Cisco Enterprise Controller Configuration

Configuration Checklist

  • The Base radio MAC address of each AP must be added to a Marketing 4 WiFi Hotspot as a Cisco Enterprise Gateway before completing the hardware configuration to avoid devices being served a Hotspot Deactivated message.
  • You can confirm your environment under Operator Customizations.

The following instructions outline how to setup a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller for the Marketing4WIFi Platform.  Please make sure any firewall rules, web content filters, and other security measures have been configured to interface with the Smart WiFi Platform.

  1. Login to the WLC
  2. Using the top navigation menu, click on Security
  3. Using the menu to the left, open AAA > RADIUS > Authentication
    1. Auth Call Station ID Type: AP MAC Address
    2. Press New and configure a Authentication server using the settings below
      • Server IP Address: Select one
      • Shared Secret Format: ASCII
      • Shared Secret: Available in the Edit Hotspot page in the Marketing4WiFi dashboard, called RADIUS Secret in the dashboard.
      • Confirm Secret: same as above
      • Port: 1812
      • Server Status: Enabled
      • Network User: unchecked
      • Management: unchecked
      • IPSec: unchecked
      • Click Apply
    3. Press New and configure another Authentication server using the settings below
      • Server IP Address: Select one
      • Shared Secret Format: ASCII
      • Shared Secret: Available in the Edit Hotspot page in the Marketing4WiFi dashboard, called RADIUS Secret in the dashboard.
      • Confirm Secret: same as above
      • Port: 1812
      • Server Status: Enabled
      • Network User: unchecked
      • Management: unchecked
      • IPSec: unchecked
      • Click Apply
    4. Click Apply
  4. Using the menu to the left, open AAA > RADIUS > Accounting
    1. Acct Call Station ID Type: AP MAC Address
    2. Press New and configure a Accounting server using the settings below
      • Server IP Address: Select one
      • Shared Secret Format: ASCII
      • Shared Secret: Available in the Edit Hotspot page in the Marketing4WiFi dashboard, called RADIUS Secret in the dashboard.
      • Confirm Secret: same as above
      • Port: 1813
      • Server Status: Enabled
      • Network User: unchecked
      • IPSec: unchecked
      • Click Apply
    3. Press New and configure another Authentication server using the settings below
      • Server IP Address: Select one
      • Shared Secret Format: ASCII
      • Shared Secret: Available in the Edit Hotspot page in the Marketing4WiFi dashboard, called RADIUS Secret in the dashboard.
      • Confirm Secret: same as above
      • Port: 1813
      • Server Status: Enabled
      • Network User: unchecked
      • IPSec: unchecked
      • Click Apply
  5. Using the menu to the left, open Access Control Lists > Access Control Lists  (or FlexConnect ACLs if you’re using FlexConnect)
    1. Press New and configure with
      • Access Control List Name: SmartWiFi
      • ACL Type: IPv4
      • Click Apply
    2. Hover over the blue arrow of the ACL you created and click Add-Remove URL.
    3. Use the URL String Name field to add the whitelist entries one at a time.
      Flex Connect mode

      If using a FlexConnect ACL, click into the ACL created then click Add Rule > URL rule. Use the URL box to add the whitelist entries with the Action set to Permit for all of them.


  6. Using the menu to the left, Web Auth > Web Login Page
    • Redirect URL after login: leave this blank
    • Click Apply
  7. Using the top navigation menu, click on Management
  8. Using the menu to the left, open HTTP-HTTPS
    • WebAuth SecureWeb: Disabled
    • Click Apply
  9. Using the top navigation menu, click on Controller
  10. Using the menu to the left, open Interfaces
    • Click on the virtual interface
    • Change the interface IP Address from 1.1.1.1 to 192.0.2.1
    • Click Apply
  11. Using the top navigation menu, click on WLANs
  12. Create a new WLAN using the Create New > Go option at the top right or edit your existing WLAN
    1. WLAN General settings-
      • Status: Enabled
      • Broadcast SSID: Enabled
      • NAS-ID: Available in the Edit Hotspot page in the Marketing4WiFi dashboard, called SWS/Hotspot/NAS-ID.
    2. Security > Layer 2-
      • Layer 2 Security: None
    3. Security > Layer 3-
      • Layer 3 Security: Web Policy
      • Authentication: Enabled
      • Pre-Authentication ACL: Select the IPv4 or FlexConnect ACL called SmartWiFi
      • Sleeping Client: Enabled
      • Sleeping Client Timeout: 12
      • Override Global Config: Enable
      • Web Auth type: External
      • Redirect URL: Select one
    4. Security > AAA Servers-
      • Authentication Server: Enabled
      • Server 1: Select the Authentication server created in step 3.2
      • Server 2: Select the Authentication server created in step 3.3
      • Accounting Servers: Enabled
      • Server 1: Select the Accounting server created in step 4.2
      • Server 2: Select the Accounting server created in step 4.3
      • Authentication priority order for web-auth user
        1. Not Used: LOCAL & LDAP
        2. Order Used for Authentication: RADIUS
    5. Advanced-
      1. Allow AAA Override: Enabled
      2. Enable Session Timeout: Enabled
      3. Session Timeout(secs): 43200
    6. Click Apply
  13. Using the top navigation menu, click on Save Configuration and press OK
  14. Reboot the WLC for all the changes to take affect
  15. The configuration is complete

Disclaimer on hardware configuration guides in the KB:

v8.2.100.0

v8.7 or higher if using FlexConnect

LIMITED HARDWARE SUPPORT: Hardware manufacturers frequently make changes to firmware, controllers and GUI’s. The information below may be out of date or images may be different and is to be used as a general reference guide. We do offer additional limited support to help with trouble-shooting and we highly recommend that you have a hardware support agreement and/or access to a hardware support engineering representative from the manufacturer.

Updated on March 29, 2023

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