Troubleshoot APs

To monitor your APs, select Dashboard > Gateway Wireless Controller in Fireware Web UI, or select the Gateway Wireless Controller tab in Firebox System Manager.

Select the Access Points tab to view the status of your APs.

Screen shot of Gateway Wireless Controller - Access Points tab
Access points status page in Fireware Web UI

Screen shot of the Gateway Wireless Controller, Access Points tab
Access Points status page in Firebox System Manager.

In the Status column, you can see the status of each paired AP.

  • Online — The AP is enabled and can communicate with the Firebox.
  • Not Trusted — The AP is not in a trusted state. For more information, go to AP Trust Store.
  • Unreachable — The AP cannot be contacted by the Firebox.
  • Discovered — The AP has been discovered by the Firebox, but is not yet online.
  • Updating Firmware — The AP firmware is being updated.
  • Updating Configuration — An update to the AP configuration is in progress.
  • Authenticating — The AP is authenticating to the Gateway Wireless Controller. If the status does not change from Authenticating to Online, the passphrase on the AP might not match the passphrase on the Gateway Wireless Controller. For information about how to resolve a passphrase mismatch, go to About AP Passphrases.
  • Cloud Managed — An AP on your network that is managed by WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud and not the Gateway Wireless Controller.

Unreachable AP

If your AP appears with the status of Unreachable:

  • Make sure the AP is powered on and the LED indicators are visible. Check the Hardware Guide for your AP model for LED indicator status.
  • Make sure the AP is connected to the network on a Trusted or Optional Firebox network.
  • Make sure DHCP is enabled on the network to which the AP is connected.
  • Make sure Discovery Broadcasts are enabled on the Gateway Wireless Controller. For more information go to Configure Gateway Wireless Controller Settings.

AP Trust Issues

An AP can have a status of Not Trusted for these reasons:

  • The AP has been reset to a factory-default configuration
  • The AP's IP address has changed to a new IP address
  • The AP might have been compromised

To trust an AP:

  1. On the Access Points tab, select an AP.
  2. From the Action drop-down list, select Mark Trusted.

Make sure your AP is a known device in your deployment before you trust the AP.

If you believe any of your APs might have been compromised, for example, if APs have been tampered with, reset, or are no longer under your control, we recommend that you reset the Trust Store and trust your known APs again. For more information, go to AP Trust Store.

AP Activation and AP Feature Key Issues

In the Activation Status column, you can view the license activation status for each AP:

  • Activated — The AP is activated with a valid Basic Wi-Fi AP subscription. If you also manage Total or Secure Wi-Fi APs in WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud, the APs are displayed as (Activated: Total/Secure).
  • Activated (Expiring )— The AP is activated with a valid AP subscription that expires in less than 90 days.
  • Expired — The AP license is expired. The AP will continue to run in its last known configuration, but you cannot configure or monitor the AP until the license is updated.
  • Not Activated — The AP has not been activated in your WatchGuard account.
  • Not Available — The Gateway Wireless Controller cannot determine the activation status. This status can occur when the Gateway Wireless Controller cannot communicate with WatchGuard servers.

By default, the Gateway Wireless Controller automatically synchronizes the AP license status and AP feature key from WatchGuard servers. This synchronization occurs on a periodic basis to make sure the Gateway Wireless Controller has the latest activation status and AP feature key for your AP. You can modify this option in the global Gateway Wireless Controller settings. For more information, go to Configure Gateway Wireless Controller Settings.

If your AP activation status is not updated, you can immediately update the license status and AP feature key for an AP:

  1. Select Dashboard > Gateway Wireless Controller.
  2. Select the Access Points tab.
  3. Select an AP.
  4. Click Action.
  5. Select Get AP Feature Key to immediately retrieve the activation status and AP feature key from WatchGuard servers and update the Gateway Wireless Controller.
    Select Update AP Feature Key to manually import an AP feature key to the Gateway Wireless Controller. You can view the AP feature key from your WatchGuard Support Center account. Copy and paste the feature key contents into the text box.
  1. Select the Gateway Wireless Controller tab.
  2. Select the Access Points tab.
  3. Select an AP.
  4. Click Actions.
  5. Select Get AP Feature Key to immediately retrieve the activation status and AP feature key from WatchGuard servers and update the Gateway Wireless Controller.
    Select Update AP Feature Key to manually import an AP feature key to the Gateway Wireless Controller. You can view the AP feature key from your WatchGuard Support Center account. Copy and paste the feature key contents into the text box.
  6. Click Yes to confirm.

Examine AP Log Messages

By default, each WatchGuard AP saves recent log messages locally that you can view to help troubleshoot AP issues.

To see log messages on the AP:

  1. On the Access Points tab, select an AP.
  2. From the Action drop-down list, click Log Messages.

Reboot APs

If your AP is unresponsive, is not broadcasting an SSID, or is not allowing clients to connect, you can try to reboot the device to see if that resolves the issue.

To reboot your AP:

  1. On the Access Points tab, select an AP.
  2. From the Action drop-down list, click Reboot.
  3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to reboot.

While an AP reboots, Unreachable appears in the Status column for the AP. When the AP reboot is complete, Online appears in the Status column.

Reset AP to Factory-Default Settings

In some cases, if your AP is unresponsive, even after a reboot, you may need to reset an AP to factory-default settings to start with a new configuration and pair the AP with the Gateway Wireless Controller again.

To reset an AP from the Gateway Wireless Controller:

  1. On the Access Points tab, select an AP.
  2. From the Action drop-down list, select Reset to Factory Default.

If your AP does not appear in the Gateway Wireless Controller, you can reset the AP with the reset button on the device. For specific instructions for your AP, go to Reset a WatchGuard AP .

To discover and pair your device, go to WatchGuard AP Discovery and Pairing.

Related Topics

Monitor AP Status

About Gateway Wireless Controller AP Licenses

Monitor Wireless Clients

Monitor Wireless Connections (Gateway Wireless Controller)