. The host does not reach the AP.
l The AP utilization is too high. Your AP is saturated with connected clients.
l There is interference in the wireless network. Third-party signal can degrade your AP or the client's ability to detect
signals between them.
l The AP has a weak transmit power. The AP does not reach the host. This problem is not common in a properly
deployed network, unless the client is too far away.
Performance testing
If the FortiAP gives poor throughput to the client, the link can drop. You can measure the link throughput or performance
between two devices by using third-party application tools such as iPerf and jPerf.
Another way to get a sense of your throughput issues is to measure the speed of a file transfer on your network. Create
a test file at a specific size and measure the speed at which Windows measures the transfer. The command below
creates a 50 MB file. The file name is test.txt.
l fsutil file createnew test.txt 52428800
The following image shows a network transfer speed of just over 24 Mbps. The theoretical speed of 802.11g is 54 Mbps,
which is what this client is using. A wireless client is never likely to see the theoretical speed.
TKIP limitation
If you find that throughput is a problem, avoid WPA security encrypted with Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) as it
supports communications only at 54 Mbps. Use WPA-2 AES instead.
Speeds are very much based on what the client computer can handle as well. The maximum client connection rate of
130 Mbps is for 2.4 GHz on a 2x2, or 300 Mbps for 5 GHz on a 2x2 (using shortguard and channel bonding enabled).
If you want to get more than 54 Mbps with 802.11n, do not use legacy TKIP, use CCMP instead. This is standard for
legacy compatibility.
TKIP is not the only possible source of decreased throughput. When a wireless client sends jumbo frames using a
CAPWAP tunnel, it can result in data loss, jitter, and decreased throughput. For more details, see IP fragmentation of
packets in CAPWAP tunnels on page 66.
All of these element are bidirectional. If the DTLS response is slow, there could be a configuration error or an issue with
a certificate during the discovery response. For details about the CAPWAP Protocol Specification, see RFC 5415 and
RFC 5416.
l Try upgrading the Wi-Fi adapter driver, FortiGate and FortiAP firmware.
l If other clients can connect, the issue can be with device interoperability. Run debug commands and sniffer
packets.
l Look for rogue suppression by sniffing the wireless traffic and looking for the connection issue in the output
l The issue could be related to power-saver settings. The client may need to update the drivers.
l The issue could also be caused by flapping between APs. Check the roaming sensitivity settings on the client
or the preferred wireless network settings on the client. If another WiFi network is available, the client may
connect to it if it is a preferred network. Also, check the DHCP configuration as this configuration may be an IP
conflict.
3. If the client drops and never connects:
l The client could have roamed to another SSID. Check the standby and sleep modes.
l There could be a broadcast issue. Check the WEP encryption key and set a static IP address and VLANs.
To see the stage at which the client fails to connect, enable the client debug on the controller for problematic clients. Try
to connect from the problematic client and run the following debug command, which allows you to see the four-way
handshake of the client association:
diagnose wireless-controller wlac sta_filter <client MAC address> 2
The following example debug output is for the above command. This example shows the successful association phase,
DHCP phase, and the PSK key exchange (identified in color):
FG600B3909600253 #
91155.197 <ih> IEEE 802.11 mgmt::assoc_req <== 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 vap signal-check rId 0 wId 0
00:09:0f:f3:20:45
91155.197 <ih> IEEE 802.11 mgmt::assoc_resp ==> 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 vap signal-check rId 0 wId 0
00:09:0f:f3:20:45 resp 0
91155.197 <cc> STA_CFG_REQ(15) sta 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 add ==> ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0
wId 0
91155.197 <dc> STA add 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 vap signal-check ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0 wId 0
bssid 00:09:0f:f3:20:45 NON-AUTH
91155.197 <cc> STA add 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 vap signal-check ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0 wId 0
00:09:0f:f3:20:45 sec WPA2 AUTO auth 0
91155.199 <cc> STA_CFG_RESP(15) 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 <== ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rc 0 (Success)
91155.199 <eh> send 1/4 msg of 4-Way Handshake
91155.199 <eh>send IEEE 802.1X ver=1 type=3 (EAPOL_KEY) data len=95 replay cnt 1
91155.199 <eh> IEEE 802.1X (EAPOL 99B) ==> 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0
wId 0 00:09:0f:f3:20:45
91155.217 <eh> IEEE 802.1X (EAPOL 121B) <== 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0
wId 0 00:09:0f:f3:20:45
91155.217 <eh> recv IEEE 802.1X ver=1 type=3 (EAPOL_KEY) data len=117
91155.217 <eh> recv EAPOL-Key 2/4 Pairwise replay cnt 1
91155.218 <eh> send 3/4 msg of 4-Way Handshake
91155.218 <eh> send IEEE 802.1X ver=1 type=3 (EAPOL_KEY) data len=175 replay cnt 2
91155.218 <eh> IEEE 802.1X (EAPOL 179B) ==> 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0
wId 0 00:09:0f:f3:20:45
91155.223 <eh> IEEE 802.1X (EAPOL 99B) <== 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0
wId 0 00:09:0f:f3:20:45
91155.223 <eh> recv IEEE 802.1X ver=1 type=3 (EAPOL_KEY) data len=95
91155.223 <eh> recv EAPOL-Key 4/4 Pairwise replay cnt 2
91155.223 <dc> STA chg 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 vap signal-check ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0 wId 0
bssid 00:09:0f:f3:20:45 AUTH
91155.224 <cc> STA chg 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 vap signal-check ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0 wId 0
00:09:0f:f3:20:45 sec WPA2 AUTO auth 1
91155.224 <cc> STA_CFG_REQ(16) sta 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 add key (len=16) ==> ws (0-
192.168.35.1:5246) rId 0 wId 0
91155.226 <cc> STA_CFG_RESP(16) 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 <== ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246) rc 0 (Success)
91155.226 <eh> ***pairwise key handshake completed*** (RSN)
91155.257 <dc> DHCP Request server 0.0.0.0 <== host ADMINFO-FD4I2HK mac 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 ip
172.16.1.16
91155.258 <dc> DHCP Ack server 172.16.1.1 ==> host mac 30:46:9a:f9:fa:34 ip 172.16.1.16 mask
255.255.255.0 gw 172.16.1.1
where:
l Orange represents the association phase.
l Blue represents the PSK exchange.
l Green represents the DHCP phase.
It is important to note the messages for a correct association phase, four-way handshake, and DHCP phase.
An Administrator can view plain text passwords (captive-portal-radius-secret and passphrase) under
config wireless-controller vap.
Note that security must be set as a WPA-personal setting.
For a quick assessment of the association communication between the controller and the FortiAP, run the following
sniffer command to see if you can verify that the AP is communicating to the controller by identifying the
CAPWAP communication:
diagnose sniff packet <interface_name> “port 5246” 4
If you do not see this communication, then you can investigate the network or the settings on the AP to see why it is not
reaching the controller.
To collect verbose output from the sniff that can be converted to a PCAP and viewed in Wireshark, use the following
command:
diagnose sniff packet <interface_name> “port 5246” 6 0 l
The image below shows the beginning of the AP association to the controller. You can see the discovery Request and
Response at the top.
l Try to connect to the wireless controller from the problematic FortiAP to verify routes exist.
l Enable wtp (FortiAP) debugging on the wireless controller for problematic FortiAPs to determine the point at which
the FortiAP fails to connect:
diag wireless-controller wlac wtp_filter FP112B3X13000193 0-192.168.6.8:5246 2
Here is another example of a successful association between the FortiAP and the wireless controller. This example
includes elements of the CAPWAP protocol; Request, Response, DTLS, Join, and Configuration (identified in color). All
of these elements are bi-directional. So, if the DTLS response is slow, there could be a configuration error.
56704.575 <msg> DISCOVERY_REQ (12) <== ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246)
56704.575 <msg> DISCOVERY_RESP (12) ==> ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246)
56707.575 <msg> DISCOVERY_REQ (13) <== ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246)
56707.575 <msg> DISCOVERY_RESP (13) ==> ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246)
56709.577 <aev> - CWAE_INIT_COMPLETE ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246)
56709.577 <aev> - CWAE_LISTENER_THREAD_READY ws (0-192.168.35.1:5246)
56709.577 <fsm> old CWAS_START(0) ev CWAE_INIT_COMPLETE(0) new CWAS_IDLE(1)
where:
l Orange represents the Discovery phase.
l Blue indicates that the control channels have been established using DTLS.
l Green represents the access point Discovery and Join phase.
l Purple represents the Clear Text channel.
l Pink indicates that the FortiAP is successfully connected to the wireless controller.
Not all WiFi problems are related to signal strength, interference, or misconfiguration. The following Open System
Interconnection (OSI) model identifies some of the more common issues per layer.
Best practices for troubleshooting vary depending on the affected layer. See the following illustration.
l For high-performance and high-capacity installations, use lower transmit power to create smaller cells (set
FortiPlanner at 10 dBm TX power), but bear in mind that this setting requires more roaming.
In high-density deployments, multiple APs are used, and each one services an area called a cell. However, these cells
can cause interference with each other. This is a common problem. The radio signal from one AP interferes with, or
cancels out, the radio signal from another AP.
In the following diagram, note the interference zone created by one radio, causing interference on its neighboring APs.
The interference zone can be twice the radius of the signal, and the signal at its edge can be -67 dBm.
For best results, use a honeycomb pattern as a deployment strategy. The idea is to stagger repeated channels furthest
from each other to avoid interference.
For TCP/IP layers and above, a common source of latency, or slowness in the wireless traffic, is too many broadcasts or
multicasts. These types of issues can result from non-business or unwanted traffic, or both.
To resolve issues at the TCP/IP layer and above, you can:
Packet sniffer
Capturing the traffic between the controller and the FortiAP can help you identify most FortiAP and client connection
issues.
Note that some issues are related to the keep-alive for control and data channel.
Data traffic on UDP port 5247 is not encrypted. The data itself is encrypted by the wireless security mechanism.
Data traffic is helpful to troubleshoot most of the issues related to station association, EAP authentication, WPA key
exchange, roaming, and FortiAP configuration.
You can also set up a host or server to which you can forward the CAPWAP traffic:
1. Configure the host or server to which CAPWAP traffic is forwarded:
diagnose wireless-controller wlac sniff-cfg <Host_IP_address> 88888
Result:
Current Sniff Server: 192.168.25.41, 23352
2. Choose which traffic to capture, the interface to which the FortiAP is connected, and the FortiAP serial number:
diagnose wireless-controller wlac sniff <interface_name> <FortiAP_serial_
number> 2
Result:
WTP 0-FortiAP2223X11000107 Sniff: intf port2 enabled (control and data message)
In the above syntax, the '2' captures the control and data message. The '1' would capture only the control message
and '0' would disable it.
3. Run Wireshark on the host or server to capture CAPWAP traffic from the controller.
4. Decode the traffic as IP to check inner CAPWAP traffic.
The following image shows an example of a CAPWAP packet capture, where you can see the following details:
l Layer 2 header
l sniffed traffic encapsulated into Internet Protocol for transport
l CAPWAP encapsulated into UDP for sniffer purpose and encapsulated into IP
l CAPWAP control traffic on UDP port 5246
l CAPWAP payload
The second recommended technique consists of sniffing the wireless traffic directly on the air using your FortiAP.
Packet captures are useful for troubleshooting all wireless client related issues because you can verify data rate and
802.11 parameters, such as radio capabilities, and determine issues with wireless signal strength, interference, or
congestion on the network.
A radio can only capture one frequency at a time; one of the radios is set to sniffer mode depending on the traffic or
channel required. You must use two FortiAPs to capture both frequencies at the same time.
Result:
wlan10 IEEE 802.11na ESSID:""
Mode:Monitor Frequency:5.18 GHz Access Point: Not-Associated
The capture file is only stored temporarily. If you want to save it, upload it to a
TFTP server before rebooting or changing the radio settings.
Syntax
The following syntax demonstrates how to set the radio to sniffer mode (configurable from the CLI only). Sniffer mode
provides options to filter for specific traffic to capture. Notice that you can determine the buffer size, which channel to
sniff, the AP MAC address, and select if you want to sniff the beacons, probes, controls, and data channels.
configure wireless-controller wtp-profile
edit <profile_name>
configure <radio>
set mode sniffer
set ap-sniffer-bufsize 32
set ap-sniffer-chan 1
set ap-sniffer-addr 00:00:00:00:00:00
set ap-sniffer-mgmt-beacon enable
set ap-sniffer-mgmt-probe enable
set ap-sniffer-mgmt-other enable
set ap-sniffer-ctl enable
set ap-sniffer-data enable
end
end
Once you have performed the previous CLI configuration, you can see the packet sniffer mode selected in the GUI
dashboard under WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles and WiFi & Switch Controller > Managed
FortiAPs. Bear in mind that if you change the mode from the GUI, you need to return to the CLI to re-enable the sniffer
mode.
To disable the sniffer profile in the CLI, use the following commands:
If you change the radio mode before sending the file wl_sniff.cap to an external TFTP, the
file is deleted and you lose your packet capture.
The following image shows an example of the AP packet capture with the following details:
l capture header showing channel 36
l beacon frame
l source, destination, and BSSID of the beacon frame
l SSID of the beacon frame
Debug commands
For a list of debug options available for the wireless controller, use the following command on the controller:
diagnose wireless-controller wlac help
Sample outputs
Syntax
(This command lists the information about the virtual access point, including its MAC address, the BSSID, its
SSID, the interface name, and the IP address of the APs that are broadcasting it.)
Result:
bssid ssid intf vfid:ip-port rId wId
00:09:0f:d6:cb:12 Office Office ws (0-192.168.3.33:5246) 0 0
00:09:0f:e6:6b:12 Office Office ws (0-192.168.1.61:5246) 0 0
06:0e:8e:27:dc:48 Office Office ws (0-192.168.3.36:5246) 0 0
0a:09:0f:d6:cb:12 public publicAP ws (0-192.168.3.33:5246) 0 1
Syntax
(This command lists the information pertaining to the radio resource provisioning statistics, including the AP serial
number, the number of channels set to choose from, and the operation channel. Note that the 5 GHz band is not
available on these APs listed.)
Result:
wtp_id rId base_mac index nr_chan vfid 5G oper_chan age
FAP22A3U10600400 0 00:09:0f:d6:cb:12 0 3 0 No 1 87588
FW80CM3910601176 0 06:0e:8e:27:dc:48 1 3 0 No 6 822
You can enable or disable extension information at wtp-profile, and use the diagnose option below to print out the
detail of extension information.
Syntax
where:
l wlac -d wtp [SN|name] [reset] --> List or reset wtp info (data).
l wlac -d vap [bssid] [reset] --> List or reset vap info (data). .
l wlac -d sta [mac] [reset] --> list or reset sta info (data).
The FortiAP CLI controls radio and network operations through the use of variables manipulated with the configuration
and diagnostics commands.
For details about accessing the FortiAP CLI, see FortiAP CLI access on page 51.
Configuration commands
Command Description
cfg -s List variables for most popular settings and also the ones that are not using
default values.
cfg -a var=value Add or change a variable value.
cfg -c Commit the change to flash.
cfg -x Reset settings to factory defaults.
cfg -r var Remove variable.
cfg -e Export variables.
cfg -h Display help for all configuration commands and a complete list of configuration
variables.
Configuration variables
AP_IPADDR These variables set the FortiAP unit IP address, netmask and default
AP_NETMASK gateway when ADDR_MODE is STATIC.
IPGW
Default for AP_IPADDR: 192.168.1.2 .
Default for AP_NETMASK: 255.255.255.0.
Default for IPGW: 192.168.1.1.
ALLOW_HTTPS 0 - https disable
1 - https enable
2 - controlled by AC
Default: 2.
ALLOW_SSH 0 - SSH disable
1 - SSH enable
2 - controlled by AC
Default: 2.
AP_MGMT_VLAN_ID Non-zero value applies VLAN ID for unit management. See Reserved
VLAN IDs on page 15.
Default: 0.
AP_MODE FortiAP operating mode.
0 - Thin AP
2 - Unmanaged Site Survey mode. See SURVEY variables.
Default: 0.
BAUD_RATE Console data rate: 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, or 115200 baud.
Default: 9600.
DNS_SERVER DNS Server for clients. If ADDR_MODE is DHCP the DNS server is
automatically assigned.
FAP_ETHER_TRUNK Configure port behavior on FortiAP-U models.
0 - Dummy Switch. Default mode.
1 - Ether Hardware Bonding. Support Static Ethernet Channel
Bonding on LAN1 and LAN2 ports. Only available on select FortiAP-U
models.
2 - Ether 802.3ad Bonding. Support IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
Control Protocol (LACP) on LAN1 and LAN2 ports.
3 - Enable WAN-LAN. Supports configuration of a second WAN port
as a LAN (WAN-LAN mode configuration).
FIRMWARE_UPGRADE Default: 0.
LED_STATE Enable/disable status LEDs.
0 - LEDs enabled
1 - LEDs disabled
2 - follow AC setting
LOGIN_PASSWD Administrator login password. By default this is empty.
STP_MODE Spanning Tree Protocol.
0 - off
1 - on
WANLAN_MODE Configure port behavior on FortiAP, FortiAP-S, and FortiAP-W2
models.
WAN-ONLY - Default mode
WAN-LAN - Bridges the LAN port to the incoming WAN interface
AGGREGATE - Enables link aggregation
WTP_LOCATION Optional string describing AP location.
Mesh variables
MESH_AP_BGSCAN Enable or disable background mesh root AP scan.
0 - Disabled
1 - Enabled
MESH_AP_BGSCAN_RSSI If the signal of the root AP is weak, and lower than the received signal
strength indicator (RSSI) threshold, the WiFi driver immediately
starts a new round scan and ignores the configured MESH_AP_
BGSCAN_PERIOD delays. Set the value between 0 and 127.
After the new round scan is finished, a scan done event is passed to
wtp daemon to trigger roaming.
The following factors are summed and the FortiAP associates with the lowest scoring mesh AP.
MESH_SCORE_HOP_WEIGHT Multiplier for number of mesh hops from root. Default: 50.
MESH_SCORE_CHAN_WEIGHT AP total RSSI multiplier. Default: 1.
MESH_SCORE_RATE_WEIGHT Beacon data rate multiplier. Default: 1.
MESH_SCORE_BAND_WEIGHT Band weight (0 for 2.4 GHz, 1 for 5 GHz) multiplier. Default: 100.
MESH_SCORE_RSSI_WEIGHT AP channel RSSI multiplier. Default: 100.
Survey variables
SURVEY_SSID SSID to broadcast in site survey mode (AP_MODE=2).
SURVEY_TX_POWER Transmitter power in site survey mode (AP_MODE=2).
Diagnostics commands
Command Description
cw_diag admin-timeout [30] Set the shell idle timeout in minutes.
cw_diag baudrate [9600 | 19200 Set the console baud rate.
| 38400 | 57600 | 115200]
cw_diag help Display help for all diagnostics commands.
cw_diag plain-ctl [0|1] Show or change the current plain control setting.
cw_diag sniff [0|1|2] Enable or disable the sniff packet.
cw_diag sniff-cfg ip port Set the sniff server IP and port.
cw_diag stats wl_intf Show the wl_intf status.
cw_diag uptime Show daemon uptime.
cw_diag -c ap-scan Show scanned APs.
cw_diag -c ap-suppress Show suppressed APs.
cw_diag -c arp-req Show scanned arp requests.
cw_diag -c atf Show Air Time Fairness information at the FortiAP level.
cw_diag -c ble-scan Show scanned Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices that are reported
to FortiPresence.
cw_diag -c darrp Show the DARRP radio channel.
cw_diag -c fortipresence Show FortiPresence statistics including reported BLE devices.
cw_diag -c k-qos wlan00 Verify that the vmn-dscp-marking values are pushed to FortiAP.
cw_diag -c mesh Show the mesh status.
cw_diag -c mesh-ap Show the mesh ap candidates.
cw_diag -c mesh-veth-acinfo Show the mesh veth ac info, and mesh ether type.
cw_diag -c mesh-veth-host Show the mesh veth host.
cw_diag -c mesh-veth-vap Show the mesh veth vap.
cw_diag -c radio-cfg Show the current radio config parameters in the control plane.
cw_diag -c scan-clr-all Flush all scanned AP/STA/ARPs.
Command Description
cw_diag -c snmp Show configuration details for SNMP support.
cw_diag -c sta-cap Show scanned STA capabilities.
cw_diag -c sta-deauth De-authenticate an STA.
cw_diag -c sta-scan Show scanned STAs.
cw_diag -c vap-cfg Show the current VAPs in the control plane.
cw_diag -c vlan-probe-cmd Start the VLAN probe.
<action> <interface ID> <start "Action" value list:
Vlan ID> <end Vlan l 0 - start
ID> <retry> <timeout> l 1 - stop
FortiAP-S and FortiAP-W2 version 6.2.0 and later support REST API calls.
You can access the host at https://<FAP-IP> where <FAP-IP> is the IP address of the FortiAP.
The following REST API calls are supported:
get?names=WTP_NAME,ADMIN_TIMEOUT
radio-cfg GET /api/v1/radio-cfg Get current radios configuration parameters of the control
plane.
To get specific radio configuration parameters of the control
plane:
l rcfg info from radio 0: /api/v1/radio-cfg?rId=0
wtp-cfg GET /api/v1/wtp-cfg Get current FortiAP configuration parameters of the control
plane.
Example request
https://<FAP-IP>/api/v1/sys-perf
Example response
"cpu_usage": 1,
"memory_usage": 60