Basic troubleshooting of SonicWall Access Points
12/20/2019 
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DESCRIPTION:
This article covers basic troubleshooting of SonicWall access points.
RESOLUTION:
Troubleshooting
- Why does my SonicWall only recognizes legacy SonicPoints but not SonicPoint/SonicWave access points?
SonicOS uses two protocols to manage SonicPoints/SonicWaves
- Sonic Discovery Protocol (SDP).
- SonicWall Simple Provisioning Protocol (SSCP).
For Manage Mode, SonicPoints/SonicWaves must be in the WLAN zone
NOTE: SDP and SSCP services are only available in the WLAN zone.
SonicPoints/SonicWaves must be connected to an interface that is in the WLAN zone for auto detection and deployment •SonicWall must have Internet access to provide SonicPoint/SonicWave auto firmware updates
- Make sure the SonicPoint/SonicWave is connected to an interface that is configured as part of a Wireless zone. Either the default WLAN zone, or a custom zone with type set to “wireless” is required. Navigate to Network | Interfaces. Check the Zone type (following picture shows the default WLAN zone). If it's a custom zone, please go to Network | Zones to check its security type whether it is wireless.
- Click Synchronize Access Points. This is located in the SonicOS management interface on the Manage | Access Points | Base Settings (for SonicOS 6.5+) and SonicPoint | SonicPoints (for SonicOS 6.2 and below) page and forces the appliance, if connected, to download a new SonicPoint/SonicWave image from the back-end server.
Troubleshooting
- I have power stability issues with SonicPoint/SonicWave access points. Are older 802.3af Power Over Ethernet (POE) switch ports compatible with SonicPoint/SonicWave access points?
Yes.
- The 802.3at standard requires the use of CAT5 or better cables. CAT5 can carry double the current capacity over CAT3 cables.
- In many older installations for 802.3af POE, CAT3 cables were used. When upgrading to 802.3at POE, all CAT3 cables must be upgraded to CAT5 or better.
- Long Ethernet cable runs can have up to 5-15% power loss depending on its CAT rating.
- Make sure the maximum Ethernet cable run from POE switch to SonicPoint is no more than 100 meters.
Troubleshooting
- What are some common default settings of many Ethernet switches that can cause problems with SonicPoints/SonicWaves?
- Many Ethernet switches have Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) enable by default. Use “fast spanning tree” detection or just disable STP if it is not needed.
- Disable port aggregation protocols on ports to SonicPoints.
- Disable port trunking protocols to SonicPoints.
- Ethernet ports are usually set to auto-negotiate by default. It is a good practice to lock down speed and duplex
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