TOP 50
WLC (Wireless LAN Controller)
Interview Questions and Answers
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Q1: What is a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC)?
A1:
A WLC is a device that centrally manages, controls, and
monitors wireless access points in a network. It simplifies
deployment, configuration, and management of wireless
networks.
Q2: What are the key functions of a WLC?
A2:
Functions include managing multiple access points, providing
security (such as WPA/WPA2), handling roaming, Quality of
Service (QoS), radio resource management, and traffic
aggregation.
Q3: What protocol is used between a WLC and Access Points
(APs)?
A3:
The Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points
(CAPWAP) protocol is used for communication between WLC
and APs.
Q4: What is CAPWAP?
A4:
CAPWAP is a tunneling protocol that allows APs to
communicate with the WLC for centralized management. It
enables APs to receive configuration updates and policies from
the WLC.
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Q5: What is FlexConnect?
A5:
FlexConnect (formerly H-REAP) is a deployment mode where
the AP can locally switch traffic and handle authentication
when the WLC is not available.
Q6: What is the difference between Centralized and
Distributed Wireless Architectures?
A6:
In a centralized architecture, all traffic is tunneled back to the
WLC for processing. In a distributed architecture, APs process
some of the traffic locally, reducing load on the WLC.
Q7: Explain the concept of mobility and roaming in WLC.
A7:
Mobility allows clients to move seamlessly between APs without
losing connectivity. Roaming refers to the handoff of the client
from one AP to another without breaking the connection.
Q8: How does the WLC handle client authentication?
A8:
The WLC can handle client authentication through various
methods like WPA2-Enterprise using a RADIUS server or WPA2-
Personal using a pre-shared key (PSK).
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Q9: What is a mobility group in WLC?
A9:
A mobility group is a collection of controllers that share
information about clients to ensure seamless roaming across
different WLCs.
Q10: What is the role of RADIUS in WLC?
A10:
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) provides
authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) services for
users connecting to the wireless network.
Q11: How do you configure a WLC for high availability (HA)?
A11:
High Availability (HA) is configured by deploying two WLCs, one
as the primary and the other as a standby. The standby takes
over in case the primary WLC fails.
Q12: What are the redundancy modes available in WLC?
A12:
The redundancy modes include N+1 (one standby WLC for many
primary WLCs), N+N (one standby for every primary), and N+N+1
(one WLC as a backup for multiple WLCs).
Q13: What is an AP failover in WLC?
A13:
AP failover occurs when an AP loses connectivity to its primary
WLC and automatically connects to a backup WLC without
dropping client connections.
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Q14: What is CleanAir technology?
A14:
CleanAir is a Cisco technology that detects and mitigates RF
interference in the wireless environment using built-in
spectrum intelligence on APs.
Q15: What is Rogue AP Detection in WLC?
A15:
Rogue AP detection allows WLCs to identify unauthorized APs in
the environment and take actions such as containing them or
alerting administrators.
Q16: Explain AP Groups in WLC.
A16:
AP Groups allow administrators to group access points for
specific configurations, such as different SSIDs, policies, or RF
profiles for different areas of the network.
Q17: What is a Dynamic Interface in WLC?
A17:
A Dynamic Interface is used to assign a unique VLAN to
different SSIDs, allowing clients to be placed on different
networks based on the SSID they connect to.
Q18: What is the role of WLAN IDs in WLC?
A18:
WLAN IDs are used to differentiate between multiple SSIDs on a
WLC. Each WLAN ID is associated with specific policies and
configurations.
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Q19: What is RF Grouping in WLC?
A19:
RF Grouping allows WLCs to group access points based on their
RF environment. The controllers then exchange RF information
to ensure optimal channel and power planning.
Q20: How does a WLC manage channel and power settings in
APs?
A20:
The WLC uses Radio Resource Management (RRM) to
automatically manage and adjust the channel and power
settings of APs to optimize performance and minimize
interference.
Q21: What are FlexConnect Groups?
A21:
FlexConnect Groups allow administrators to group APs that are
configured in FlexConnect mode. The group shares
configuration and policies, reducing the management
overhead.
Q22: What is the significance of mobility anchors in WLC?
A22:
Mobility anchors are specific WLCs that manage clients who
roam between different geographic locations or subnets,
ensuring seamless roaming across different networks.
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Q23: What is the role of Virtual IP in WLC?
A23:
Virtual IP is used for client web authentication (guest access)
and client mobility, ensuring that client sessions can be
maintained during roaming.
Q24: Explain WLC load balancing.
A24:
Load balancing allows a WLC to distribute client connections
evenly across available APs to ensure optimal performance and
prevent overload on specific APs.
Q25: What is AP mode?
A25:
AP mode refers to the operational mode of an AP. Common
modes include Local, FlexConnect, Monitor, and Bridge modes.
Q26: How does a WLC handle VLAN tagging for wireless
clients?
A26:
The WLC tags client traffic with a specific VLAN ID based on the
SSID configuration, allowing traffic to be routed appropriately
on the wired network.
Q27: What is a WebAuth in WLC?
A27:
WebAuth is a method of authentication where clients are
redirected to a web page for authentication before gaining
access to the network.
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Q28: What is PMK caching?
A28:
Pairwise Master Key (PMK) caching allows clients to roam
between APs without reauthentication, improving the speed of
roaming.
Q29: How does the WLC handle multicast traffic?
A29:
The WLC can optimize multicast traffic by converting it into
unicast or using multicast-to-multicast mode, ensuring
efficient delivery across the wireless network.
Q30: What is DHCP required in WLC?
A30:
DHCP required forces clients to use DHCP for IP addressing,
preventing static IP configurations that might conflict with the
network.
Q31: What is anchor WLC?
A31:
An anchor WLC is used in guest networks to manage traffic for
clients in specific SSIDs, isolating guest traffic from the main
network.
Q32: What is WLAN Override in WLC?
A32:
WLAN Override allows an AP to prioritize one specific WLAN or
SSID for access, overriding global WLC settings.
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Q33: What is the role of ACLs in WLC?
A33:
Access Control Lists (ACLs) are used to control the traffic flow
between wireless clients and the network, applying security
policies at the WLC level.
Q34: How do you upgrade WLC firmware?
A34:
WLC firmware can be upgraded via the web interface, CLI, or
using TFTP. After the upgrade, the WLC reboots, and APs
reconnect.
Q35: What is a Guest WLAN?
A35:
A Guest WLAN is a network designed specifically for guest
users, typically with limited access to internal resources and
often requiring web-based authentication.
Q36: How does WLC manage RF interference?
A36:
WLC uses Radio Resource Management (RRM) to detect
interference and automatically adjust channel and power
settings to mitigate it.
Q37: What is Handoff Assist in WLC?
A37:
Handoff Assist helps clients roam more effectively between APs
by providing hints and optimizations to improve roaming speed
and reduce latency.
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Q38: Explain the difference between WLC local and monitor
modes.
A38:
In local mode, the AP actively serves clients. In monitor mode,
the AP doesn’t serve clients but instead scans the RF
environment for rogue APs and interference.
Q39: What is SNMP in WLC?
A39:
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is used to
monitor and manage WLCs. It allows external systems to gather
performance data and manage configurations.
Q40: What is a Service Port in WLC?
A40:
The Service Port is used for out-of-band management and
provides dedicated access for system administrators to
manage the WLC.
Q41: What is the primary function of a management interface
in WLC?
A41:
The management interface is used for administrative access to
the WLC, handling SNMP, Telnet, SSH, and web-based
management traffic.
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Q42: What is fast roaming in WLC?
A42:
Fast roaming (802.11r) reduces the time it takes for clients to
roam between APs, improving performance in latency-
sensitive applications like voice over Wi-Fi.
Q43: What are the security features of a WLC?
A43:
Security features include WPA2/WPA3 encryption, 802.1x
authentication, rogue AP detection, ACLs, and firewall policies.
Q44: What is AVC (Application Visibility and Control)?
A44:
AVC provides granular visibility and control over network
traffic, allowing WLCs to classify and prioritize applications
running on the network.
Q45: What is Band Steering in WLC?
A45:
Band steering encourages dual-band clients to connect to the
less congested 5 GHz band rather than the 2.4 GHz band for
better performance.
Q46: What is RF Profile in WLC?
A46:
An RF Profile allows you to define specific RF characteristics
like power and channel settings for groups of APs to optimize
performance in different environments.
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Q47: What is a pre-shared key (PSK) in WLC?
A47:
PSK is a security mechanism where clients authenticate using
a shared secret (password), typically used for WPA2-Personal
networks.
Q48: What is rogue containment in WLC?
A48:
Rogue containment involves preventing unauthorized APs
from connecting to the network or causing interference by
de-authenticating clients or shutting down the rogue APs.
Q49: What is Fast Transition (802.11r) in WLC?
A49:
Fast Transition (802.11r) enables faster handoff between APs,
reducing latency during client roaming and enhancing
performance in real-time applications.
Q50: How does the WLC handle voice traffic?
A50:
The WLC prioritizes voice traffic using QoS policies, ensuring
low latency and jitter for voice calls.
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