Newly Activated MR33 not assigned IP address

We activated four Meraki MR33 access points today and one of them shows in Technology Manager as not having an assigned IP address. The other three appear okay.

Do we need to disconnect that one AP and try activating it again, or is TM not showing the correct information?

Has this resolved itself?
I have read somewhere that it can take up to 24 hours for AP's to get recognised by the firewall and thus TM.

Some to things to try, if it hasn't.
1/. Power system down for 30 seconds, or so.
2/. Remove and re activate (TM) MR33 as you alluded to above.
3/. To rule out (If practical) Remove from TM, then try MR33 in another building. To check if unit is faulty.

It shouldn't take 24 hours for the Meraki firewall/TM to recognize the AP -- at most 5-10 minutes.

Other things to try:
1- Press and hold reset button on AP for five seconds (keep connected to power and network).
2- Replace the power injector with new version if it's the old one that powered the old AP.
3- Move AP closer to firewall to rule out distance issues.

Biggles wrote:Has this resolved itself?

No. But you and nmecantwin73 have provided some excellent suggestions that are appreciated and that we will try today. Thanks.

I seem to remember seeing one of my APs like that. But it seemed to be functional, so I left it alone. It resolved itself with no action on my part. (I can't say but what someone else didn't do something.)

I'll take a wild guess that the AP was functioning under an old IP assigned before the firewall was reset, so it wasn't in the DHCP list. Once it renewed its lease, then it showed up.

russellhltn wrote:I'll take a wild guess that the AP was functioning under an old IP assigned before the firewall was reset, so it wasn't in the DHCP list. Once it renewed its lease, then it showed up.

I have done everything suggested short of removing the AP and trying another building. You suggest it might be functioning under an old IP assigned before the firewall was reset.

Do I need to reboot the firewall? And I cannot find a way to do that any longer in TM. It's not the same as a Configuration Refresh, is it?

And while it appears that everything is okay according to the lights on the AP, it is not working as an access point. I cannot connect to it, and if I turn off the other three APs in the building, there is no longer any WiFi.

I think the FM Group is going to have to resolve this one. We had trouble with this AP position when we were using the old APs, but they finally got it working. They solved it by putting a newer AP in the position.

Another thought, can you see the MAC address, in TM, for the faulty AP?

If you can, that implies for whatever reason, that the activation process has failed.

lajackson wrote:Do I need to reboot the firewall?

It wouldn't hurt to power cycle it.

MAC addresses should show in TM for all AP devices, regardless of activation status.

No, there is not a way to reboot the firewall in TM. You would need to be on-site and physically disconnect the power to the firewall.

When/if you do, try first disconnecting the AP from the network and also remove it from power supply, and remove it in TM, then power-cycle the firewall. Once the firewall is back up and working, re-connect the AP power and network connection and add it back in TM.

If still no IP address, the FM may need to get involved. If another AP is available, just swap it out and see if you get the same result.
This AP could then be tested in another building, as Biggles stated earlier, to rule out being a bad firewall.

lajackson wrote:We had trouble with this AP position when we were using the old APs, but they finally got it working. They solved it by putting a newer AP in the position.

I wonder if you have a physical wiring issue going to this AP. Do you have access to a cable tester, such as THIS one?

nmecantwin73 wrote:No, there is not a way to reboot the firewall in TM. You would need to be on-site and physically disconnect the power to the firewall.

Too bad. That was a nice feature.

Mikerowaved wrote:THIS

I don't have a tester. I leave those things to the FM Group. They have always come through so far.

Biggles wrote:Another thought, can you see the MAC address, in TM, for the faulty AP?

Yes. Everything is in TM except for the IP Address. I can even turn it on and off. Or appear to. But the AP is not working. When I disable the rest of the APs and leave this one active, there is no WiFi service.

Oddly, the light is green until I walk into the area and then turns blue as my phone connects. The light on the Ethernet cable is flashing indicating traffic. But there is no connection.

I have turned the problem back to the FM Group. They were the ones who asked me to look into it in the first place. They replaced the four APs and then noticed in TM that one of the IP addresses was missing. They are two hours away, so I like to help them when I can. It pays big dividends when I am able to save them a trip or solve some of the more simple problems for them.

I suspect they really need to run a new wire and have told them so. We will see what they are able to determine.

Have you tried connecting the non functioning AP in place of one of the functioning AP’s?

It has just come to me, that earlier this year, I had an AP doing something very similar to the problem you’re having. I was fortunate in having a spare unit with me. Connecting the new AP made no difference. Fortunately the AP was very close to the firewall, so I ran a cable directly to the firewall. Hey presto normal operation returned! I don’t run cables, because I don’t have the equipment or skills necessary, so a contractor was called in and replaced the cable. Problem solved!

I had a AP that kept cycling. I just turned it off as there were others that could fill in (long story).

Bad cables will cause a number of issues.

Biggles wrote:Have you tried connecting the non functioning AP in place of one of the functioning AP’s?

The new APs will not just snap off the ceiling as the former ones would, so no, I have not played musical APs. The FM Group will have that privilege.

Or I will remember to take a better screw driver with me next time.

I think they "got the cable to work" last time, but this time I expect they actually will have to replace it. My guess is that part of it has broken where it kinks going into the ceiling.