Troubleshooting Tip: New SSID entry is the FortiAP Profile is not taking effect/not broadcasted

Description

This article describes an issue wherein a new SSID is configured on the FortiGate GUI (which already has 8+ SSIDs), but it does not take effect; that is, it is not getting broadcast or pushed to FortiAP. This article covers why this happens and how to resolve the issue by selecting the correct mode in the FortiAP Profile.

Scope

FortiGate, FortiAP.

Solution

When Bridge mode is selected in a FortiAP Profile (which is the default mode), FortiGate pushes the first 8 SSIDs in the list to the FortiAP in the same order as it appear in the GUI (alphabetical order) and will ignore the remaining entries. There might be scenarios where this is not ideal, and it needs to select SSIDs from the list in a different order.

One possible solution for this requirement is to use manual mode, wherein if manual mode is selected for the SSIDs in the FortiAP Profile, the admin can choose exactly the SSIDs that need to be advertised/broadcasted from FortiAPs (but note that still only 8 SSID configs will be pushed to FortiAPs).

To implement this, follow these steps:

1. In the FortiGate GUI, go to WiFi & Switch Controller -> FortiAP Profiles -> WiFi Settings.

2. Select Manual mode for the SSIDs in the FortiAP Profile. This will allow the admin to choose the specific SSID list to be advertised/broadcasted, and not in the default alphabetical order.

3. In Manual mode, an admin can add or remove SSIDs as needed in any order. Make sure to select the correct SSIDs that need to be advertised/broadcasted and they will be pushed to FortiAPs.

Note: Any changes made to the advertised SSIDs will trigger the FortiGate to push the full configuration to the managed FortiAPs, which will require connected users to reconnect.

Related articles:

• Troubleshooting Tip: Error while adding 8 SSIDs per client

• Technical Tip: Cannot add more than 8 SSIDs per AP profile