Hello,
I’ve been using peplink routers for years. Now I have Peplink access points for the first time and would like to configure them with several VLANs. However, this is completely different from what I know from other manufacturers. Normally I set the management vlan, in this vlan I give the AP an IP or get one from a DHCP server, then I set the IP of the WLAN controller and that’s it. I set the rest on the controller. That’s how it used to be with other manufacturers.
How does this work with Peplink APs. Haven’t found anything with management VLAN, conversion to trunk port or something like that. I don’t have a Peplink router in this setup. InControl should be the WLAN controller.
When I use the APs without VLANs on a untagged Port it works.
Can anybody help me?
IF you are used to a traditional WLC / Lightweight AP setup (let’s say Cisco here) that is not how Peplink APs operate.
In the traditional Cisco or Aruba world the control, management and dataplane functions for most intents and purposes reside at the WLC, your APs build tunnels (again, in the Cisco world this is using CAPWAP and there are two, one management and one data, Aruba is similar but uses GRE/IPSEC and PAPI) to the WLC and user traffic goes from the AP inside the CAPWAP data tunnel to the WLC and then onto the wire at the WLC.
In the Peplink world the APs various functions are split depending on how you operate them, but if you wanted a direct Cisco / Aruba comparison the closest would be when you are operating the APs in FlexcConnect mode or RAP- i.e. local traffic breakout at the AP, not the WLC.
If you are using Ic2 to manage and configure the APs then the management plane lives in Ic2, along with some control plane functions.
The dataplane however is local to the AP, the AP will tag traffic at its Ethernet port and you would need to then connect the APs to a managed switch with the ports configured to accept those tagged frames.
As for “management” VLAN on the Peplink APs I tend to just use the native VLAN / untagged on the trunk rather than explicity asking the APs to tag their traffic.