Wireless Consulting Support

Introduction to Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's popular Aironet family of wireless APs has evolved in concert with Wi-Fi technology and has steadily offered improvements in speed, density, coverage, security, manageability and dependability. Current Aironet Wave 2 wireless APs support as many as 400 users each and deliver transfer rates of more than 5 Gbps. Deployments of Aironet APs implemented with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure design model allow you to set up multi-site Wi-Fi LANs with up to 18,000 APs serving up to 64,000 users, all under single-point management. Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi experts can provide remote or onsite consulting and debugging support to assist your organization to design, install, update, optimize, monitor and debug Aironet Wi-Fi environments of any size, inside or outdoors.

Progent's Cisco CCIE Wi-Fi network experts offer remote or on-premises integration and troubleshooting services to help you to plan, configure, update, optimize, manage and troubleshoot Aironet wireless AP environments of any scale or architecture. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also assist you to combine your Wi-Fi ecosystem with your wired network and cloud-based resources to create an enterprise connectivity solution that is easy to manage and scale. Progent also offers affordable Wi-Fi site surveys to assist you to decide the most appropriate selection, location and setup of Aironet Wi-Fi access points to accommodate your unique office design, construction, and expected network traffic.

Cisco Aironet Wave 2 Indoor Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Wave 2 Wireless APs offer significant enhancements over the initial generation of 802.11ac products, called Wave 1. Improvements include 2.34 Gbps instead of 1.3 Gbps in the 5 GHz band, multi-user MIMO for transmitting data to multiple clients simultaneously, better signal coverage and expandability, and the ability to use 160-MHz-wide channels and/or an additional spatial stream to improve throughput and support more features. For concentrated Wi-Fi environments, nearly all Aironet Wave 2 Wi-Fi APs work with the Cisco Mobility Express solution, which allows 50 to 100 access points to be configured quickly without the help of a Cisco wireless controller appliance. Progent can help you to assess the business advantages of replacing your Wave 1 or legacy Aironet Wi-Fi APs and can also help you to design, implement and manage a Wave 2 Aironet Wi-Fi access point network that maximizes business value.

Cisco's Aironet 1810W Series Wi-Fi access points are compact Wave 2 wall-plate-mountable access points intended for use in multi-dwelling units like hotels and cruise ships. The Aironet 1810W includes Dual 2.4 and 5 GHz transceivers and a Bluetooth radio, incorporates 2x2 MU-MIMO technology with two spatial streams, and delivers a combined transfer rate of 867-Mbps and a maximum user count of 400. Cisco's Aironet 1810W includes three local Gigabit Ethernet connections including one with Power over Ethernet Out for supporting an appliance such as a VoIP handset, printer or surveillance camera. Cisco's Aironet 1818 adds a 10/100/1000BASE-T Power over Ethernet uplink port and a pass-through RJ-45 connection. The Cisco Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series AP is a Wave 2 802.11ac unit that features a mounting cradle and is engineered to provide secure wireless connectivity for telecommuters and branch office employees. Cisco's Aironet 1810W Series OfficeExtend AP must be attached to a remote Wi-Fi network controller, which simplifies unified management of policies and avoids the need for managing home or remote-office firewalls. The Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series features the same performance and interfaces as the Aironet 1810W Wi-Fi access point.

The Cisco Aironet 1815 Series Wi-Fi access points are value-priced, low-profile Wave 2 devices designed for small and medium-size businesses. The 1815 series is made up of four models made for different usage scenarios. Cisco's 1815i wireless access point offers versatile alternatives for wall or ceiling mount. The Cisco 1815w wireless access point is a desktop device. Cisco's 1815t Wi-Fi AP includes three Gigabit Ethernet ports for use by telecommuters or workers in a micro branch office; and the 1815m wireless access point offers extra transmission energy for better coverage. All models in the 1815 Wi-Fi Access Point series include two radios (2.4/5 GHz) and 2x2 MU-MIMO with two spatial streams. All but the 1815t Wi-Fi access point can be managed with Cisco Mobility Express. Only the 1815t Wi-Fi AP works with OfficeExtend. Each 1815 Series Wi-Fi access point offers an aggregate data transfer rate of 1 Gbps and can support up to 400 users. All versions except the 1815t feature a Bluetooth Low Energy radio, and only the 1815t has a USB port and offers the option of Power over Ethernet or AC/DC power.

The Cisco Aironet 1830 Series Wi-Fi AP is designed for small and mid-size wireless networks and includes 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios, features 3x3 multi-user MIMO supporting two spatial streams, includes a 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-4 port with Power over Ethernet (PoE), delivers a combined data transfer rate of up to 867-Mbps on the 5-Ghz radio, and can support up to 400 users. The 1830 Series wireless access point also accepts a BLE radio via a USB dongle. The BLE radio can be used for applications like navigation, proximity marketing, and asset tracking.

Cisco's Aironet 1850i wireless access point is designed for small and medium-sized businesses and features 4x4 MU-MIMO technology with up to four spatial streams (when in single-user MIMO mode, three spatial streams in MU-MIMO), includes a Gigabit Ethernet Power over Ethernet interface, a GE interface for link aggregation, and an RJ-45 management console connection. The Cisco Aironet 1850i wireless access point supports a total aggregate dual-radio transfer rate of 2.0 Gbps and a max client count of 400. A BLE radio can be added to the 1850i Series wireless access point by means of a USB dongle.

The Cisco Aironet 2800 Series wireless AP is intended for large enterprises and can maximize performance by dynamically designating its dual radios as one 2.4 and one 5 GHz radio or as dual 5 GHz radios, which can support combined data rates as high as 5 Gbps. The Aironet 2800 wireless access point features 4x4 multi-user MIMO supporting up to three spatial streams and can serve as many as 400 Wi-Fi clients. A second antenna interface accommodates difficult sites like high-ceiling halls, libraries and cafeterias. The Cisco 2800 wireless AP includes two GigE interfaces and an RJ-45 management console port. A BLE radio can be added via a USB dongle.

The Cisco Aironet 3800 Wave 2 wireless access points are designed for high-density sites such as large offices or warehouses. The Aironet 3800 offers three antenna options. The 3800i comes with internal antennas, the 3800e has external ones, and the 3800p has high-power external antennas to handle high-density indoor scenarios such as arenas and convention areas. All 3800 series Wi-Fi APs support 4x4 multi-user MIMO technology with three spatial streams, and their two radios can operate in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz 802.11ac mode. Aggregate performance can be as high as 5.2 gigabits/sec in Dual 5-GHz 802.11ac mode. Cisco's Aironet 3800 wireless access point can serve up to 400 Wi-Fi clients and comes with two 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet interfaces, one 100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 auxiliary port, and an RJ-45 management console port.

Cisco's Aironet 4800 wireless AP, intended for large organizations in need of high throughput and advanced security, is the high end of the Aironet family, featuring dual 2.4/5 GHz or dual 5 GHz radios and 4x4 multi-user MIMO radio designs with three spatial streams. The 4800 wireless access point can serve up to 400 clients. The AP includes two Multigigabit ports, one RJ-45 management console interface, and a BLE radio. By including a fourth radio, Cisco's 4800 wireless access point can distribute core Aironet functions across more radios so they can run concurrently. These core functions include built-in Flexible Radio Assignment, Hyperlocation, and BLE. The 4800 Wi-Fi access point's fourth internal radio adds enhanced security and in-depth analytics for throughput and location. Having four radios also enables the two Wi-Fi radios outfitted with Flexible Radio Assignment to operate in 5 GHz client serving mode, supporting 5.2 Gbps wireless throughput and increasing client capacity.

Aironet Wave 1 802.11ac Indoor Wi-Fi Access Points
The 802.11ac standard operates exclusively in the 5-GHz band, utilizes 80-MHz channels for higher throughput, and allows Wi-Fi radios to use spectrum more efficiently, send data faster, and surrender spectrum more rapidly than previous Wi-Fi standards. This optimizes performance, mitigation, expandability, and hand-offs for high-density Wi-Fi deployments. Even though the 802.11ac standard was accepted in the beginning of 2014, Cisco developed transitional Aironet 802.11ac access points prior to that. These crossover devices offer many of the major benefits of 802.11ac technology and Cisco has branded them Wave 1 access points. Cisco's Wave 1 dual-band Aironet APs include 2.4 GHz radios to accommodate legacy client devices.

Cisco's entry-level Aironet 1700 Series is a value-priced Wi-Fi access point that supports 802.11ac Wave 1 technology, features 3x3 multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) with two spatial streams, supports a maximum connection rate of 867 Mbps, and can handle 200 client devices. The Cisco Aironet 2700 Series is a wall-mountable wireless AP intended for midsize or large organizations and is offered with four internal or external antennas. The 2700 Series Wi-Fi access point has a 3x4 MIMO radio design with three spatial streams, delivers a maximum connection speed of 1.3 Gbps, and supports up to 200 802.11ac client devices and 128 802.11n users. The Aironet 3700 Series Wi-Fi access points are wall-mountable devices available with an internal antenna, an external antenna, or in a special Aironet 3700p model with a narrow-beam, high-gain antenna. The 3700 Series Wi-Fi access point has a 4x4 MIMO design with three spatial streams and supports a top connection speed of 1.3 Gbps. The modular design of the 3700 Series Wi-Fi AP supports Cisco's Wireless Security add-on module and the 3G Small Cells module.

Cisco Aironet 802.11n Indoor wireless Access Point
The 802.11n standard made it practical for people to use Wi-Fi as their day-to-day network connection, delivering 390 Mbps throughput and single-user MIMO in the 2.4/5 GHz bands. Cisco offers an extensive portfolio of wireless APs based on this widely used Wi-Fi technology. Progent offers remote and on-premises consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco's current 802.11n Wi-Fi APs as well as discontinued Aironet devices, and Progent's consultants can assist your organization to assess the value to your company of upgrading from your outdated AP environment to the new generation of 802.11ac Wi-Fi access points.

The Aironet 700W Series Wi-Fi access point is an 802.11n device designed for multi-dwelling environments such as college dorms or hotels and can be installed on a wall junction box. The dual-radio Aironet 700W has 2x2 MIMO and two spatial streams, supports 100 wireless clients, includes four 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet ports (one with PoE), and offers data rates of up to 300 Mbps. Cisco's Aironet 1600 Series is an entry-level wireless access point intended for small and midsize organizations and includes 802.11n-based 3x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, can support 128 Wi-Fi users, and delivers data rates up to 300 Mbps. The Aironet 2600 Series wireless AP is intended for dense sites and features 802.11n 3x4 MIMO with three spatial streams, supports 200 wireless clients, and delivers performance up to 450 Mbps.

Cisco Aironet Outdoor and Industrial Wi-Fi Access Points
Cisco's Aironet line of wireless APs includes Wave 2, Wave 1, and 802.11a/b/g/n access points designed to be installed in outdoor environments that can range from campuses to extreme industrial environments such as transportation, mining, or gas. Progent can assist your organization to select, configure and manage Cisco Aironet outdoor and ruggedized wireless APs to meet your functional needs and IT budget. Progent's security experts can also help your organization to define and implement security policies for your outdoor Wi-Fi infrastructure or test the security profile of your Aironet Wi-Fi APs.

The Cisco Aironet 1530 Series outdoor 802.11b/g/n wireless access points are Wave 1 dual-radio, carrier-grade units available in an IP67-compliant body to withstand dust particles, humidity, vibration and temperature extremes. The Wi-Fi access points have a Gigabit Ethernet port and a GbE WAN uplink port and deliver data rates as high as 300 Mbps. Cisco's Aironet 1530I includes integrated antennas and has 3x3:2 MIMO (multiple input multiple output) with three spatial streams on the 2.4 GHz radio and 2x3 MIMO with two spatial streams on the 5GHz radio. The Cisco Aironet 1530E outdoor Wi-Fi access point offers 2x2 MIMO and two spatial streams on both radios and includes software-configurable dual-band or single-band external antennas.

The Aironet 1540 Series outdoor Wi-Fi access point is a Wave 2 unit that supports data rates of up to 867-Mbps on the 5 GHz radio. This enables an aggregate dual-radio data rate of 1.1 Gbps. The 1540 wireless AP features 2x2 MU-MIMO and allows up to two spatial streams. For small to midsize networks with a maximum of 50 wireless access points, you can use Cisco Mobility Express Solution for fast and easy configuration without requiring a Cisco wireless Wi-Fi controller. Among Cisco's most compact outdoor Wi-Fi APs with built-in antennas, the 1540 is offered with either a directional or a semi-omni directional antenna, providing versatility in selecting antenna patterns to fit different usage scenarios.

The Aironet 1552S outdoor/industrial Wi-Fi AP is designed for hazardous sites like refineries or chemical plants and has an integrated ISA100-standard backbone router to interface with wireless sensor networks, offering an all-in-one solution for wireless client support and connectivity to sensors. Cisco's Aironet 1552WU comes in a Class 1 Div 2/Zone 2 hazardous location-compliant enclosure, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers performance as high as 300 Mbps, and includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 10/100/1000 BaseT interface, and a fiber Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (SP) uplink connection. The Aironet 1552WU wireless AP is designed for dangerous sites and includes a built-in WirelessHART gateway for connecting wirelessly with industrial sensor equipment. The Aironet 1552WU Wi-Fi access point comes in a hazardous location-compliant body, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers data rates as high as 300 Mbps, and provides GbE and 10/100/1000 BaseT uplink options.

Aironet 1562 model outdoor wireless APs come with three antenna options to meet various usage scenarios. The high-performance 1562I wireless access point has internal omnidirectional antennas for general-purpose venues like a college campus. The 1562E includes high-power external omni antennas for sites such as outside warehouses or shopping malls where customers can select the required coverage. The Cisco Aironet 1562D wireless AP features an internal directional antenna suitable for high-density sites or for locations that need wireless bridging such as parks or stadiums. All three 1562 models can serve a maximum of 400 Wi-Fi clients, offer 48 VDC and PoE power, and feature fiber SP optics and cable modem backhaul. The Aironet 1562E and 1562D units incorporate 2x2 MU-MIMO with 2 spatial streams and deliver performance as high as 867 Mbps. The 1562I has 3x3 MU-MIMO technology with 3 spatial streams and supports data rates as high as 1,300 Mbps.

The Cisco Aironet 1570 Series is a carrier-class wireless access point that was at one time the fastest performing outdoor wireless AP available. The 1570 includes internal or external antennas, incorporates 4x4 MIMO technology with three spatial streams, delivers data rates as high as 1.3 Gbps, and has Fiber/SFP, Gigabit Ethernet, and Cable Modem uplink interfaces. Versions include the Aironet 1572EAC with an external antenna with AC-power, the Aironet 1572IC with internal antennas with cable modem, and the Aironet 1572EC which includes an external antenna with cable modem.

The Aironet Industrial Wireless 3700 (IW3700) Series is the first industrial/outdoor wireless AP to offer 4x4 MIMO with three spatial streams plus beamforming. The Wave 1 IW3700 wireless AP has a hardened IP67-rated enclosure, incorporates a dual-band radio compatible with 802.11ac (5 GHz) and 802.11n (2.4 GHz) specifications, provides aggregate data rates as high as 1.3 Gbps, and serves up to 200 users.

Legacy Aironet Wireless Access Points Supported by Progent
The remarkable improvements in Wi-Fi performance and capacity driven by 802.11ac technology, coupled with the proliferation of BYOD users running high-bandwidth apps with streaming video, has made earlier families of wireless infrastructure devices out of date. Even though many companies run Wi-Fi applications that are well served by legacy 802.11n networks, the fact that discontinued wireless infrastructure products such as access points have reached, or are soon to reach, end-of-life status can have serious implications for compliance, the continued access to technical support, and the difficulty of future expansion.

Progent's Cisco-certified Wi-Fi technology consultants offer a full range of consulting support services to assist organizations of any size manage and support their legacy Aironet environment, assess the potential benefits for upgrading to the newest family of Aironet APs, and design an affordable strategy to upgrade seamlessly to a unified Wi-Fi environment that provides the speed. performance, protection, manageability and availability expected of a modern wireless ecosystem. Examples of legacy Aironet access points for which Progent can provide remote and on-premises expertise include:

Aironet 1000/1130AG Series APs are designed for offices and similar locations which have little environmental variability. These access points have built-in antennas that provide dependable radio range profiles. The Cisco 1130G family wireless access point is engineered for controlled locations that do not allow 802.11a/5GHz operation.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family wireless access points are intended for more challenging radio frequency situations such as factories or above suspended ceilings which commonly call for flexible external antennas and rugged metal enclosures. The Cisco Aironet 1240G family product is designed for restricted locations that do not permit 802.11a operation.

Aironet 1500 lightweight outdoor wireless mesh APs offer an affordable, expandable, protected outdoor wireless network mechanism for campus areas and for public venues that require access for mobile devices.

Cisco's Aironet 600 OfficeExtend Series wireless access point is an 802.11n device designed for telecommuters. Cisco's Aironet 600 wireless AP includes a dual 2.4/5 GHz radio, uses 2x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, supports a maximum of 15 wireless clients, and provides data rates as high as 300 Mbps.

How Progent Can Help You with Aironet Wireless Access Points
Progent can provide cost-effective online or onsite support from a certified CCIE network expert to help your organization to plan, install, manage, optimize, upgrade or repair a wireless environment that incorporates Cisco's Aironet Wi-Fi APs. Progent can help you maintain legacy Aironet devices or move smoothly to Cisco's current lineup of Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points based on the 802.11ac specification. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller consultants can assist you to determine whether your Wi-Fi deployment should include Cisco Wi-Fi controller appliances or can be managed with software tools like Cisco Mobility Express.

Progent's online and onsite Wi-Fi site surveys can help your organization to identify the most appropriate selection and placement of Cisco Aironet wireless APs to support your client density, provide the coverage you require, and deal with your most demanding applications. Progent's certified cybersecurity consultants can assist your organization to plan, implement and validate a security and compliance strategy that includes policy enforcement, remote network and endpoint monitoring, and centralized management. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity experts can help you to incorporate availability and recoverability into your Cisco product deployments to maximize the productivity of your converged wired/wireless network infrastructure.

To learn about Progent's other consulting and troubleshooting services for Cisco products, select a topic:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Support
• Fast and Affordable Online Assistance from a CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Configuration and Management Support
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Firepower: Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Troubleshooting Assistance
• PIX 500 Firewall Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Consulting Expertise
• Meraki APs Consulting Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP (VoIP) Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Cisco Wireless VoIP Phone Integration
• Cisco Jabber Migration and Support Expertise
• Catalyst Switches Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Nexus Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Meraki Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Cisco Security and VPN Engineering Assistance
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and CUBE Integration Consulting
• Design Solutions for Cisco-based Data Centers
• Network Optimization Consulting for ISPs
• Streamlined Network Management Solutions for Cisco-powered Infrastructure