NHPREP — Hands-On CCNA, CCNP, CCIE Labs & Networking Courses

Lab Objectives

Understand the difference between Autonomous Access Points (APs) and Lightweight APs, and when each is used in production.
Learn the role of a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) and how CAPWAP tunnels operate between WLC and lightweight APs.
Practice basic switch configuration that supports wireless deployments: configuring a Dot1Q trunk and a redundant uplink using a port-channel (commands taken from the provided reference).

Lab Tasks (Try It Yourself First!)

Complete these tasks WITHOUT looking at the solution below. Use ? and show commands to figure it out.

Task 1: Configure a Dot1Q trunk for an AP uplink

On switch S1, configure the interface that will connect to an AP uplink as a Dot1Q trunk so multiple SSID VLANs (VLAN 10 Sales, VLAN 20 Engineering, VLAN 30 Management) can be carried to the AP or WLC uplink. Use the interface naming convention from the reference (E 0/2).

Task 2: Configure a redundant uplink using a manual Port-Channel

Between S1 and S2 create a manual (non-negotiated) port-channel using interfaces E 0/0 and E 0/1 on both switches. Configure the Port-Channel as a Dot1Q trunk to carry wireless VLANs and provide redundancy/bandwidth aggregation.

Task 3: Verify Spanning Tree and EtherChannel status

Verify Spanning Tree status for S1 and S2 and verify that the port-channel is operational. Determine the port roles on the root vs non-root bridge.

Think About It: Why do wireless networks commonly use Dot1Q trunks for AP uplinks rather than assigning access ports per SSID? How does this affect roaming and VLAN separation in a campus environment?

Lab Solution

Note: All configuration and verification commands used below are taken from the supplied reference material. Explanations cover WHY each command is required for a wireless deployment.

ASCII Topology (Base Lab Topology — exact IPs shown)

                [Internet]
               203.0.113.1
                    |
               R1 (Gateway)
              Gi0/0: 10.10.10.1
              Gi0/1: 10.10.20.1
              Gi0/2: 10.10.30.1
              /     |     \
           R2      R3      R4

Gi0/0: 10.10.10.2 | Gi0/0: 10.10.30.2 Gi0/1: 10.10.40.1 | / \ | S1 S2 S3 / \ | /
PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4 PC5

Device IP Scheme (for reference)

Network	Purpose
10.10.10.0/24	R1–R2 link
10.10.20.0/24	R1–R3 link
10.10.30.0/24	R1–R4 link
10.10.40.0/24	R2–S1 link
192.168.1.0/24	VLAN 10 — Sales
192.168.2.0/24	VLAN 20 — Engineering
192.168.3.0/24	VLAN 30 — Management
203.0.113.0/24	Public / Internet simulation

Task 1 Solution: Configure a Dot1Q trunk for an AP uplink

What we are doing: Prepare the switch uplink port toward an AP (or a WLC uplink) to carry multiple wireless VLANs. Wireless SSIDs are commonly mapped to VLANs; Dot1Q trunks allow one physical connection to carry all SSID VLANs. This is essential for both autonomous APs configured with multiple VLANs (native configuration on the AP) and lightweight APs that tunnel client traffic to a WLC.

SW1# configure terminal
SW1(config)# interface range E 0/2 -3
SW1(config-if-range)# switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
SW1(config-if-range)# switchport mode trunk

What just happened:

interface range E 0/2 -3 — selects the physical interface(s) on the switch that connect to AP(s) or uplinks. Using a range lets you configure multiple AP ports consistently.
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q — sets the trunk protocol to 802.1Q (Dot1Q). This encodes VLAN tags so multiple VLANs can traverse the single physical link.
switchport mode trunk — places the interface into trunking mode so it will carry tagged frames for the VLANs. For wireless, native/default VLAN considerations matter (usually only management VLAN left untagged if used).

Verify:

SW1# show spanning-tree

VLAN0001
  Spanning tree enabled protocol ieee
  Root ID    Priority    32769
             Address     0011.2233.4455
             This bridge is the root
             Hello Time 2 sec  Max Age 20 sec  Forward Delay 15 sec

Interface        Role Sts Cost      Prio.Nbr Type
---------------- ---- --- --------- -------- --------------------------------
E0/2             Desg FWD 4         128.2    P2p
E0/3             Desg FWD 4         128.3    P2p


<div class="topology-diagram">
<img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="Network Topology Diagram" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;background:#fff;padding:16px;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" />
</div>

cisco
SW1# configure terminal
SW1(config)# interface range E 0/0 -1
SW1(config-if-range)# channel-group 12 mode on
SW1(config-if-range)# no shut
SW1(config)# interface port-channel 12
SW1(config-if)# switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
SW1(config-if)# switchport mode trunk