Which Cisco 5520 WLC License Is Needed for OfficeExtend APs?
An engineer is designing a new wireless network. Based on the design, OfficeExtend AP functionality must be used. Which type of license must the Cisco 5520 WLC v8.3 have?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
It tests which controller license entitlement actually unlocks OfficeExtend AP mode, and the trap is assuming a feature-specific 'OfficeExtend AP license' exists as a purchasable option.
OfficeExtend Access Points (OEAPs) on a Cisco 5520 WLC running AireOS 8.3 are enabled by the controller's base license — there is no dedicated OfficeExtend AP license SKU. This page confirms the Base license (A) as the correct answer and explains why the Plus and WPlus tiers are irrelevant here.
Picking B, the 'OfficeExtend AP license' — no such Cisco license SKU exists; OfficeExtend is a controller software feature that you enable on supported Aironet AP models once a base license is installed and in use.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
Comments & Corrections
No comments yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The Cisco 5520 is a 5500/8500-class AireOS controller, and in release 8.3 the 'Configuring OfficeExtend Access Points' chapter lists a base license as the prerequisite for OEAP operation. As Lakshan__97 summarized in the thread, "a base license must be installed and in use on the Cisco WLC" before you can enable OfficeExtend mode on supported Aironet models. OEAPs then join the controller over their permanent DTLS tunnel to the DMZ-facing controller and are managed like any other joined AP, while still consuming controller AP capacity. Because the capability is bundled into the base entitlement, a design that calls for OfficeExtend does not require any incremental license purchase. That is exactly why Base license (A) is the answer.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B describes a license that does not exist in Cisco's wireless licensing portfolio — OfficeExtend is not a separately licensed feature, so selecting 'OfficeExtend AP license' is a distractor built purely on plausible-sounding naming. Options C (WPlus) and D (Plus) are controller licensing tiers that scale AP/client capacity and related entitlements rather than acting as an on/off switch for OEAP mode; a plus-tier license neither enables OfficeExtend nor is required by it. Both tiers would be relevant only to a capacity question about how many APs the 5520 can terminate, not to feature enablement. On the 5520 running 8.3, the licensing prerequisite stays the base license, which is why the configuration guide's OfficeExtend prerequisites point there.Community Comment Notes
The thread was effectively unanimous: every recorded vote selected Base license (A), and no commenter argued for WPlus, Plus, or an OEAP-specific SKU. jzzmth corroborated the key directly against vendor documentation, linking the Cisco 8.3 configuration guide chapter and noting "Given answer is correct" with answer A. crabb63 added the equivalent OfficeExtend chapter from the 8.7 guide as a cross-version sanity check, showing the prerequisite did not change across releases. Lakshan__97 supplied the decisive paraphrase of the guide text — base license installed and in use, then enable OfficeExtend mode on supported APs — which matches the answer statement above.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
When a question pairs a specific controller model and AireOS release with a feature-enablement question, anchor your choice to the configuration guide's 'Before you begin' prerequisites rather than to license marketing tiers. For 5500/8500/5520-class controllers the OfficeExtend prerequisite is the base license, and any option named after the feature itself is almost always the distractor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a dedicated OfficeExtend AP license I must buy for the Cisco 5520?
No. OfficeExtend is a controller feature you enable on supported Aironet AP models once a base license is installed and in use; Cisco sells no separate OEAP license SKU.
Would a Plus or WPlus license be needed instead of the base license for OEAP?
No. Plus and WPlus are capacity/entitlement tiers for the controller; the OEAP prerequisite in the 8.3 configuration guide is the base license.