Connect and Power On the AP

Applies To: Wi-Fi Cloud-managed Access Points (AP125, AP225W, AP325, AP327X, AP420)

After you have activated your AP, you can connect it to your network and power on the AP.

To connect and power on your AP:

  1. Connect an Ethernet cable to the Ethernet interface on the WatchGuard AP.
    • AP125 — LAN2 interface (PoE)
    • AP225W — POE In LAN/Uplink interface
    • AP325 / AP327X / AP420 — LAN1 interface (PoE+)
  2. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to your network.
  3. Make sure DHCP is enabled on the network where you connect the AP.

If you want to set a static IP address for your AP after the initial setup, see How to set a static IP address for an AP in WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud.

  1. Make sure that the AP has Internet connectivity and can communicate on these ports to the specified domains:
  • HTTP port 80
  • HTTPS port 443
  • UDP port 3851
  • UDP port 3852 is also required if you have AP420 devices that run in Cloud Integration Point (CIP) mode

To these domains:

  • *.cloudwifi.com
  • redirector.online.spectraguard.net

If you use a WatchGuard Firebox, the Firebox configuration file includes the predefined WG-Cloud-Managed-WiFi packet filter policy that you can add to the configuration to enable traffic over the ports required for WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud domains.

  1. If your network does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE), connect the optional power adapter or PoE injector (sold separately).

After you power on the AP, wait a few minutes for the AP to initialize, then verify that the AP LED indicators are lit, and make sure the AP is online and can communicate with WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud.

For more information, see Troubleshoot WatchGuard AP LED Status or the Hardware Guide for your AP.

Troubleshoot Connection Issues

If you have problems with your AP connection:

  • Make sure that the Ethernet cable is correctly connected to the Ethernet port on the AP and the other end of the cable is connected to an Ethernet jack or a port on a switch that is enabled.
  • If the AP did not receive a valid IP address from the DHCP server, make sure that a DHCP server is enabled and available on the network to which the AP is connected. If the AP still fails to get a valid IP address, you can reboot it once to try to resolve the problem.
  • Make sure that Internet connectivity is available from the network to which the AP is connected. Verify that the required ports for communications to WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud (HTTP TCP ports 80/443, and UDP port 3851 to redirector.online.spectraguard.net) are open on the firewall. If you use a web proxy server, make sure the settings allow communication between the AP and WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud.
  • If your AP was previously managed by a Gateway Wireless Controller on a WatchGuard Firebox, see this knowledge base article for instructions on how to change an AP locally-managed by a Gateway Wireless Controller to a Wi-Fi Cloud managed AP.

If the AP still does not appear in Wi-Fi Cloud after checking these settings, there might be a registration issue with the AP where the device was not correctly registered with Wi-Fi Cloud after activation. If there is a registration issue with the AP, you must contact WatchGuard Technical Support to correct the issue.