How to switch Cisco AP9130AXE to standalone mode (no controller)

[OlehDmytrenko99605]

Hello,
I have a Cisco AP9130AXE currently running in lightweight mode and I want to connect it to a Cisco switch.
I don’t have a controller and would like to make the AP fully standalone.   I need the following:  The correct k9w7 standalone image for this AP,  Steps to install it safely.  Any guidance would be appreciated.
Can anyone provide a download link for the k9w7 standalone image or step-by-step instructions to convert the AP9130AXE to standalone mode?   Thanks in advance for your help!

[Leo Laohoo]

Cisco 9800-CL for Cloud is free.

[Mark Elsen]

  - @OlehDmytrenko99605   FYI : https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286323624/type/286323077/release/17.15.3
                                            But the EWC  (embedded wireless controller) solution is EOL. Go for the 9800-CL instead
                                                                           (the virtual 9800 controller)

  M.

[OlehDmytrenko99605]

Thank you so much. I already found your information. I tried flashing the bin file via USB, and then via SSH, but the AP reads the flash drive and freezes, constantly flashing green and the console is silent.

[Rich R]

@OlehDmytrenko99605 APs cannot be updated from USB - only over the network using TFTP, SCP/SFTP or HTTPS.

Read through the documentation I linked to in my previous reply below before you do anything else which could damage the AP or corrupt the flash and leave the AP unbootable.

[Rich R · Accepted solution]

@OlehDmytrenko99605 the k9w7 image only applied to old (now end of support) APs which were running Cisco IOS and that was called autonomous mode.  All the newer Cisco APs run AP-COS operating system (based on Linux) which has never supported autonomous mode.  Instead they have supported Mobility Express on the Wave 2 APs and the 91xx APs supported Embedded Wireless Controller on AP.  ME was a cut down version of AireOS WLC and EWC is an almost complete version of the 9800 series IOS-XE WLC (with some key limitations).  In both cases the controller software effectively runs in a virtual machine on the AP alongside the regular AP software.

The 9130 supports EWC but as @Mark Elsen has pointed out EWC is end of life after release 17.15.x https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286323624/type/286323077/release/17.15.3 and it is not supported at all on the latest AP models which is why you might want to consider 9800-CL but you can still use EWC for now if you don't want to build a controller.

Read up on EWC before trying to deploy it - remember it runs as 2 separate processes on the AP and each requires an IP address - either from DHCP or statically configured.
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/catalyst-9800-series-wireless-controllers/nb-o6-embded-wrls-cont-ds-cte-en.html
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/embedded-wireless-controller-catalyst-access-points/white-paper-c11-743398.html
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/embedded-wireless-controller-on-catalyst-access-points/215303-embedded-wireless-controller-conversion.html
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/ewc/17-15/rel-notes/ewc-rn-17-15-x.html

[OlehDmytrenko99605]

Thank you so much.