Wifi 5GHz AP Mode: What does `no IR` means and can I bypass it?

I bought a Intel 7260-ac wifi adapter (support 802.11ac) and want to setup it in AP mode (hotspot) in 802.11ac but it failed.

Then I noticed that iw list shows all 5GHz channels as (no IR) as below:

Frequencies:
* 5180 MHz [36] (16.0 dBm) (no IR)
* 5200 MHz [40] (16.0 dBm) (no IR)
* 5220 MHz [44] (16.0 dBm) (no IR)
* 5240 MHz [48] (16.0 dBm) (no IR)
* 5260 MHz [52] (16.0 dBm) (no IR, radar detection)
DFS state: usable (for 1284 sec)
* 5280 MHz [56] (16.0 dBm) (no IR, radar detection)
DFS state: usable (for 1284 sec)
* 5300 MHz [60] (16.0 dBm) (no IR, radar detection)
DFS state: usable (for 1284 sec)
...

I googled about it and found this: http://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-wireless/msg124066.html saying that "The NO-IR flag then means you cannot use modes of operation that require you to initiate radiation first"

Also, I found that it's related to "world regulatory domain" which restrict some usage in some wireless frequencies, and it's different in some country.

So here's my question: is the no IR restriction set by linux kernel or by hardware? If it's by linux kernel, can I just set it to another country which allows it? (Or a custom configuration if no country allows it?) How?

PS: I'm not sure if it's the right place to ask this question but I don't see where else I can go.. Thanks in advance!

As you correctly noticed, this has to do with the regulatory domain. It is both, set by the hardware (pre-programmed for use in ...) and by the userland (iw / CRDA [Central Regulatory Domain Agent, a udev helper]). The thing is, you can only lessen the spectrum of available channels.

Lookup current RD: iw reg get
set RD: iw reg set <CC> with being the ISO_3166-1_alpha-2 2-character code for the country you want to set.

Explication

Linux allows changing regulatory domains in compliance with regulatory restrictions world wide [...]. In order to achieve this devices always respect their programmed regulatory domain and a country code selection will only enhance regulatory restrictions. [...].

Example

If your device was programmed for operation in the US (which allows operation on channels 1-11 on the 2.4 GHz band) and you visit Japan (which allows operation on channels 1-14) and you change your regulatory domain to JP you will not be able to use channel 12, 13 or 14 (CCK). But if you have a device programmed for operation in Japan and visit the US and you select US as your regulatory domain you will have channel 12-14 disabled.

http://wireless.kernel.org/en/developers/Regulatory/CRDA#Using_iw_to_change_regulatory_domains

To bypass regulatory restrictions enforced by your hardware, and according you have good reasons to do that, you can patch your driver. I recently wrote a post about that regarding Atheros chipsets.