Basic troubleshooting of SonicWall Access Points

12/20/2019 1594 18605

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

1. Sonic Discovery Protocol (SDP).
2. 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

1. 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.
   
2. 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.

1. The 802.3at standard requires the use of CAT5 or better cables. CAT5 can carry double the current capacity over CAT3 cables.
2. 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.
3. Long Ethernet cable runs can have up to 5-15% power loss depending on its CAT rating.
4. 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?

1. 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.
2. Disable port aggregation protocols on ports to SonicPoints.
3. Disable port trunking protocols to SonicPoints.
4. Ethernet ports are usually set to auto-negotiate by default. It is a good practice to lock down speed and duplex