How to Convert Cisco CW916x -ROW Access Points to Meraki Mode in Australia

Cisco's Wi-Fi 6E access points (CW9162I, CW9164I and CW9166I) are one piece of hardware that can run in either Catalyst mode, managed by a wireless controller, or Meraki mode, managed from the Meraki dashboard. If you have -ROW ("Rest of World") units running in Catalyst mode, the conversion to Meraki mode is done from a Catalyst 9800 wireless controller using the built-in migration wizard.

In Australia there's a catch. Set your controller to Australia and the migration wizard fails its regulatory domain checks, so the AP can't be converted. We recently walked a customer through this exact problem with a batch of CW9162I-ROW units. Here's why it happens and the workaround that got them across.

The problem: regulatory domain mismatch

With the controller and AP join profile set to AU, the AP joins the controller, but the "Migrate to Meraki Management Mode" validation fails on the Slot 0, Slot 1 and Slot 2 Regulatory Domain Checks. The controller log shows an error like this:

Error in AP: xxxx.xxxx.xxxx : country code (AU) and regulatory domain (-RW) mismatch for slot 0/1/2

The cause: Australia is not on the -ROW country list for these models. A -ROW AP only provisions its radios once the controller gives it a country code that belongs to the -ROW domain. Without one, the radios aren't set up, and the migration wizard won't let you progress.

The wizard notes that Global Use APs are eligible for migration regardless of country code and slot checks. Check the "Global Use AP Capable" column in the wizard; the CW9162I-ROW units we dealt with showed "No", so the workaround below was needed.

What you need

• Cisco Catalyst 9800-CL virtual controller. A free download from Cisco that runs on Hyper-V, ESXi or KVM. CW916x APs need IOS XE 17.9 or later; our customer used 17.18.4a.
• A Cisco.com account with your full address on the profile. Without it, the download page throws an error asking you to complete your profile. Fill in the address and the download will work.
• A network where the APs can reach the controller (DHCP and CAPWAP discovery).

Step by step

1. Deploy the C9800-CL

Download the C9800-CL image for your hypervisor from Cisco's software download site, deploy it and complete the basic setup. Once it's online, your Catalyst-mode APs will discover and join it.

2. Pick a temporary country in the -ROW domain

Use Cisco's Product Compliance lookup to check which countries are supported on the -ROW domain for your AP model. We used India (IN).

3. Enable that country on the controller

Go to Configuration > Wireless > Access Points > Country, search for the country and tick it. You can leave Australia ticked as well.

4. Set the country in the AP join profile

Go to Configuration > Tags & Profiles > AP Join, open default-ap-profile (or the profile your site tag uses), and on the General tab change Country Code from AU to IN. Save and apply.

5. Run the migration

Once the AP has rejoined with the new country code, go to Configuration > Wireless > Migrate to Meraki Management Mode. Select the APs, run Validate, and continue through to Export to complete the conversion.

6. Claim the APs in Meraki

The wizard shows each AP's Cloud ID (Meraki serial number). Claim the APs into your Meraki organisation and add them to a network with an Australian address so the radios run on Australian settings.

What about the Slot 2 (6 GHz) error?

After switching to India, our customer's Slot 0 and Slot 1 checks passed but Slot 2, the 6 GHz radio, still showed a red cross. 6 GHz rules vary from country to country, so the temporary country may not satisfy the check for that radio.

In our experience this doesn't stop the conversion. Slots 0 and 1 passing is enough to proceed, and once the AP is in Meraki mode its radios are managed by the Meraki dashboard rather than the temporary controller setting.

Important: the temporary country is for conversion only

The India setting is only there to get the APs through the migration wizard. Don't run APs in Catalyst mode on a non-Australian country code in production; channels and transmit power would not be set for Australian conditions. Once the APs are converted and claimed in Meraki, you can shut down the C9800-CL.

Skip the hassle

XSNet can supply CW916x access points already converted to Meraki mode, ready to claim on your Meraki dashboard. We stock new and used units, and every used item comes with a 12-month XS Network Tech warranty.

Call 02 7229 0131 or email sales@xsnet.com.au; we reply to every enquiry within 20 minutes.