Product Overview

The RG-WS6512-L high-performance wireless access controller (AC) is developed by Ruijie Networks to support next-generation high-speed wireless networks. It can be deployed on a Layer 2 or Layer 3 network without any architecture or hardware changes, delivering seamless and secure control over wireless networks. The RG-WS6512-L can manage up to 128 wireless access points (APs) by default. With licenses for capacity expansion, it can manage a maximum of 1152 generic APs or 2304 wall-mounted APs.

Through powerful centralized and visualized management and control over wireless networks, the RG-WS6512-L can significantly simplify construction and deployment of wireless networks. The RG-WS6512-L can be used with Ruijie Networks' APs and RG-SNC — a unified management platform for wired and wireless networks. This achieves flexible control of APs, optimizes RF coverage and performance, implements cluster management, and reduces the workload of device deployment.

Product Features

Smart Wireless Experience

•    Intelligent STA Identification

The built-in Portal server of the RG-WS6512-L can intelligently identify STAs based on the characteristics of the STAs, and adaptively respond with a portal authentication page of matching size and layout. Intelligent STA identification eliminates the need to drag and resize a window, delivering users with a better intelligent wireless experience. This technology supports mainstream intelligent terminal operating systems including Apple iOS, Android, and Windows.

•    Fair STA Access

The RG-WS6512-L, together with Ruijie Networks' APs, provides the same access time for STAs in compliance with IEEE 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and other standards. This resolves issues such as high latency, slow speed, and low performance of APs caused by outdated NIC in STAs or long distance between STAs and APs. This also effectively improves the performance of low-speed STAs, and ensures consistently good wireless experience at the same location regardless of the STA type.

•    Intelligent Load Balancing

In a high-density environment, the RG-WS6512-L can intelligently distribute STAs connected to APs in real time based on the number of STAs and traffic on each associated AP, thereby balancing the traffic load, increasing the average STA bandwidth and QoS, and improving the availability of network connections. In addition to STA-based and traffic-based intelligent load balancing, the RG-WS6512-L also supports load balancing based on the frequency band. Most Wi-Fi devices use the 2.4 GHz band by default, but can achieve increased throughput in the 5 GHz band (IEEE 802.11a/n/ac/ax-compliant). Load balancing based on the frequency band enables dual-radio-capable STAs to preferentially use the 5GHz frequency band. This increases bandwidth utilization by 30% to 40% without additional cost and guarantees a high-speed wireless experience for STAs.

High Performance and Reliability

•    Centralized/Distributed Integrated Intelligent Switching

The RG-WS6512-L can be deployed on a Layer 2 or Layer 3 network without changing the original network architecture. It constitutes an overall switching architecture with APs to facilitate control and processing of traffic on all APs. The intelligent local forwarding technology eliminates the traffic bottleneck of an AC. With this technology, the RG-WS6512-L can flexibly configure data forwarding modes for connected APs. That is, the RG-WS6512-L can determine whether the data needs to be forwarded through the AC, or directly enters the wired network for local switching based on the network SSID and VLAN planning. The local forwarding technology enables the RG-WS6512-L to forward delay-sensitive data that requires real-time high-performance transmission through a wired network. In the context of high throughput of IEEE 802.11ac- and 802.11ax-compliant STAs, this technology can greatly reduce the traffic forwarding pressure of the RG-WS6512-L to better adapt to future wireless networks such as high definition video-on-demand (HD VoD) and Voice over Wireless Local Area Network (VoWLAN) transmission.

•    Reliable Power Solutions

The RG-WS6512-L supports power modules in 1+1 redundancy mode. When the RG-WS6512-L works normally, the two power modules operate in current-sharing mode. When one power module fails, the other power module can ensure normal device operation. The RG-WS6512-L supports hot swapping of power modules and AC power supply.

•    Intelligent RF Management

The RG-WS6512-L enables an AP to perform on-demand RF scanning on the wireless network. The RG-WS6512-L can scan wireless frequency bands and channels, identify unauthorized APs and wireless networks, and notifies network administrators of alarms, providing all-round protection in a security-sensitive environment. Moreover, the RG-WS6512-L can control the RF scanning function of APs in real time, and measure the signal strength and interference. It can dynamically regulate the traffic load, transmit power, RF coverage area, and channel allocation using software tools to maximize the AP coverage and capacity.

•    Network-wide Seamless Roaming

The RG-WS6512-L supports the best-in-class cluster technology. Multiple RG-WS6512-L controllers in a cluster can synchronize online connection information and roaming records of all STAs in real time. When a STA roams, the STA can roam freely on the entire network based on shared user information and authorization information in the cluster. Furthermore, the STA can roam seamlessly and securely, and keep the IP address and authentication status unchanged, so as to achieve fast roaming and voice support.

•    Abundant QoS Policies

The RG-WS6512-L supports abundant QoS policies such as bandwidth limiting in multiple modes and preferential bandwidth guarantee for key data applications.

•    Wireless IPv6 Access

The RG-WS6512-L fully supports IPv6 features, ensuring IPv6 forwarding on wireless networks. IPv4 and IPv6 STAs can automatically connect to the RG-WS6512-L through tunnels to provide IPv6 services on wireless networks.

Advanced AC Virtualization

The RG-WS6512-L supports the cutting-edge AC virtualization technology. The technology can virtualize up to four ACs into one logical AC, realizing high reliability and capacity expansion without additional hardware devices.

Simplified topology: All member ACs of the logical AC use the same IP address. Regardless of whether the logical AC connects to an AP or an authentication server, there is no need to assign an IP address to each member AC.

Simplified configuration: Multiple member ACs can be managed as one AC. Any configuration of the master AC can be automatically synchronized to all member ACs.

High reliability: N+M hot standby is supported. The breakdown of any AC will not affect the overall system.

Smooth capacity expansion: The AP and client capacity can be expanded by adding a physical AC.

License sharing: A license installed on any member AC of the logical AC can be shared by other member ACs.

Advanced Application Recognition and Policy Control

The RG-WS6512-L supports application recognition and application-level QoS mapping technology for STAs. The RG-WS6512-L in centralized forwarding mode applies Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to packet characteristics to support over 2,500 applications. It can identify applications, collects statistics on applications, and employs QoS mapping, helping you understand the application usage on the network. Then QoS can be performed for application traffic.

Flexible and Comprehensive Security Policies

•    Local Authentication

The RG-WS6512-L, with a built-in local user database and a built-in Portal server, authenticates STAs locally through web authentication. Local authentication eliminates the need for authentication devices such as the external Portal server and RADIUS server. Moreover, this authentication mode simplifies the entire network architecture and greatly reduces the network construction cost, meeting requirements for secure access to small- and medium-sized wireless networks.

•    STA Data Encryption and Security

The RG-WS6512-L supports a full range of data security protection mechanisms, including Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), to ensure data transmission security on wireless networks.

•    Standard Communication Protocols

The RG-WS6512-L communicates with APs through the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) for encrypted communication, achieving isolation from a wired network and ensuring the confidentiality of real-time communication between the RG-WS6512-L and APs. Additionally, the RG-WS6512-L can use CAPWAP to control third-party APs in the future, facilitating network expansion as well as protecting existing investment.

•    Virtual AP Technology

With the virtual AP technology, the RG-WS6512-L can allocate multiple SSIDs on a network. Network administrators can separately isolate and encrypt subnets or VLANs using the same SSID, and configure the separate authentication method and encryption mechanism for each SSID.

•    RF Security

The RG-WS6512-L can be flexibly configured with the RF probe scanning mechanism to discover unauthorized APs or other RF interference sources in real time. It pushes corresponding alarms to the network management system (NMS) in real time for a network administrator to monitor potential threats and usage in each wireless environment at any time.

•    Virus and Attack Prevention

Built-in security mechanisms effectively ensure prevention and control of virus spread and network traffic attacks, reject unauthorized network access, and allow access from authorized STAs. The security mechanisms include binding of IP addresses, MAC addresses, WLANs, and other elements, hardware ACL, and data stream-based rate limiting, meeting requirements of campus, hospital and enterprise networks on strengthening access control of guests and restricting access of unauthorized STAs.

•    Secure STA Access

The RG-WS6512-L supports web authentication. Users can complete the authentication process by using a browser. It supports 802.1X authentication on clients to guarantee network security. Moreover, it ensures host security because the 802.1X authentication client is embedded on a host for access control. Unlike web authentication, 802.1X authentication is applicable to security-sensitive areas. Furthermore, IP addresses, MAC addresses, WLANs, and other elements can be bound after authentication. This ensures that only authorized users can access the network.

•    Multiple Easy-to-Use Authentication Modes

The RG-WS6512-L supports conventional web authentication and 802.1X authentication for monitoring network access behaviors. It also provides convenient authentication modes for customers based on actual scenarios, such as MAC authentication bypass (MAB), and SMS-based and QR code-based guest authentication.

When a STA connects to a network through MAB authentication, you only need to enter the username and password upon first login. The username and password are no longer required when the client is restarted and connected to the network.

When a guest accesses a wireless network through SMS-based authentication, an authentication page pops up. On the authentication page, the guest can register an account using the mobile number, and accesses the Internet using the username and password in the SM received.

QR code-based authentication is another convenient way for guests to access the Internet. After being connected to a wireless network, the guest will receive a QR code prompt. The guest can access the Internet after being authorized by the visited employee. Guest behaviors are associated with the visited employee to ensure high security.

•    Anti-ARP Spoofing

The ARP inspection function can effectively prevent increasing ARP gateway and ARP host spoofing attacks on a network, so as to ensure normal network access. Automatic IP-MAC binding can greatly save the labor cost and simplify management in dynamic or static IP allocation mode. An attacker may maliciously use scanning tools to flood ARP packets, which occupy network bandwidth and result in network congestion. To address this issue, the RG-WS6512-L uses ARP rate limiting to control the rate of sending ARP packets.

•    Rogue AP Containment

Rogue AP containment can effectively detect unauthorized APs on a wireless network. The RG-WS6512-L can instruct an AP to send a probe packet to surrounding APs and wait for a response. It can detect the unauthorized AP that does not send a response packet, thereby ensuring network-wide security.

•    DHCP Security

DHCP snooping enables the RG-WS6512-L to allow only DHCP Reply messages from trusted interfaces, preventing a private DHCP server without the permission of an administrator. This is because the private DHCP server seriously affects IP address allocation and management, resulting in network access failures. With DHCP snooping configured, the RG-WS6512-L can dynamically check source IP addresses of ARP packets to prevent ARP spoofing attacks and source IP address spoofing attacks in the environment in which the DHCP server dynamically allocates IP addresses.

•    Management Information Security

Through the Secure Shell (SSH) and Simple Network Management Protocol version 3 (SNMPv3), the RG-WS6512-L encrypts management information in Telnet and SNMP processes, ensuring information security of management devices and preventing hackers from attacking and controlling devices. Telnet access control based on the source IP address means fine-grained device management and control. With this function, only the devices with IP addresses configured by administrators can connect to the AC, enhancing network management security.

Rich Management Policies

•    Multiple Management Modes and Unified Management Platform

The RG-WS6512-L supports the CLI and other management modes to implement centralized, effective, and low-cost planning, deployment, monitoring, and management of network-wide APs. The RG-SNC, a unified management platform for wired and wireless networks developed by Ruijie Networks, manages APs uniformly. The RG-WS6512-L together with the RG-SNC implement various wireless network management functions, including topology generation, AP working status monitoring, online client status monitoring, network-wide RF planning, STA locating, security alarm, link load and device utilization monitoring, roaming record, and report output. The RG-WS6512-L allows an administrator to monitor and manage the running status of the entire network in a data center.

•    Hierarchical AC Management

The RG-WS6512-L supports hierarchical AC management. A central AC uniformly manages hundreds of branch ACs, simplifying wireless device management in the scenario with the headquarters and many branches. Hierarchical AC management has the following features:

Unified management: The central AC uniformly upgrades the software of ACs and APs on a branch AC, and monitors the running status of each branch AC and AP in a unified manner.

High reliability: When a branch AC fails, branch APs can be taken over by the central AC, realizing fast failover and improving the reliability of the branch wireless network.

License sharing: The branch AC can share the license installed on the central AC as required. A license can be installed on the central AC, and shared by all ACs on a network.

•    Eweb Management

The RG-WS6512-L provides the Eweb, on which O&M personnel can complete wireless configuration easily, and manage the wireless network uniformly. On the Eweb, O&M personnel can manage APs and connected STAs, limit the STA rates, and restrict network access behaviors of the connected STAs. With the Eweb, O&M personnel can plan, manage, and maintain wireless networks conveniently.

The RG-WS6512-L, adopting enhanced security and clustering technologies, offers identity-based networking services. Multiple ACs in a cluster can share a user database, allowing stations (STAs) to seamlessly roam in different areas of a network. The cluster design guarantees the security and session integrity during roaming and smooth interaction of data and voice over Wi-Fi applications.