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Reinvent WatchGuard WiFi

xxupxxup
in Wi-Fi - Product Enhancements

There are currently three different places needed to manage WiFi:
Gateway Wireless Controller (GWC)
Firebox Wireless
Cloud WiFi

While all of these solutions are great, there needs to be a greater integration of all WiFi products. For example, why can't a the owner of a T15-W add additional APs onto their box and manage all of them from one place?

Why can't the WIPS device be available in the GWC environment with (say) a reduced (i.e. simplified) set of capabilities that allow the location of rogue devices to be located more easily? Other vendors, like Ubiquiti, already do this - have a look at https://unifi-shd.ui.com as one example.

Why can't the WIPS device just be a WIPS device? Why do you need to sacrifice an AP to be a WIPS device? Hopefully, a simpler WIPS device would equal lower cost, which is important, as I seem to remember from past experience using the Cloud WiFi product that you need three of them to use the location capability of Cloud WiFi. None of those three can carry any wireless traffic.

I like the current Total vs Secure WiFi model in terms of how Cloud WiFi operates. Perhaps we need to roll a third level in there and call it basic and add in basic WIPS capability..

Adrian from Australia

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    james.carsonjames.carson Moderator, WatchGuard Representative

    Hi @xxup

    At this current point in time, there are 3 types of AP licensing -- these were expanded from 2 due to customer feedback.

    -Total includes all analytic features, WIPS, and is cloud managed.
    -Secure includes WIPS, and is cloud managed.
    -Basic includes only basic AP features, and is the most basic of the feature sets. This tier is intended for customers that do not want to, or can't move into the cloud managed side of the APs.

    Of the AP devices, the tri radio devices can and do run in a "combo mode" that allow the AP to be both a sensor and an AP. In the current line-up that'd be the AP325, and AP420 that have 3 radios to allow this.

    -James Carson
    WatchGuard Customer Support

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    xxupxxup

    Yep.. I get all that, but we still have three places to manage WiFi..

    My enhancement is to move away from the current approach to provide a service that runs in the Cloud or through GWC (like we have WebUI and the really old WSM), but provides all the secure Wi-Fi services.. I realise that it would be difficult to move Total Wi-Fi off the Cloud, but secure could easily come off the Cloud and join Basic in the GWC..

    Those AP325s are A$1.278 each for three years of Secure Wi-Fi and WIPS. Surely a standalone WIPS can be cheaper than this..

    Adrian from Australia

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    james.carsonjames.carson Moderator, WatchGuard Representative

    Hi @xxup

    Due to the amount of compute power that would require on the firewall, we're not looking to move that direction. At least not right now. It might be something we can re-assess the next time the firewalls are rev'ed to new hardware. Right now, most of the smaller units would struggle to handle more than just a few APs doing that, if any.

    -James Carson
    WatchGuard Customer Support

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