How it works
From sign-up to a switched estate, step by step.
CloudWLC turns a controller build and a network migration into a guided product experience. Every estate starts the same way: create an account and deploy a controller. Then follow the migration path for the platform you run.
- 01Create
- 02Connect
- 03Import
- 04Switch
1Create
Create your account
Sign up and you land on your server dashboard. The first thing it offers is a guided setup for your first controller, so you are never looking at an empty screen wondering what to do next.
- One account for your organisation
- A guided first-server setup
- Adding another server later is just as easy
Welcome, SarahHarbour Hotels GroupDeploy your first controller
Name it, choose a plan, and we build it. You can add more controllers at any time.
Deploy a controllerAccount createdDeploy controllerStart migration2Create
Deploy a controller
Choose your controller — cnMaestro for Cambium, UniFi Network for UniFi — then a server name and a hosting plan. CloudWLC provisions the server, installs and configures the controller, sets up trusted HTTPS and checks that everything is ready. Your controller gets its own address, such as northstar.cloudwlc.com.
- Provisioning and status shown live in the portal
- A trusted HTTPS certificate, issued for you
- No certificates, virtual-machine consoles or operating-system setup
New controllerDeployingControllercnMaestroUniFi NetworkServer namenorthstarPlanPlus ▾https://northstar.cloudwlc.comServer provisionedController installed and configuredTrusted HTTPS certificate issuedReadiness checksIllustrative example
Migration path · Cambium
Moving from Cambium Cloud, with the CloudWLC extension.
3Connect · Cambium Cloud
Connect the Chrome extension
The portal walks you through installing the CloudWLC extension and pairing it with the controller you are migrating to. Then you sign in to your existing Cambium Cloud account, directly in your own browser.
- Paired to one destination controller, so nothing goes astray
- Sign-in stays with Cambium
- CloudWLC never asks for your Cambium password
cloud.cambiumnetworks.comYour signed-in sessionCloudWLC extensionCollect configurationConnected to
northstar.cloudwlc.comSigned in to Cambium Cloud
in this browser — no password shared4Import · Cambium Cloud
Collect and transfer
The extension collects supported configuration and estate information and sends it directly to your CloudWLC workspace. There is no downloading of configuration files, and no uploading them somewhere else.
- A clear summary of AP groups, WLANs and devices
- Progress you can follow
- Items needing attention are called out
The collector gathers what CloudWLC needs to rebuild your estate on the new controller. It is not a complete backup of every Cambium Cloud feature.
Collection→ northstarReceived12AP groups9WLANs214DevicesCollecting from Cambium CloudCOMPLETESent to your CloudWLC workspaceCOMPLETE1 item needs your attention. WLAN “Events-Guest” has a setting to review before import.Illustrative example
5Import · Cambium Cloud
Populate and verify the new controller
CloudWLC imports your supported WLANs, AP groups and related configuration into the destination controller, checks the dependencies between them, and verifies the controller is ready before migration proceeds.
- What has been prepared, in plain language
- Which devices are included
- No raw configuration files to interpret
Destination preparednorthstarReady to reviewAP groups created12 of 12WLANs created8 of 9Group and WLAN dependenciesCheckedDevices prepared for onboarding214Controller ready to accept devicesVerifiedEvents-Guest · review one setting, then include or leave outReviewIllustrative example
6Switch · Cambium Cloud
Review and switch the estate
In the portal, review the access points you have selected and the new controller address, then choose Switch to CloudWLC. The connected extension uses your signed-in Cambium session to apply the supported management setting that points those access points at the new controller, and the portal reports progress as devices check in.
- A customer-initiated change: nothing moves until you start it
- Switch one site, a group, or everything
- Devices that need a closer look are flagged individually
Keep your browser open and signed in to Cambium while the switch runs. Access points reconnect to their new controller as part of the move, and behaviour can vary by model and firmware — so plan the switch for a quiet period.
Review and switchnorthstarExtension connectedSwitch to CloudWLCAccess points selected
214 across 6 sites
New controller address
northstar.cloudwlc.com
Devices checking in148 / 214148 online 64 in progress 2 to checkIllustrative example
Every platform
7Manage
Manage everything from one place
Back on your account dashboard you see your controller servers, their addresses and status, sites and devices, subscriptions and the actions available. Open a controller, add another server, or start another migration.
- Every controller on one dashboard
- Add a server for a new region or client
- Start the next migration when you're ready
ControllersHarbour Hotels GroupAdd serverOnlineNorthstarcnMaestro
northstar.cloudwlc.com
6 sites · 214 access pointsOpen controller →ProvisioningLakesideUniFi
lakeside.cloudwlc.com
ServerInstallHTTPSChecksOnlineHarbourUniFi
harbour.cloudwlc.com
3 sites · 88 access pointsOpen controller →
Migration path · UniFi
Moving a UniFi controller, with UniFi’s own tools.
UniFi already has dependable backup and site migration built in. CloudWLC gives you the hosted controller to move to, and guides you through each step in the portal.
- 01
Back up
Take a backup or site export from your current UniFi controller — a Cloud Key, a console or your own server. The portal shows you where to find it.
- 02
Restore
Bring your sites into your hosted UniFi Network controller. Sites, WLANs, networks and device records come across together.
- 03
Move devices
Use UniFi's own site migration to point each site's devices at your new controller address. You choose which sites move, and when.
- 04
Verify
Watch devices reconnect, confirm each site is healthy, then retire the old controller. Your account dashboard shows the new controller alongside any others.
Devices reconnect to their new controller as part of the move, so plan each site for a quiet period. Hardware that runs its own built-in controller stays managed where it is.
Before you start
What you need. It isn’t much.
You can create an account and deploy a controller straight away. To migrate, have these to hand.
A login for your current controller
Your Cambium Cloud account, or admin access to your existing UniFi controller. You sign in yourself, in your own browser; CloudWLC never asks for the password.
A compatible estate
Wi-Fi access points on models and firmware supported by the controller you are moving to — for Cambium, cnMaestro On-Premises. The portal flags anything that needs attention.
Google Chrome
For Cambium Cloud migrations, the CloudWLC extension runs in Chrome on a desktop or laptop and stays connected while collection and the switch run.
A time that suits the business
Deploying and importing change nothing on your live network. Only the switch does, and you choose when.
Ready to bring your network to CloudWLC?
The portal opens soon. Reserve your place now and your first hosted controller is a few clicks away on launch day. Your access points stay exactly where they are.
30-day money-back guarantee · No server to install