A structured lesson workspace with readable content, hands-on examples, and a clean path to completion.
Wireless lab configuration varies wildly by WLC platform. Cisco AireOS (5500, 8500, virtual WLC) uses a different GUI and CLI than Cisco IOS-XE 9800. This lab walks through the concepts and general configuration flow that applies to both, with specific examples from Cisco 9800 (current standard). If you're using a different platform, map the concepts to your vendor's UI.
Simulating wireless in GNS3/EVE-NG is possible but not trivial. The simplest lab is a physical WLC + AP + switch + client. If you don't have hardware, use the Cisco DevNet sandbox or a WLC virtual machine. The concepts are what matter — configure an SSID, set security, verify a client associates.
! Cisco 9800 WLC — configure a WPA2-PSK SSID! (Commands shown as concepts — actual CLI differs by version)! 1. Create a policy profile (defines VLAN and policy)wireless profile policy GUEST_POLICYvlan 100no shutdownexit! 2. Create a policy tag (maps WLAN to policy)wireless tag policy GUEST_TAGwlan GUEST_SSID policy GUEST_POLICYexit! 3. Create the WLANwlan GUEST_SSID 1 GUEST_SSIDsecurity wpawpa2 pskset security wpa2 psk passphrase GuestPassword123exitno shutdownexit! 4. Associate the policy tag to the APap mac-address 0050.7966.6800wireless tag policy GUEST_TAGexit
Configure a WPA2-PSK SSID on your WLC and associate an AP. From a client, connect to the SSID using the PSK. Verify DHCP assigns an IP. Verify the client is on the correct VLAN (check `show ip dhcp binding` on the DHCP server). Verify client can reach the internet or internal resources as designed.
Configure a second SSID with WPA2-Enterprise (802.1X) pointing to a RADIUS server. Test with a client using PEAP. You'll see the EAP exchange in the WLC's client debug. This is the enterprise standard, and getting it working in a lab makes real deployments much easier.
Finish the lesson once you have worked through the material. This awards ★ 20 XP.