SoftAP¶
The SoftAP interface on the xPico 600 gateway enables a Wi-Fi client on a mobile device or PC to connect with the gateway. SoftAP supports up to 5 WLAN clients.
Note
All network settings require a reboot to take effect.
Configuring the ap0 Interface¶
To configure the ap0 Interface:
In Web Manager, go to Network > ap0 > Interface > Configuration.
In the CLI, see Config Interface level.
For XML, see configgroup Interface.
Access Point ap0 Interface Configuration Settings¶
The following table describes the Web Manager Network ap0 interface configuration settings.
Links to the equivalent settings for the CLI and XML reference are listed below.
CLI settings: See Config Interface Level
XML settings: See configgroup interface
| Access Point ap0 Interface Settings | Description |
|---|---|
| State | Enable or disable the SoftAP State. When ap0 is enabled, the DHCP server will assign IP addresses to the SoftAP clients. A DHCP lease lasts for a day. If the IP network is managed manually, a static IP can be used outside the range of the DHCP address pool. |
| Priority | When performing TCP or UDP connect, the interface with Priority 1 will be attempted first, 2 will be attempted second, etc. By default all Interfaces have Priority 1 and Ethernet interfaces are attempted before WLAN. |
| MSS | Maximum Segment Size (MSS) quantity in bytes. The MSS quantity applies to TCP connections on the interface. This can be useful to avoid fragmentation over the network, which may be required because this device does not perform reassembly. |
| IP Address | IP Address. If not using the DHCP capabilities of the device, enter the static IP address to use for the interface. It may exist within the DHCP IP Address Range. You may enter it in one of the following ways: Alone (i.e., 192.168.1.1) CIDR format (i.e., 192.168.1.1/24) With an explicit mask (i.e., 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0) |
| Default Gateway | Up to 15 characters. For ap0, which has a DHCP Server, the Default Gateway (if present) is placed into DHCP response option 3. Other interfaces refer to the Default Gateway only if DHCP Client is disabled. |
| Primary DNS | Up to 15 characters. For ap0, which has a DHCP Server, the Primary DNS (if present) is placed into DHCP response option 6. If neither the Primary DNS nor Secondary DNS is present in the ap0 configuration, the DHCP Server offers its own simple DNS. Other interfaces refer to the Primary DNS only if DHCP Client is disabled. The Primary DNS is the first choice when performing a Domain Name lookup. |
| Secondary DNS | Up to 15 characters. For ap0, which has a DHCP Server, the Secondary DNS (if present) is placed into DHCP response option 6. If neither the Primary DNS nor Secondary DNS is present in the ap0 configuration, the DHCP Server offers its own simple DNS. Other interfaces refer to the Secondary DNS only if DHCP Client is disabled. The Secondary DNS is the second choice when performing a Domain Name lookup. |
ap0 Link Setup¶
The ap0 Link settings correlate to the Access Point in the device. After making changes, you must re-establish any connections to the Access Point.
To configure the ap0 Link settings:
In Web Manager go to Network > ap0 > Link > Configuration.
In CLI, see Config Access Point Level
In XML, see configgroup access point
Network ap0 Link Configuration Settings¶
The following table describes the Web Manager access point link configuration settings.
Links to the equivalent settings for the CLI and XML reference are listed below.
CLI settings: See Config Access Point Level
XML settings: See configgroup access point
| Network ap0 Link Settings | Description |
|---|---|
| SSID | SSID is the network name of the SoftAP. SoftAP configurations take effect immediately. You may connect to the SoftAP SSID from a PC or any client using a wireless connection. After a wireless connection is successfully established, access the xPico 600 gateway's Web Manager from any standard web browser by entering the ap0 IP address or DNS redirect. |
| Guest | Enabled or Disabled. Disabling guest access will hide the SSID. Clients will still be able to connect to the SoftAP if they are able to connect to Hidden SSIDs. See Hidden Access Points. |
| Channel | Channel that the SoftAP interface operates on when the wlan0 (WLAN client) interface is not connected to a network. Set to <Auto> to perform a wlan scan and automatically select a channel in the configured region and band(s) with the least interference based on the channels, channel widths, and RSSI levels. This automatic scan is performed at the initial boot up, when wlan0 disassociates, or after the Auto Channel Scan Interval expires. If the wlan0 interface is connected, the ap0 interface operates on the channel used by the wlan0 connection to its access point. |
| Auto Channel Scan Interval | This setting only appears when Channel is set to <Auto>. This interval controls the duration or interval at which the device performs channel scans to determine the best available channel to operate the Soft AP interface. |
| Suite | Security Suite. Choices: None, WPA2, WPA3 |
| Encryption | Encryption type. CCMP uses AES as its basis and is the strongest encryption option. TKIP uses WEP as its basis, but adds extra checks and variations for added protection. |
| Passphrase | Passphrase may consist of a minimum of 8 and up to 63 characters. Space and punctuation characters are permitted. This configuration option becomes available when suites WPA2 or WPA3 are selected. Lantronix recommends using a passphrase of 20 characters or more for maximum security. The passphrase input is not the same as ASCII input (as used on some products.) ASCII is translated directly into hexadecimal bytes according to the ASCII table, while a possibly larger passphrase is hashed into a key and provides better security through a larger range of key values. |
| Mode | Mode. Choices are: Always Up - the SoftAP is always on. Triggered - the SoftAP waits for CPM Role "AP Trigger" to become active and then stays up according to Uptime. Initial Trigger - the SoftAP waits for CPM Role "AP Trigger" to become active and then stays up indefinitely. Initially Up - comes up upon bootup, but only stays up according to Uptime. Controlled - waits for CPM Role "AP Trigger" to become active. Then ap0 stays up while "AP Trigger" is active and stays down while "AP Trigger" is inactive. Note: To disable the SoftAP state, go to the ap0 Interface settings. |
| Uptime | When Mode is set to Triggered or Initially Up, the uptime is the length of time in seconds, minutes, and/or hours that the SoftAP will remain active after it has been triggered. |
| DNS Redirect URL | URL that maps to the IP address of the interface. |
DNS Redirect¶
The DNS Redirect maps to the IP address of the SoftAP interface.
The default DNS redirect for the xPico 600 gateway is xpico600.lantronix.com. You can change this value to customize the URL that end users enter to access your device.
Triggered AP Mode¶
Triggered AP mode is a means to enable the xPico 600 gateway's SoftAP via a hardware signal. This allows a user to have the SoftAP operating only when an external signal/button is activated. This might be useful when power consumption is a concern yet the SoftAP is needed. One potential use is device provisioning.
The configuration option for Uptime is available if the ap0 Link setting for "Mode" is set to "Triggered." When triggered, the SoftAP will remain active for the configured uptime waiting for a client to connect. If no client connects before the uptime expires, the SoftAP goes back down. If one or more clients connect, the SoftAP will remain active until the last client disconnects, at which point it will go down.
To set up triggered AP mode, you configure the CPM Role Role AP Trigger. For details about the Configuration Pin Manager, see Peripherals.
Hidden Access Points¶
You can hide the AP SSID so that it is not discoverable by devices via a passive scan. When the AP is hidden, the gateway will only respond to directed scans that contain the SSID.
To hide the access point, disable the Guest setting in the Access Point Link configuration.
In Web Manager, go to Network > Access Point > Link > Configuration to disable the Guest setting.
In CLI, see Config Access Point level.
In XML, see configgroup Access Point.