Introduction
Overview
The NWA55AX PTP is a WiFi 6 Dual-Radio Outdoor PoE Wireless Bridge, designed to provide long-distance point-to-point (PTP) connectivity. It supports long distance wireless links, making it suitable for extending network access between remote locations. At the time of writing, the supported wireless bridge distance is shown in the table below.
Supported Wireless Bridge Distance | 5 km |
The NWA55AX PTP comes pre-configured at the factory: with one device set as a Root AP and the other as a Repeater (RP). When powered on, they automatically pair and establish a wireless bridge.
NWA55AX PTP Application in a Network
The NWA55AX PTP’s 5 GHz radio is dedicated to the wireless bridge link between devices, while the 2.4 GHz radio is reserved for configuration. See Step 3 SSID for more information.
The NWA55AX PTP can be managed in one of the following methods: remote management through Nebula Control Center (NCC) or local management in Standalone Mode. The NWA55AX PTP runs in standalone mode by default, but it is recommended to use NCC management especially if you are managing multiple devices. For more information about Access Point (AP) management, see Management Mode. The NWA55AX PTP will now be referred to as the Zyxel Device.
Zyxel Device Product Feature
The following table shows the supported features of the NWA55AX PTP model.
Features | NWA55AX PTP |
|---|---|
Supported WiFi Standards | IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11ac IEEE 802.11ax |
Supported Frequency Bands | 2.4 GHz 5 GHz |
Supported Channel Width | 2.4G: 20 / 40 MHz 5G: 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz |
Available Security Modes | None / Enhanced-open / WEP / WPA2-MIX / WPA3-Personal |
Number of SSID Profiles | 64 |
Number of WiFi Radios | 2 |
Rogue AP Detection | Yes |
WDS (Wireless Distribution System) - Root AP & Repeater Modes | Yes |
Wireless Bridge | Yes |
Layer-2 Isolation | Yes |
Supported PoE Standards | IEEE 802.3at |
Internal Antennas | Yes |
Reset button | Yes |
LED Locator | Yes |
LED Suppression | Yes |
NCC Discovery | Yes |
802.11r Fast Roaming Support | Yes |
802.11k/v Assisted Roaming | Yes |
Maximum number of log messages | 512 event logs |
Latest Firmware Version Supported | 7.12 |
Zyxel Device Roles
This section describes some of the different roles that your Zyxel Device can take up within a network. The Zyxel Device can serve as a:
• Root AP – A root AP connects to the gateway or switch through a wired Ethernet connection and has wireless repeaters connected to it to extend its range.
• Repeater (RP) – A repeater wirelessly connects to a root AP and extends the network’s wireless range. A repeater can also be a wireless bridge that connects to a root AP and extends the network to wired client devices.
The Zyxel Devices are configured as a Root AP and a Repeater (RP) by factory default. Once both Zyxel Devices are powered on, they automatically establish a wireless bridge. Connect the Root AP to your router or gateway for Internet access. Install the Repeater at the remote site where you want to extend wireless connectivity.
Zyxel Device Application in a Network
Root AP
The Zyxel Device acts as an AP and also supports the WiFi connections with other APs (in repeater mode) to form a WDS to extend its WiFi network.
In Root AP mode, you can have multiple SSIDs active for regular WiFi connections and one SSID (WDS SSID) for the connection with a repeater. WiFi clients can use either SSID to associate with the Zyxel Device in Root AP mode. A repeater must use the repeater SSID to connect to the Zyxel Device in Root AP mode. See Overview for more details.
When the Zyxel Device is in Root AP mode, repeater security between the Zyxel Device and other repeaters is independent of the security between the WiFi clients and the AP or repeater. When repeater security is enabled, both APs and repeaters must use the same pre-shared key. See AP Management and WDS Profile for more details.
Unless specified, the term “security settings” refers to the traffic between the WiFi clients and the AP. At the time of writing, repeater security is compatible with the Zyxel Device only.
Repeater
The Zyxel Device can establish a WiFi connection with other APs (in either Root AP or Repeater mode) to form a WDS.
When the Zyxel Device is in Repeater mode, repeater security between the Zyxel Device and other repeater is independent of the security between the WiFi clients and the AP or repeater. When repeater security is enabled, both APs and repeaters must use the same pre-shared key. See AP Management and WDS Profile for more details.
For NCC managed devices, you only need to enable AP Smart Mesh to automatically create WiFi links between APs. See the NCC User’s Guide for more details.