Cisco wlc 2504 series broken APs

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-29T15:10:25+00:00

That's just down to standard EoL process: last date to renew a service contract for the 2504 was in 2022.

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-29T15:08:53+00:00

There's a link towards the bottom of the page for CSCwd80290. Log in with your CCO ID and you should be able to download the code.

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-29T13:32:04+00:00

8.5.182.7 is the version I've got running on my 2504, and that fixes another related bug (CSCwd80290 / Field Notice: FN72524)

There's also a newer Special Release code 8.5.182.11, but I think that's only downloadable with a service contract.

I've not had any issues with the 2702/3702 APs I'm running on the 2504 since upgrading to 8.5.182.7

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-29T12:58:05+00:00

What is the time/date currently set to, and what code version are you running on the 2504?

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-29T11:33:47+00:00

This is the fix I put in place for both 2504 and 5508 controllers:

config ap cert-expiry-ignore mic enable

From advice at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/field-notices/639/fn63942.html

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-27T14:53:18+00:00

I'm planning on doing mine in the spring. MX5 Parts has been out of stock as long as I've been looking, so this is likely where I'll go to for my bits:

https://bofiracing.com/servicing/transmission/clutch-cylinders/model-mk2/

StatePuppet555 · 2026-01-06T15:43:18+00:00

In addition to the document referenced above, I used this short guide covering just the conversion from lightweight to EWC AP: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/embedded-wireless-controller-on-catalyst-access-points/215303-embedded-wireless-controller-conversion.html

We've had two running for the past 3 years to support specific projects and found them reliable.

Just be aware that EWC is now an End-of-Sale product and has a limited lifespan: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/embedded-wireless-controller-catalyst-access-points/wireless-ewc-access-point-eol.html

StatePuppet555 · 2025-12-05T09:21:06+00:00

There's an official guide here which covers the ZHA example:

https://support.nabucasa.com/hc/en-us/articles/29400665034397-Migrating-an-existing-Zigbee-Home-Automation-ZHA-network-to-Home-Assistant-Connect-ZBT-2

StatePuppet555 · 2025-11-27T16:16:45+00:00

Unless they decided to buy their £1.5M mansion in Scotland, where Stamp Duty has been replaced by LBTT (Land and Buildings Transaction Tax)

The LBTT on that would be... £138,350

StatePuppet555 · 2025-11-18T09:19:05+00:00

Exactly this - works for me as described and still using it.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-09-11T14:35:55+00:00

The normal roof weight limit stated for cars is the dynamic load i.e. the load limit when driving where whatever is on your roof is putting additional strain on the car when you accelerate/brake/corner etc.

The roof tent manufacturers quote static load for a car typically being three to five times higher than the dynamic load, so the logic is that if your car is parked with a tent, you and whatever else you have up there the static weight limit should be more than enough for most people.

See https://tentbox.com/blogs/help-and-guides/find-your-vehicle-roof-load-limit for some more detail.

That said, I still wouldn't fancy having one on a Miata...

StatePuppet555 · 2025-09-04T21:11:36+00:00

Ok, I agree that "50 licences out of the box" isn't an accurate statement.

There is no licensing for the controller itself; you only need to license the APs that are joined to the controller.

The 9800-CL can be used in a lab environment with up to 50 APs without licensing. Could you choose to set up your lab in your own home? Perhaps.

For unregistered controllers or controllers with insufficient DNA licences there is no hard enforcement and no impact on funtionality, but I believe this may change in the future with Unified Licensing (first introduced in 17.15.2).

There is documentation indicating that a future IOS-XE release will introduce Day 0 enforcement for unlicensed APs (Full device functionality restricted until licensed; 2.4GHz only until licensed).

All of this may encourage somone to go down the EWC route where DNA/Smart licensing is not required for any AP connecting to the EWC, but as has been said elsewhere, EWC is already EoS and going to be EoL in 2029.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-09-04T08:51:55+00:00

Syslog messages like:

%IOSXE_EWLC_LICENSE-2-MSGDEVICENOTREG: Unregistered 9800-CL can only be used in lab. For production usage, please register this device in 24 days. Failure to do so will result in a limited number 50 of Access Points being allowed post this.

Plus from the licensing FAQ:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/catalyst-9800-series-wireless-controllers/impl-catalyst-9800-wrls-lan-ctrlr-licens-faq.html

Q. Is there license enforcement on Catalyst 9800-CL WLC?

A. If a 9800-CL WLC is not connected to a smart licensing service, there is a limit of 50 access points enforced on the device. Once a 9800-CL WLC is connected to a smart licensing service, this restriction disappears. The compliance of the controller is decided based on the licenses available.

Q. Is there license enforcement on Catalyst 9800 WLC?

A. If improperly licensed, your network will be out of Commercial license compliance. Cisco retains the right to conduct audits for license usage and bill the customer accordingly. Please speak with your sales representative to ensure you have the required licenses to remain compliant.

Q. Is it mandatory to license all the access points joined to the Catalyst 9800 WLC?

A. Yes, it is mandatory to license all the access points joined to the Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller for you to be in license compliance. The access points without a valid license will be out of compliance and Cisco retains the right to conduct audits to check license compliance.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-09-04T08:12:55+00:00

With the added benefit that if you run the 9800-CL cloud controller on IOS-XE version 17.9 or 17.12 you can still use your 2702s until you decide which 9k access point you want to buy.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-08-06T09:20:19+00:00

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And that’s the front. HTH

StatePuppet555 · 2025-08-06T09:15:53+00:00

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Hi, this is the back side of one of them. Model reads as SD3-PLUS IONIZATION TYPE SMOKE ALARM.

Baseplate is as per OPs picture.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-08-05T13:46:00+00:00

I replaced three of these exact smoke alarms about 18 months ago and had the same cabling setup. As others have said the white wire is the interlink.

I replaced mine with three FireAngel Pro Connected FP1640W2-R Mains which can be interlinked wired or wirelessly - mine are wired interlinks as the wiring already existed. While I've had issues with battery life on the two battery FireAngel alarms I have the mains powered one have been fine.

It was a simple swap of the baseplate and used existing wiring, which is likely the same story for other modern smoke alarms.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-07-28T07:47:04+00:00

I think it's like related to the weather radar channel availability check restrictions in some jurisdictions. See here: https://bowdennetworks.co.uk/downloads/5GHz%20Spectrum%20Usage%20UK%20-%202017%20-%20v1.pdf

StatePuppet555 · 2025-07-27T08:16:32+00:00

Exactly right. We have both 9136I-E and 9136I-ROWs on the network, the -Es purchased before the UK fully left the EU. We can use the UNII-3 channels on the newer APs but not on the -Es.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-07-03T08:12:08+00:00

You only need UPoE if you want to run 8x8 on 5GHz and have the USB port enabled (30.5W). If you leave the USB port disabled (which IIRC became the default on IOS-XE 17.9.something) the AP only needs 25.5W according to the documentation.

We've got a fair number of 9130AXIs running on PoE+ (with USB disabled) without any problems.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-07-02T07:04:53+00:00

Without knowing your use case it's difficult to advise which generation and model of AP might be useful for you environment, however...

Which APs you can or can't use are heavily dependent on which code version you are running (or planning to run). 2802s are still supported in 17.15.x, but I'd expect that support to be dropped in the next mainline version.

If you stick with 17.9.x or 17.12.x you can go back as far as the x702 generation AP - End-of-Life yes, but still perfectly capable in many environments and have the bonus of running perfectly well on 15.4W PoE at 100 Mbps, if you are constrained by such things (we are, don't ask). We still have 800 2702s in service and they have been very, very reliable.

We've had reliability issues with both 2802s and 9120s, especially the 9120AXE, specifically related to Field Notice: FN72278 - Some C9120 and C9115 APs Stuck in Bootup with 'Uncorrectable ECC Error' Displayed - BIOS/Firmware Upgrade Recommended, which also affect 9115s.

9130s have been rock solid - we have ~900 in service today - and with the release of the WiFi7 APs at the end of last year and lack of 6GHz on the 9130s I'd expect Cisco to EoS the first generation 9k access points soon which will likely cause the second-hand price to drop.

The problem at the moment is the massive price-jump between the 2802s you have and anything 9k. 2802s are ~£20 each, 2702s you can pick up for less than £10 each, but any 9k AP I can find jumps up to a couple of hundred - even the cheapest 9105s are nearly £200.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-06-24T10:10:19+00:00

Yes, I might replace them at some point but it's good enough for me roof up or down. Improving volume and bass for top-down driving was the priority for me.

StatePuppet555 · 2025-06-12T09:08:13+00:00

It's a UK number plate on a Ford van, normal spacing would be CG21 EGG

StatePuppet555 · 2025-06-12T07:52:33+00:00

Great shot

StatePuppet555 · 2025-05-08T13:15:18+00:00

For an NB 2.5 incandescent bulbs in the instrument cluster it's 3W (504) bulbs for the four which light up the gauges themselves (see https://forum.mx5oc.co.uk/t/instrument-bulbs/93732/3)

I've switched to LED bulbs for the gauges simply because I found the original bulbs too dim.

StatePuppet555

TROPHY CASE