Introduction to Cisco's Aironet Line of Wireless APs
Cisco's popular Aironet family of wireless access points (APs) has evolved in concert with wireless technology and has continually offered enhancements in speed, capacity, coverage, data protection, manageability and reliability. Modern Aironet Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points support up to 400 clients each and deliver transfer rates of more than 5 gigabits/sec. Networks of Aironet access points implemented with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure design model enable you to build multi-location wireless LANs with 18,000 APs supporting up to 64,000 clients, all under centralized management. Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi experts offer remote or onsite consulting and debugging support to assist you to plan, deploy, upgrade, tune, manage and debug Aironet wireless environments of any size, indoors or outside.
Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi network infrastructure experts can provide online or on-premises configuration and troubleshooting support to assist you to design, implement, upgrade, tune, administer and troubleshoot Aironet wireless access point deployments of any size or architecture. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also help you to integrate your Wi-Fi environment with your wired network and cloud-based resources to build a seamless enterprise connectivity foundation that is easy to manage and scale. Progent also offers affordable Wi-Fi site surveys to help you to determine the most efficient selection, placement and setup of Aironet Wi-Fi APs to work with your unique workplace layout, building structure, and expected network traffic.
Cisco Aironet Wave 2 Indoor Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Wave 2 Wireless APs offer substantial improvements compared to the initial releases of 802.11ac devices, known as Wave 1. Enhancements include 2.34 Gbps rather than 1.3 Gbps data rate in the 5 GHz band, multi-user MIMO for transmitting data to multiple devices simultaneously, better coverage and scale, and the ability to utilize 160-MHz-wide channels and/or a fourth spatial stream to enhance performance and support more features. For high-density Wi-Fi environments, nearly all Aironet Wave 2 wireless APs support the Cisco Mobility Express solution, which permits 50 to 100 APs to be configured rapidly without requiring a Cisco Wi-Fi controller. Progent can assist your organization to evaluate the business benefits of replacing your Wave 1 or older Aironet wireless APs and can also assist you to design, implement and manage a Wave 2 Aironet Wi-Fi access point network that delivers maximum business value.
The Cisco Aironet 1810W Series Wi-Fi APs are compact Wave 2 wall-plate-mountable access points designed for use in hospitality venues like hotels and cruise ships. Cisco's Aironet 1810W features Dual 2.4 and 5 GHz transceivers and a Bluetooth radio, features 2x2 multi-user MIMO with two spatial streams, and supports an aggregate data transfer rate of 867-Mbps and a max user count of 400. Cisco's Aironet 1810W comes with three local Gigabit Ethernet connections including one with PoE Out for supporting a device such as a VoIP phone, printer or surveillance camera. Cisco's Aironet 1818 adds a 10/100/1000BASE-T PoE uplink port and a pass-through RJ-45 connection. Cisco's Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series access point is a Wave 2 802.11ac device that includes a mounting cradle and is designed to deliver secure Wi-Fi access for remote workers and small office employees. The Aironet 1810W Series OfficeExtend Access Point needs to be attached to a remote wireless network controller, which allows easy unified management of policies and eliminates the need for setting up home or branch-office firewalls. Cisco's Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series offers the same throughput and I/O ports as the Aironet 1810W Wireless AP.
The Cisco Aironet 1815 Series Wi-Fi APs are low-cost, compact Wave 2 devices designed for small and mid-size companies. The 1815 series is made up of four versions which address distinct usage scenarios. The Cisco 1815i Wi-Fi AP offers versatile options for wall or ceiling mount. Cisco's 1815w wireless AP is a desktop unit. Cisco's 1815t Wi-Fi AP includes three GE ports to support telecommuters or workers in a small branch office; and the Cisco 1815m Wi-Fi AP offers extra transmission energy for greater coverage. All products in the 1815 Wi-Fi Access Point series feature dual radios (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and 2x2 MU-MIMO with two spatial streams. All but the 1815t wireless AP can be managed with Cisco Mobility Express software. Only the 1815t Wi-Fi access point supports OfficeExtend. Each 1815 Series wireless AP delivers an aggregate data rate of 1 Gbps and can handle up to 400 Wi-Fi clients. All versions except the 1815t feature a BLE radio, and only the 1815t has a USB port and has the option of Power over Ethernet (PoE) or AC/DC power.
Cisco's Aironet 1830 Series Wi-Fi AP is designed for small and medium-size networks and includes 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios, features 3x3 MU-MIMO with two spatial streams, includes a 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-4 port with Power over Ethernet, delivers an aggregate data transfer rate of 867-Mbps on the 5-Ghz radio, and can handle a maximum of 400 users. The 1830 Series Wi-Fi access point also supports a BLE radio via a USB dongle. The Bluetooth radio can be used for applications like navigation, proximity marketing, and asset tracking.
The Cisco Aironet 1850i Wi-Fi AP is designed for small and medium-sized companies and features 4x4 MU-MIMO supporting up to four spatial streams (when in single-user MIMO mode, three spatial streams in multiuser mode), includes a GigE PoE port, a GE interface for link aggregation, and an RJ-45 management console connection. The Aironet 1850i Wi-Fi AP delivers a total aggregate dual-radio data rate of 2.0 gigabits/sec and a maximum user count of 400. A BLE radio can be attached to the 1850i Series wireless AP by using a USB dongle.
The Aironet 2800 Series Wi-Fi AP is designed for large enterprises and can maximize throughput by dynamically designating its dual radios as one 2.4 and one 5 GHz radio or as two 5 GHz radios, which can support aggregate throughput up to 5 Gbps. The Cisco Aironet 2800 wireless AP features 4x4 MU-MIMO technology with up to three spatial streams and can handle up to 400 Wi-Fi users. A second antenna connector is included for difficult sites such as high-ceiling halls, libraries and cafeterias. The Cisco 2800 Wi-Fi access point includes two GE ports and an RJ-45 management console interface. A BLE radio can be added via a USB dongle.
The Cisco Aironet 3800 Wave 2 Wi-Fi APs are designed for high-density sites like large offices or warehouses. The Aironet 3800 has three different antenna options. The 3800i comes with internal antennas, the 3800e has external antennas, and the 3800p offers high-power external antennas to handle high-density indoor scenarios like arenas and convention centers. All 3800 series Wi-Fi access points support 4x4 MU-MIMO with three spatial streams, and their dual radios can operate in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz 802.11ac mode. Aggregate performance can be up to 5.2 gigabits/sec in Dual 5-GHz mode. Cisco's Aironet 3800 Wi-Fi AP can handle as many as 400 clients and has two 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet interfaces, one 100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 auxiliary port, and an RJ-45 management console interface.
The Cisco Aironet 4800 Wi-Fi AP, intended for large enterprises in need of high throughput and hardened security, is the top of the line of Cisco's Aironet family, incorporating dual 2.4 and 5 GHz or dual 5 GHz radios and 4x4 multi-user MIMO supporting three spatial streams. The Cisco 4800 wireless access point can serve up to 400 users. The device comes with two Multigigabit Ethernet ports, one RJ-45 management console port, and a Bluetooth Low Energy radio. By having a fourth radio, Cisco's 4800 Wi-Fi AP can distribute core Aironet operations to more radios so they can run concurrently. These key functions include built-in Flexible Radio Assignment, Hyperlocation, and BLE. The Cisco 4800 Wi-Fi AP's fourth radio adds advanced security and deep analytics for throughput and location. Using four radios also makes it possible for the two Wi-Fi radios with Flexible Radio Assignment to run in 5 GHz client serving mode, supporting 5.2 Gbps Wi-Fi data rates and expanding user capacity.
Cisco Aironet Wave 1 802.11ac Indoor Wireless Access Points
The Wi-Fi 802.11ac specification works in the 5-GHz band, utilizes 80-MHz channels for higher throughput, and allows Wi-Fi radios to utilize spectrum more efficiently, transmit data faster, and surrender spectrum more rapidly than previous standards. This improves performance, mitigation, scalability, and roaming for high-concentration Wi-Fi deployments. Although the 802.11ac specification was accepted at the start of 2014, Cisco designed crossover Aironet 802.11ac access points prior to that. These transitional devices deliver many of the major advantages of the 802.11ac standard and Cisco refers to them as Wave 1 APs. Cisco's Wave 1 dual-band Aironet APs incorporate 2.4 GHz radios to communicate with earlier generation Wi-Fi clients.
Cisco's entry-level Aironet 1700 Series is a value-priced Wi-Fi AP that supports 802.11ac Wave 1 technology, features 3x3 multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) with two spatial streams, delivers a maximum connection speed of 867 Mbps, and can serve up to 200 client devices. The Aironet 2700 Series is a wall-mountable Wi-Fi AP designed for midsize or large enterprises and is offered with four internal or external antennas. The 2700 Series Wi-Fi AP has a 3x4 MIMO radio with three spatial streams, delivers a top connection speed of 1.3 Gbps, and supports up to 200 802.11ac clients and 128 802.11n clients. The Cisco Aironet 3700 Series wireless access points are wall-mountable devices offered with an internal antenna, an external antenna, or in a special Aironet 3700p version with a narrow-beam, high-gain antenna. The Cisco 3700 Series wireless AP features a 4x4 MIMO design with three spatial streams and supports a maximum connection speed of 1.3 Gbps. The modular construction of the 3700 Series wireless AP accepts Cisco's Wireless Security module and Cisco's 3G Small Cells module.
Aironet 802.11n Indoor Wi-Fi Access Point
The 802.11n standard made it practical for people to use Wi-Fi as their main LAN connection, delivering 390 Mbps throughput and single-user MIMO in the 2.4/5 GHz bands. Cisco offers a catalog of Wi-Fi access points based on this widely used wireless technology. Progent can provide remote and onsite consulting and debugging expertise for Cisco's current line of 802.11n Wi-Fi APs and for legacy Aironet APs, and Progent can assist your organization to assess the benefit to your company of moving from your older AP infrastructure to the current generation of 802.11ac wireless access points.
The Aironet 700W Series Wi-Fi access point is an 802.11n unit 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 features 2x2 MIMO and two spatial streams, can handle 100 wireless users, comes with four 10/100/1000BASE-T ports (one with Power over Ethernet), and delivers data rates of up to 300 Mbps. The Cisco Aironet 1600 Series is a value-priced wireless AP intended for small companies and includes 802.11n 3x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, can handle 128 Wi-Fi clients, and delivers throughput up to 300 Mbps. Cisco's Aironet 2600 Series Wi-Fi AP is intended for high-density sites and includes 802.11n 3x4 MIMO with three spatial streams, serves 200 wireless clients, and delivers data rates up to 450 Mbps.
Aironet Outdoor and Industrial Wi-Fi APs
Cisco's Aironet family of wireless APs includes Wave 2, Wave 1, and 802.11a/b/g/n units intended to be installed in outdoor environments that can range from campuses to harsh industrial environments like transportation, mining, or oil and gas. Progent can help you to select, deploy and manage Cisco Aironet outdoor and ruggedized Wi-Fi APs to fit your functional needs and budget. Progent's cybersecurity consultants can also assist your organization to specify and enforce security policies for your outdoor wireless infrastructure or test and validate the security profile of your Aironet wireless APs.
The Cisco Aironet 1530 Series outdoor 802.11b/g/n wireless APs are Wave 1 dual-radio, carrier-grade devices offered in an IP67-compliant enclosure resistant to dust particles, humidity, shock and temperature extremes. The Wi-Fi APs have a GbE port and a GbE WAN uplink port and deliver performance as high as 300 Mbps. Cisco's Aironet 1530I includes built-in antennas and has 3x3:2 MIMO (multiple input multiple output) technology with three spatial streams on the 2.4 GHz radio and 2x3 MIMO with two spatial streams on the 5GHz radio. The Aironet 1530E outdoor wireless AP supports 2x2 MIMO and two spatial streams on both radios and comes with software-configurable dual-band or single-band external antennas.
The Aironet 1540 Series outdoor wireless access point is a Wave 2 device that provides data rates of up to 867-Mbps on the 5 GHz radio. This enables a total dual-radio data rate of up to 1.1 Gbps. The 1540 wireless AP includes 2x2 MU-MIMO technology and supports up to two spatial streams. For networks with a maximum of 50 wireless APs, you can use Cisco Mobility Express Solution control software for rapid and simple deployment without requiring a Cisco wireless Wi-Fi controller. Among the smallest footprint outdoor Wi-Fi access points with internal antennas, the 1540 access point is offered with either a directional or a semi-omni directional antenna, giving you versatility in selecting antenna patterns appropriate for handling different RF conditions.
Cisco's Aironet 1552S outdoor/industrial Wi-Fi AP is engineered for hazardous sites such as refineries or chemical plants and has a built-in ISA100-standard backbone router to communicate with wireless sensor networks, providing an all-in-one package for Wi-Fi client support and access to sensors. Cisco's Aironet 1552WU comes in a Div 2/Zone 2 hazardous location-compliant body, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers performance of up to 300 Mbps, and provides a GbE connection, a 10/100/1000 BaseT connection, and a fiber Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (SP) uplink port. The Cisco Aironet 1552WU Wi-Fi access point is engineered for dangerous environments and includes a built-in WirelessHART gateway for connecting wirelessly with industrial sensors. Cisco's Aironet 1552WU wireless AP comes in a hazardous location-compliant enclosure, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers performance as high as 300 Mbps, and provides Gigabit Ethernet and 10/100/1000 BaseT uplink options.
Cisco Aironet 1562 series outdoor Wi-Fi access points come with three antenna choices to match different usage conditions. The high-throughput 1562I wireless AP has internal omnidirectional antennas for conventional scenarios such as a school campus. The 1562E has powerful external omni antennas for environments such as outdoor warehouses or shopping malls where customers can configure the required coverage. The Aironet 1562D wireless AP has an integrated directional antenna suitable for high-density sites or for environments that need wireless bridging such as parks or sports stadiums. All three 1562 versions can handle up to 400 clients, offer 48 VDC and Power-over-Ethernet power, and feature fiber Small-Form-Factor Pluggable optics and cable modem backhaul. The 1562E and 1562D units incorporate 2x2 MU-MIMO technology with 2 spatial streams and deliver performance as high as 867 Mbps. The 1562I features 3x3 MU-MIMO with 3 spatial streams and supports performance as high as 1,300 Mbps.
Cisco's Aironet 1570 Series is an enterprise and carrier-class wireless AP that was at one time the fastest outdoor Wi-Fi access point available. The 1570 includes internal or external antennas, supports 4x4 MIMO with three spatial streams, delivers data rates of up to 1.3 Gbps, and has Fiber/SFP, GE, and Cable Modem uplink interfaces. Versions include the Aironet 1572EAC with an external antenna with AC-power, the Aironet 1572IC with integrated antennas with cable modem, and the Aironet 1572EC which has an external antenna with cable modem.
The Aironet Industrial Wireless 3700 (IW3700) Series is the first industrial/outdoor wireless AP to offer 4x4 MIMO technology with three spatial streams plus beamforming. The Aironet 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, delivers over-the-air data speeds of up to 1.3 Gbps, and supports up to 200 Wi-Fi clients.
Legacy Aironet Wi-Fi Access Points Supported by Progent
The remarkable improvements in Wi-Fi throughput and capacity enabled by 802.11ac technology, coupled with the proliferation of BYOD users running high-bandwidth apps with HD video, has rendered earlier families of wireless infrastructure devices out of date. Even though many companies run Wi-Fi workloads that are reasonably supported by legacy 802.11n environments, the fact that end-of-life Wi-Fi infrastructure products like APs have reached, or are soon to reach, end-of-life status can have important implications for compliance, the continued access to technical assistance, and the challenge of downstream expansion.
Progent's Cisco-certified Wi-Fi solutions consultants offer advanced consulting services to assist organizations of any size manage and support their legacy Aironet solution, assess the potential advantages for upgrading to the latest generation of Aironet APs, and design an affordable strategy to migrate seamlessly to a cohesive Wi-Fi solution that delivers the speed. performance, protection, manageability and reliability required of a modern Wi-Fi ecosystem. Some of legacy Aironet APs for which Progent can provide online and onsite expertise include:
Aironet 1000 or 1130AG Series access points are designed for offices and other locations which have minimal environmental variability. These products include integrated antennas that offer dependable radio coverage profiles. The Aironet 1130G family product is intended for restricted domains that do not allow 802.11a transmission.
Cisco Aironet 1230AG or 1240AG family access points are intended for more problematic radio frequency environments like factories or above suspended ceilings which often require flexible external antennas and durable enclosures. The Cisco Aironet 1240G Series product is designed for controlled domains that do not permit 5GHz operation.
Aironet 1500 family lightweight outside mesh LAN access points provide an affordable, scalable, protected outdoor wireless network mechanism for enterprise campuses and for public sites that require connectivity for portable phones or computers.
Cisco's Aironet 600 OfficeExtend Series wireless access point is an 802.11n unit intended for home workers. The Cisco Aironet 600 Wi-Fi AP features a dual 2.4/5 GHz radio, uses 2x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, supports up to 15 Wi-Fi users, and delivers data rates as high as 300 Mbps.
How Progent Can Assist You with Aironet Wi-Fi APs
Progent offers affordable online or onsite help from a certified CCIE network infrastructure expert to assist your organization to plan, install, manage, optimize, update or troubleshoot a Wi-Fi network that incorporates Cisco's Aironet wireless access points. Progent can assist you maintain legacy Aironet APs or move smoothly to Cisco's latest generation of Wave 2 Wi-Fi APs based on the 802.11ac specification. Progent's certified Cisco Wi-Fi controller consultants can assist you to determine whether your Wi-Fi deployment calls for Cisco wireless controller appliances or can be configured and maintained with software-based tools such as Cisco Mobility Express.
Progent's remote and on-premises Wi-Fi site surveys can assist your organization to determine the most appropriate selection and location of Aironet wireless APs to support your client density, offer the RF coverage you require, and deal with your critical applications. Progent's certified network security experts can help you to design, deploy and validate a security and compliance strategy that covers network policies, remote network monitoring, and streamlined management. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity consultants can help your organization to incorporate fault-tolerance and recoverability into your Cisco product deployments to maximize the uptime of your seamless wired/wireless infrastructure.
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