RF Protect is a feature that enables wireless intrusion detection and prevention system (WIDS/WIPS) capabilities on AOS 8-based solutions. WIDS/WIPS allows detecting and mitigating rogue APs, unauthorized clients, and other wireless threats. RF Protect requires RF Protect licenses to be installed and WIDS to be enabled on the Mobility Master (MM).

To use the built-in capabilities of APs for WIDS/WIPS, without deploying dedicated air monitors (AMs), admins need to set at least one radio on each AP to air monitor mode. Air monitor mode allows the AP to scan the wireless spectrum and report any wireless activity or anomalies to the MM. Air monitor mode does not affect the other radio on the AP, which can still serve clients in access mode. By setting at least one radio on each AP to air monitor mode, admins can achieve full coverage and visibility of the wireless environment and detect rogue APs.

If admins do not set any radio on the APs to air monitor mode, the APs will not scan the wireless spectrum or report any wireless activity or anomalies to the MM. This means that the APs will not be able to detect rogue APs, even if they are connected to the same network. Therefore, admins should check whether they have set at least one radio on each AP to air monitor mode.