Can't get Unifi AP V2 to work on TDS...

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WhizkidTN

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Help! I built a new house and decided to install a ceiling mounted Unifi AP in the center of my one story house. I have TDS 100M fiber service that uses their version of the Actiontec T3200M wireless router. I have CAT5a runs to three TVs for their set-top boxes (direct connect to the T3200M) and a Leviton 8 port 10/100/1000 un-managed switch on the fourth port for other hardwired devices (desktop PC, Unifi AP, etc.).

The T3200M is 802.11ac while the Unifi AP V2 (slightly older model but with latest firmware) is 2.4Ghz only (802.11n).

I can't get the Unifi Controller SW running on the desktop PC (hooked to the same un-managed switch, so same subnet) to even "see" the AP!

I can see it with the Android Unifi App (that was how I downloaded new firmware to it) and I have hard reset the unit as well (10 second hold-down of reset button). The Unifi LED ring glows solid green.

This SHOULD be simple but I can't figure out why the latest Controller SW can't "see" or configure it. I run Avast free virus SW on the desktop PC. I've switched off the Windows Firewall for a short time also to see if that was blocking it.

Nothing!

What obvious thing am I missing? I've never done this before either so I must be doing something wrong.
 
Further info: The T3200M is mounted in my structured wiring panel (42") in the garage and my "plan" is to configure the wireless router's 5G channels to auto and the 2.4G channels to a fixed channel (11). I will then configure the Unifi AP to channel 6. From my scans at different times of the day, this seems to be the best approach IF I can talk to the Unifi AP!

Comments/thoughts??
 
I'm not overly familiar with Unifi, but are you sure you have the ethernet cable plugged into the right port? Sometimes these devices have an RJ45 management port as well, which can be confused for the ethernet port.

This is of course assuming you are powering it via an AC adapter, since you didn't mention the Leviton switch being PoE.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
I'm not overly familiar with Unifi, but are you sure you have the ethernet cable plugged into the right port? Sometimes these devices have an RJ45 management port as well, which can be confused for the ethernet port.

This is of course assuming you are powering it via an AC adapter, since you didn't mention the Leviton switch being PoE.


The AP has only one RJ45 port and has an external POE power brick that is inline with the unit prior to plugging into the switch (which is not able to do POE).
 
No expert here either, but I would try a direct wire connection to the AP for first time config. At least you can remove the switch as the problem.

I'm sure others can help with better troubleshooting. When you say unmanaged, you mean that the switch is just a pass thru right?
 
Is the hostname of the computer/workstation with the controller on it named "unifi'?

The APs look for that when they haven't been adopted/provisioned.

If not, you'll have to SSH into the AP and then point it/tell it where it's controller is.
 
Yeah, you might try direct connecting to the PC running the controller, at least initally. Just manually set an IP on the ethernet card thats in the same subnet as what you are dealing with. Then once you get in it, I like to set a static IP on critical network components so I know where they are.
Thats wierd that you are having so much trouble. I just open the controller on my PC, boot the AP and it sometimes takes a few minutes but it gets found and added into it.
Im not familiar with the app; I wonder if its 'registering' with the app then just not bothering to find your controller pc.
 
Originally Posted By: Chester11
No expert here either, but I would try a direct wire connection to the AP for first time config. At least you can remove the switch as the problem.

I'm sure others can help with better troubleshooting. When you say unmanaged, you mean that the switch is just a pass thru right?


I'll try that. The switch is just a pass thru.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
Is the hostname of the computer/workstation with the controller on it named "unifi'?

The APs look for that when they haven't been adopted/provisioned.

If not, you'll have to SSH into the AP and then point it/tell it where it's controller is.


The hostname of the desktop computer that is on the same switch is not "unifi". Is is supposed to be?
 
Originally Posted By: WhizkidTN
Originally Posted By: redhat
Is the hostname of the computer/workstation with the controller on it named "unifi'?

The APs look for that when they haven't been adopted/provisioned.

If not, you'll have to SSH into the AP and then point it/tell it where it's controller is.


The hostname of the desktop computer that is on the same switch is not "unifi". Is is supposed to be?


Yes, otherwise the AP has no idea where it is supposed to go to find it's controller. It is looking for unifi but a DNS lookup is telling it "I got nobody here".
 
At this point, I'd recommend just SSH into it (with the above instructions) and tell the AP the hostname/IP of your controller. Make sure to set-inform twice to save the controller info once provisioned.

Have setup probably 20-30 Unifi sites.
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Yeah, you might try direct connecting to the PC running the controller, at least initally. Just manually set an IP on the ethernet card thats in the same subnet as what you are dealing with. Then once you get in it, I like to set a static IP on critical network components so I know where they are.
Thats wierd that you are having so much trouble. I just open the controller on my PC, boot the AP and it sometimes takes a few minutes but it gets found and added into it.
Im not familiar with the app; I wonder if its 'registering' with the app then just not bothering to find your controller pc.


I tried and tried with the desktop PC running the controller with no luck before I then just tried the Android app which did find it and allowed me to at least download new firmware to it. Of course, that app does not run as a controller (not sure it can). The desktop "Discovery tool" that get installed when the controller SW was installed would "find" it but was not able to do anything with it. Once I was able to use the Android app to see it and update the firmware, now even that Discovery tool doesn't find the AP after waiting for at least 10 minutes.

Very, very weird. I've never played with these devices before so I'm at a loss.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
At this point, I'd recommend just SSH into it (with the above instructions) and tell the AP the hostname/IP of your controller. Make sure to set-inform twice to save the controller info once provisioned.

Have setup probably 20-30 Unifi sites.


Best advice in the thread from somebody who has used them. This is nothing like the gear I normally deploy, so I'd follow his advice.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
his is nothing like the gear I normally deploy, so I'd follow his advice.


Whatcha running, Meraki?

Where I am at now (deployed Unifi in a previous life), we're looking to replace an OLD Cisco Aironet system. Looking into all of the above options.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
his is nothing like the gear I normally deploy, so I'd follow his advice.


Whatcha running, Meraki?

Where I am at now (deployed Unifi in a previous life), we're looking to replace an OLD Cisco Aironet system. Looking into all of the above options.



Presently Aironet at a number of sites, HP Aruba at others. The subscription model for Meraki has kinda put me off it a bit, but it is insanely easy to deploy.

The Aruba stuff is really good, I've been extremely happy with it and is my current go-to for deployments where cost is a significant factor.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
Originally Posted By: WhizkidTN
Originally Posted By: redhat
Is the hostname of the computer/workstation with the controller on it named "unifi'?

The APs look for that when they haven't been adopted/provisioned.

If not, you'll have to SSH into the AP and then point it/tell it where it's controller is.


The hostname of the desktop computer that is on the same switch is not "unifi". Is is supposed to be?


Yes, otherwise the AP has no idea where it is supposed to go to find it's controller. It is looking for unifi but a DNS lookup is telling it "I got nobody here".

My PC is named "Winter" Ive never had it not find my Unifi. New or old. Bascially I plug in the AP, open the controller on my PC (I only run the controller when Im making changes. When Im done I close it out.) and in a few minutes its available for me to 'Adopt'.
 
Last edited:
Ok, finally fixed.

I had to uninstall the controller software, hard reset the AP (did it twice) until it had a yellow flashing LED (this took more than 10 seconds with this version). I then had to disable my Avast Anti-virus and my Windows 7 firewall. Once this was done, the software found the unit and I was able to finally configure the unit.

Currently, I'm running it on auto-channel, same as my TDS T3200M wireless router in 2.4G modes. If this seems to work well, I'll leave it but if not, I'll set the AP channel to 11 and the T3200M to channel 6.

Interestingly, once configured I was able turn on both the Avast Anti-virus software and the Win7 firewall and still access the controller software and the unit. That part seems odd to me so maybe the issue was really the hard reset of the AP (which I had done once before - see thread, but I'm sure I only held it in reset for 5 seconds then).

This should not have been this hard. Sometimes, computers suck!
 
Oh yes. I forgot about the Windows firewall. I turn that off, along with the Windows updater. Im sure that was your issue. The controller must need to open a port and actually have it listen for inbound connections. Since it knows its there now, it can just connect to it.
And Auto channel mode seems to work fine for me on my pair.
 
Last edited:
I was going to chime in but I figured the experts had it covered..

I had some issues with their controller software after I reinstalled windows.

everything working now though.
 
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