vWLC not accepting AP when it did before.

[G3000LEE]

I have been using vWLC in my lab for years and the controller I had up and running was 8.5.161 with no issue in Flexconnect mode. The AP I've been using is 1702I-E-K9, which has been working flawlessly.

One day I decided to deploy newer version of vWLC 8.5.182.0 and this is when everything started to go down hill.

I could get the AP to register, but I couldn't get it into flexconnect mode without it throwing up errors "FlexConnect mode is not supported on this AP." We know this isn't true because I have been using this AP for years in Flexconnect mode as it's a vWLC.

As I wasn't having any luck with this newer version of code, I shutdown the VM and went back to the old VM 8.5.161, which has been working for year. But now this was having the same issue and the new vWLC.

I am lost, now I have no WiFi in my Lab/home

[marce1000]

 - Check if the regulatory domain of the AP and the controller match , also check this thread for hints : https://community.cisco.com/t5/wireless/issue-with-adding-ap2700-in-vwlc/td-p/4423309

 M.

[G3000LEE · Accepted solution]

The issue has been resolved as found this is a problem known to Cisco.

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/assets/prod/wireless/wireless-compliance-tool/index.html

Problem Description

Cisco IOS®-based Access Points (APs) that use expired certificates for image validation as of December 5, 2022 could cause Cisco IOS AP image downloads from a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) to fail, which prevents the AP from joining the controller.

This affects all Cisco lightweight APs that run Cisco IOS, which include: 802.11ac Wave 1 APs (IW3702/3700/2700/1700/1570 series) and earlier APs including 700/1530/1550/3600/2600/1600/3500/AP802/AP803 series. The affected lightweight Cisco IOS images were built from December 2012 through November 2022.

Solution

Upgrade your WLC to one of the versions in the "Upgrading to Fixed Software" section in IOS AP Image Download Fails Due to Expired Image Signing Certificate Post December 4th, 2022 (CSCwd80290).

Workaround

For any WLC that has APs stuck in the downloading state:

• Disable Network Time Protocol (NTP) on the WLC and manually set the WLC date/time to a date before December 2, 2022. The Cisco IOS AP will then be able to download and validate the image, install the new image, and join the controller. Once the AP has joined the controller, NTP can be re-enabled on the controller to assume the correct date and time.