CAPWAP-MIB

MIB Reference — IPNetwork Monitor · Updated September 14, 2026

All MIBsCAPWAP-MIB

Organization: IETF CAPWAP working Group

Last Updated: 2007-07-31

Category: Wireless and WLAN

Description: Implements the IETF CAPWAP protocol MIB for centralized management of wireless access points via a wireless LAN controller.

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What Is CAPWAP-MIB?

CAPWAP-MIB is an IETF standards-based MIB implementing the CAPWAP (Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points) protocol, used for centralized management of wireless access points (WTPs) by a wireless LAN Access Controller (AC). It exposes configuration data (security and authentication options, idle timeouts), capacity/performance counters (current versus maximum WTP and station sessions), and identification data (AC hardware and software version). Its monitoring value spans both software and capacity health: administrators can track AC hardware/software version for inventory, watch session counts against configured limits to catch a controller nearing capacity, and monitor failed DTLS session retries as a security/fault indicator for access points failing to establish a secure tunnel. As a vendor-neutral IETF protocol MIB, it has no dependency on a specific vendor's proprietary MIBs, though implementations often pair it with vendor-specific wireless extensions. It is typically deployed in enterprise or campus wireless LAN deployments where a controller centrally manages a fleet of thin access points. Engineers implementing or auditing this functionality typically reference the CAPWAP-MIB RFC/standard documentation for the authoritative specification.

IPNetwork Monitor allows you to monitor SNMP objects defined in CAPWAP-MIB. Use the built-in SNMP Monitoring Browser to explore available variables, view their current values and descriptions, and select the objects you want to monitor. You can then create SNMP monitors, configure thresholds, and receive alerts when monitored values change.

Supported Devices

  • vendor-neutral, standards-based MIB, not tied to a specific manufacturer
  • wireless LAN controllers (Access Controllers) and the wireless access points (WTPs) they manage

Monitoring Examples

capwapACWTPSessions and capwapACWTPSessionsLimit let an administrator compare current joined access points to the controller's maximum capacity, while capwapACStationSessions and capwapACStationSessionsLimit do the same for connected wireless clients. capwapACHwVersion and capwapACSwVersion identify the controller's hardware and firmware version for inventory audits. Polling capwapMaxFailedDTLSSessionRetry alongside capwapWTPIdleTimeout would reveal an access point that is repeatedly failing to establish its secure control channel with the controller, indicating a certificate, key, or connectivity problem.

What Can Be Monitored

  • WTP/access-point session count vs. limit
  • wireless station session count vs. limit
  • AC hardware and software version
  • failed DTLS session retries
  • WTP idle timeout
  • data-channel security options
Imported Objects

From SNMPv2-CONF

MODULE-COMPLIANCE
NOTIFICATION-GROUP
OBJECT-GROUP

From SNMPv2-SMI

Counter32
Integer32
IpAddress
MODULE-IDENTITY
NOTIFICATION-TYPE
OBJECT-TYPE
Unsigned32
mib-2

From SNMPv2-TC

DisplayString
MacAddress
TEXTUAL-CONVENTION
TimeStamp
TruthValue

How to Use in IPNetwork Monitor

Example using capwapWTPRebootCount OID:

Select a Wireless LAN controllers managing CAPWAP access point as the target host to create a monitor — the SNMP service should be up and running on it. Click New Monitor, then check SNMP Custom on the Favorites tab, click Next, and confirm the host. On the next page, click Select... to open the built-in SNMP MIB Browser and type capwapWTPRebootCount into the Find box to locate it in the OID tree, selecting the specific row/instance you want to monitor since this is a table column, then select it and click OK. Represents the number of reboots that have occurred due to a WTP crash. On the monitor's Main parameters page you can set the target's SNMP port (default 161), credentials, polling interval, and other settings — see the SNMP Monitor help for details. On the State conditions and Alerting tabs, configure when the monitor should change state and trigger an alert; since this is a Counter32-type OID, Value bounds is the most useful condition here — trigger an alert if the counter increases sharply between polls relative to its normal baseline, since an unexpected spike often reflects a real change in traffic or activity. Click Finish to create the monitor; you can adjust any parameter later.
OIDs

RFC description

Defined in RFC 5833, this MIB provides management objects for Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol, covering configuration and WTP status monitoring.

Start monitoring Wireless LAN controllers managing CAPWAP access points with a free 30-day trial of IPNetwork Monitor. Import MIBs, browse SNMP OIDs, create custom SNMP monitors, configure alerts, and monitor any SNMP-enabled network device from a single console.

Download CAPWAP-MIB