Usage of 5.8 GHz Band (Ch. 149 - 161)

[akbilek]

Hi Everyone,

is it possible to use 5.8 GHz band with Cisco WLAN APs in Europe?

I know that it is not a regular WLAN band, but from a regulatory point of view, frequencies between 5725-5875 MHz can be also used for WLANs with reduced TX power (25 mW max EIRP). This band is very important for my client, an automotive OEM in Germany. Since the DFS bands (5250-5350 & 5470-5725) have additional regulatory restrictions about the automotive use, enabling 5.8 GHz band would be very beneficial.

Does Cisco support the usage of 5.8 GHz band on its WLAN APs? How can we enable these channels?

Best regards,

Alper

[Flavio Miranda]

@akbilek 

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/ewc/17-6/config-guide/ewc_cg_17_6/regulatory_domain_reduction.pdf

Germany:

100-104-108-
112-116-132-136-140

Germany does not allow channel 149 - 161. However, If you buy access ponts for A (US) regulatory domain and use it in Germany, then you can enable US regulatory domain and those channels will work. But if the device was shiped as Germany regulatory domain, they will not work with those channels. 

US:

36-40-44-48-52-56-60-64-
100-104-108-112-116-120-128-
132-140-144-149-153
157-161-165

[Scott Fella]

When a country regulatory domain states which channels you can use, all others are banned for use.  You have no idea if they use those channels for military, emergency, etc.  So, if you do buy an -A and install it there, does the clients devices support those bands or are they also limited to the county or origin?

[Leo Laohoo]

I strongly agree with @Scott Fella. 

@akbilek, what is the business case to use these channels outside what is prescribed by the law?

[akbilek]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your comments so far. Of course, I am looking for solutions that comply with the relevant regulations.

In Europe, 5.8 GHz is permitted for wireless applications (including WLAN) at low power (25 mW ≈ 14 dBm). I performed a Wireshark capture recently and found that out of 70 BSSIDs, 35 allowed 5.8 GHz channels (based on the Country Code element), while the rest did not. I suspect that due to the low power limitation, many WLAN vendors do not prioritize 5.8 GHz, instead favoring DFS channels which allow higher transmit power.

However, our use case involves software updates for vehicles, where 5.8 GHz channels are needed. Imagine a vehicle at a charging station that is supposed to receive updates via WLAN. In Germany, the relevant regulations are as follows:

• 5.1–5.250 GHz → Not allowed to use outdoors
• 5.250–5.4 GHz → Not allowed for vehicles
• 5.5–5.7 GHz → Vehicle use is still under clarification (currently unclear)

As a result, 5.8 GHz might be our only option, even though most WLAN access point vendors do not prefer it. This background leads to my question. As far as I understand, no one has deployed 5.8 GHz with Cisco APs in Europe, because Cisco disables that band by default.

I would appreciate any further insights or experiences you may have in this area.

Best regards,

Alper

[Leo Laohoo]

Maybe ask Bundesnetzagentur for guidance.

Searching the internet and I am seeing people with drones using 5.8 Ghz in Germany.  

Another thing:  Do the charging stations have wireless NIC that operate in 5.8 Ghz in Germany?