Scheduling Wireless on DrayTek VigorAP Access Points

DrayTek Vigor Access Points are able to schedule times in which wireless interfaces and individual SSIDs are active, either to limit access in a home use environment or to improve security in a work environment.

The scheduler can be configured to operate routinely on specified days of the week (Monday to Sunday) or on specific dates if required.

In this guide, we will demonstrate how to use the Schedule function to enable the VigorAP's wireless interface(s) during only certain hours of the day, from Monday to Friday.

In addition, the VigorAP's second SSID, which is a Guest wireless network in this example, will also be configured to operate only during office hours.

How Scheduling Works

Scheduling on DrayTek VigorAPs is configured from the [Applications] > [Schedule] section.

Each Schedule entry has an Action assigned that it performs either Once at a set time, or on a Routine (Monday to Sunday) basis.

The Start Date option can be used to specify a date that the schedule would become active (Routine) or when the action would be performed (Once).

Each schedule has a Start Time and End Time, which are set on a 24 hour clock from 00:00 of each day to 23:59. These are the times of day that the schedule entry would begin and end. The Wi-Fi Up and Down actions have both Start and End times, other actions are events that occur at the specified time and only require a Start Time.

Actions

When an Action is performed by the scheduler, it changes settings as they are configured through the VigorAP's web interface. For example, when a scheduled Wi-Fi Up Action enables Wi-Fi for the 2.4GHz Radio, this changes the [Wireless LAN (2.4GHz)] > [General Setup] - Enable Wireless LAN setting.

The Wi-Fi Up and Wi-Fi Down Actions can overlap. For instance when there is a Wi-Fi Up scheduled between 9am to 5pm and WiFi Down scheduled between 12pm to 1pm, the WiFi would be available from 9am to 12pm, then from 1pm to 5pm.

The table below lists the available Actions and what each action does:

Initial Configuration - Set the correct time

To set up scheduling on the access point, it is first necessary to set the time on the access point; this is configured from [System Maintenance] > [Time and Date].

On that page, select the Use NTP Client button, tick Enable Daylight Saving and click OK to apply the change. Click Inquire Time to check whether the router now has the correct time, this can take up to 30 seconds to get the correct time.

Please note that the access point must have internet access for this to work - if the AP has a static IP set, it also needs a working Gateway IP configured from the [LAN] > [General Setup] section.

Initial Configuration - Enable Scheduling

To set up the scheduling, go to [Applications] > [Schedule], on that page, tick Enable Schedule then click OK so that the schedule options are available.

VigorAP Setup Example

The Wireless LAN configuration in this guide is similar to this configuration: Configuring a VigorAP with a Guest network. It has an internal wireless network (SSID1) and a Guest network (SSID2).

In this example, the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wireless Interfaces will have the same SSID configuration.

Before continuing, check the configuration in [Wireless LAN] > [General Setup] for 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Notice that the Enable Wireless LAN option is not ticked, this setting will be enabled and disabled by the Schedule system once the schedule entry is configured.

Scheduling individual SSIDs to turn on and off at specified times has the following requirements:

1. SSID1 can not be scheduled (this controls the Wi-Fi Radio instead, which enables / disables all SSIDs at once)
2. To schedule individual SSIDs, ensure they are set as SSID2, SSID3 or SSID4
3. The Enable option does not need to be ticked for the SSID being scheduled because it will be managed by the Scheduler
4. There must be a name specified in the SSID field, if this is not specified, the SSID options cannot be selected in the Schedule setup

Save any necessary changes to the General Setup page by clicking OK.

In the examples below, two Schedule entries will be configured:

Wireless LAN Radio / Interface Schedule

The 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wireless Radio / Interfaces will be active between 8am and 7pm on weekdays.

Individual SSID Schedule

An individual SSID, in this case the "Guest" SSID, will only be active between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.

Scheduling Wireless LAN Radio / Interface

This schedule entry will enable the VigorAP 910C's 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless radios at 8am on Monday to Friday and turn the wireless radios off at 7pm each day. The VigorAP's wireless will not be active during weekends.

Go to [Applications] > [Schedule] and click Add to create a new schedule entry:

In the Schedule configuration, set up the schedule entry as shown below by performing these steps in order:

1. Tick Enable
2. Ignore the Start Date because this Schedule will operate on a Routine
3. Set the Action to Wi-Fi Up
4. Set the Start Time to the desired time (24 hour clock from 00:00 of each day to 23:59)
5. Set the End Time to the desired time, in this example 7pm
6. WiFi(2.4GHz) - Select Radio to control when the 2.4GHz Wireless Interface / Radio is active
7. WiFi(5GHz) - Select Radio to control when the 5GHz Wireless Interface / Radio is active
8. Set the Acts to Routine
9. Set the Weekday(s) that the schedule will be active on
10. Click OK to save and apply the schedule entry 

Once the schedule entry is created, the Action(s) will take effect at the next occurrence of the Start Time or End Time.

Scheduling Individual SSIDs

This schedule entry will enable the "Guest" SSID2 at 9am on Monday to Friday and disable it at 5pm. Guests will only be able to connect to that wireless network during those hours and it will not be available during weekends.

Go to [Applications] > [Schedule] and click Add to create a new schedule entry:

In the Schedule configuration, set up the schedule entry as shown below by performing these steps in order:

1. Tick Enable
2. Ignore the Start Date because this Schedule will operate on a Routine
3. Set the Action to Wi-Fi Up
4. Set the Start Time to the desired time (24 hour clock from 00:00 of each day to 23:59)
5. Set the End Time to the desired time, in this example 5pm
6. WiFi(2.4GHz) - Select SSID2 to enable this Wireless SSID on the 2.4GHz Wireless Interface during only the selected hours
7. WiFi(5GHz) - Select SSID2 to enable this Wireless SSID on the 5GHz Wireless Interface during only the selected hours
   
8. Set the Acts to Routine
9. Set the Weekday(s) that the schedule will be active on
10. Click OK to save and apply the schedule entry 

Once the schedule entry is created, the Action(s) will take effect at the next occurrence of the Start Time or End Time.

Managing Schedules

Go to [Applications] > [Schedule] to view the schedules configured on the VigorAP. If settings that are managed by a schedule are changed manually (enabling / disabling Wireless LAN or individual SSIDs), these will be changed back by the Scheduler at the next Start Time or End Time of the schedule entry that manages those settings.

Click on a Schedule Index number link (i.e. 1) to view that schedule entry and modify it.

To remove schedules, tick the checkbox for that schedule entry (or schedules) and click Delete.

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