Low Power Mode on Cisco Switches
When connecting Cisco Meraki, MR34, MR42(E), MR44, MR45, MR52, MR53(E), MR55, and MR84 APs to several types of Cisco switches with PoE, insufficient power may be provided to the AP when using a default configuration. This is due to the fact that LLDP negotiation is generally used to negotiate power allocation of more than 15.4W. Cisco Meraki APs will use LLDP to negotiate for additional power, but some Cisco switches do not have this enabled by default. To allow negotiation up to the required power level, ensure that LLDP is enabled and available on the switch and port to which the AP is attached.
To enable LLDP globally on a switch running IOS:
Switch# configure terminal Switch(config)# lldp run Switch(config)# end
Next, enable LLDP on the specific interfaces where the APs will be connected. Follow the example below for IOS devices, substituting "interface_id" with the actual designation for the interface in question:
Switch# configure terminal Switch(config)# interface interface_id Switch(config-if)# lldp transmit Switch(config-if)# lldp receive Switch(config-if)# end
To renegotiate power, either reboot the AP in Dashboard, or shutdown and then re-enable the port on the switch:
Switch# configure terminal Switch(config)# interface interface_id Switch(config)# shutdown Switch(config)# no shutdown Switch(config)# end
At this point, the switch and AP should be able to negotiate up to the required power level. If this is still not occurring, make sure the switch port is allowing up to 30W of power for the connected device:
Switch# configure terminal Switch(config)# interface interface_id Switch(config-if)# power inline max 30000 Switch(config-if)# end
Note: On newer Cisco switches, substitute "power inline max 30000" for "power inline static max."
For more information, please refer to the knowledge base article on Low Power Mode.