Overview of Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's popular Aironet line of Wi-Fi access points (APs) has developed in step with Wi-Fi technology and has steadily delivered improvements in speed, capacity, coverage, security, manageability and reliability. Current Aironet Wave 2 wireless APs support as many as 400 users each and deliver transfer rates of more than 5 gigabits/sec. Deployments of Aironet APs implemented with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure design model enable you to build multi-location Wi-Fi networks with up to 18,000 APs supporting up to 64,000 users, all under unified management. Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi consultants offer remote or onsite consulting and troubleshooting services to help your organization to plan, install, upgrade, tune, monitor and troubleshoot Aironet Wi-Fi deployments of any size, indoors or outside.
Progent's Cisco CCIE Wi-Fi infrastructure experts offer online or onsite configuration and debugging support to help your organization to design, configure, update, tune, manage and troubleshoot Aironet wireless access point deployments of any scale or topology. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also assist you to integrate your wireless environment with your wired network and cloud-based resources to create a seamless enterprise connectivity foundation that is easy to administer and expand. Progent also offers affordable wireless site surveys to assist you to decide the most appropriate selection, location and configuration of Aironet wireless APs to accommodate your specific office design, building structure, and expected workloads.
Cisco Aironet Wave 2 Indoor Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Wave 2 Wi-Fi APs feature significant enhancements compared to the initial generation of 802.11ac products, known as Wave 1. Improvements include 2.34 Gbps rather than 1.3 Gbps in the 5 GHz band, multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) for transmitting data to multiple devices at the same time, better signal coverage and scale, and the ability to use 160-MHz-wide channels and/or a fourth spatial stream to enhance throughput and support more functionlity. For concentrated wireless environments, almost all Aironet Wave 2 wireless APs work with Cisco Mobility Express, which permits 50 to 100 access points to be deployed quickly without requiring a Cisco wireless controller appliance. Progent can help your organization to evaluate the business benefits of upgrading your Wave 1 or older Aironet Wi-Fi access points and can also help you to plan, implement and administer a Wave 2 Aironet wireless AP solution that delivers maximum business value.
Cisco's Aironet 1810W Series Wi-Fi access points are compact Wave 2 wall-plate-mountable APs intended for deployment in hospitality venues like hotels and cruise ships. The Cisco Aironet 1810W features Dual 2.4 and 5 GHz radios and a Bluetooth radio, incorporates 2x2 MU-MIMO with two spatial streams, and delivers a combined data transfer rate of 867-Mbps and a maximum client count of 400. The Aironet 1810W comes with three local GB Ethernet connections including one with Power over Ethernet Out for supporting an appliance like an IP handset, printer or surveillance camera. The Cisco Aironet 1818 adds a 10/100/1000BASE-T Power over Ethernet uplink interface and a pass-through RJ-45 connection. The Cisco Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series AP is a Wave 2 802.11ac device that features a mounting cradle and is designed to deliver safe wireless connectivity for telecommuters and small office workers. Cisco's Aironet 1810W Series OfficeExtend AP needs to be attached to a remote Wi-Fi network controller, which allows easy unified management of policies and eliminates the hassle of overseeing home-based or branch-office firewalls. Cisco's Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series offers the same throughput and interfaces as the Aironet 1810W Wi-Fi AP.
Cisco's Aironet 1815 Series Wi-Fi APs are value-priced, low-profile Wave 2 devices intended for small and medium-size companies. The series includes four models which address different usage scenarios. Cisco's 1815i Wi-Fi access point offers flexible alternatives for wall or ceiling mount. The 1815w Wi-Fi access point is a desktop device. The Cisco 1815t wireless access point includes three GE ports to support telecommuters or workers in a small branch office; and Cisco's 1815m Wi-Fi AP features stronger transmit energy for greater signal coverage. All products in the 1815 Wireless Access Point series include two radios (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and 2x2 MU-MIMO technology with two spatial streams. All but the 1815t Wi-Fi AP can be administered with Cisco Mobility Express. Only the 1815t Wi-Fi AP supports OfficeExtend. Each 1815 Series wireless AP delivers an aggregate data transfer rate of 1 gigabit/sec and can support a maximum of 400 Wi-Fi clients. All versions except the 1815t include a Bluetooth Low Energy radio, and only the 1815t includes a USB interface and offers the option of Power over Ethernet (PoE) or AC/DC power.
Cisco's Aironet 1830 Series Wi-Fi access point is intended for small and mid-size 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 an aggregate data rate of up to 867-Mbps on the 5-Ghz radio, and can support up to 400 clients. Cisco's 1830 Series wireless access point also supports a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio via a USB dongle. The Bluetooth radio can be used for navigation, proximity marketing, and asset tracking.
The Cisco Aironet 1850i wireless AP is designed for small and mid-sized businesses and features 4x4 MU-MIMO technology with up to four spatial streams (when in single-user MIMO mode, three in multiuser mode), incorporates a GigE PoE port, a Gigabit Ethernet port for link aggregation, and an RJ-45 management console connection. Cisco's Aironet 1850i wireless access point delivers a maximum aggregate dual-radio data rate of 2 gigabits/sec and a maximum user count of 400. A Bluetooth radio can be attached to the 1850i Series wireless AP via a USB dongle.
Cisco's Aironet 2800 Series wireless AP is intended for large companies 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, delivering combined data rates as high as 5 Gbps. The Cisco Aironet 2800 Wi-Fi AP features 4x4 multi-user MIMO technology with up to three spatial streams and can handle as many as 400 Wi-Fi clients. A second antenna connector accommodates challenging environments like high-ceiling auditoriums, libraries and eating areas. The Cisco 2800 Wi-Fi AP includes two GE interfaces and an RJ-45 management console interface. A BLE radio can be connected by using a USB dongle.
The Aironet 3800 Wave 2 wireless APs are intended for crowded sites like large offices or warehouses. The Aironet 3800 offers three different antenna options. The 3800i has internal antennas, the 3800e has external antennas, and the 3800p has high-power external antennas to support crowded indoor venues like sports arenas and convention centers. All 3800 series wireless APs support 4x4 multi-user MIMO supporting 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 throughput can be as high as 5.2 Gbps in Dual 5-GHz 802.11ac mode. Cisco's Aironet 3800 Wi-Fi AP can serve as many as 400 users and has two 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet ports, one 100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 auxiliary port, and an RJ-45 management console interface.
Cisco's Aironet 4800 Wi-Fi access point, designed for large enterprises requiring high throughput and advanced security, is the top of the line of the Aironet family, incorporating dual 2.4/5 GHz or dual 5 GHz radios and 4x4 MU-MIMO with three spatial streams. The Cisco 4800 Wi-Fi AP can serve as many as 400 users. The device comes with two Multigigabit ports, one RJ-45 management console interface, and a Bluetooth Low Energy radio. By including a fourth radio, The Cisco 4800 Wi-Fi access point can distribute key Aironet operations to more radios so they can execute simultaneously. These key functions include built-in Flexible Radio Assignment, Hyperlocation, and BLE. Cisco's 4800 wireless access point's fourth radio adds advanced security and deep analytics for performance and location. Having four radios also enables the two Wi-Fi radios with Flexible Radio Assignment to operate in 5 GHz client serving mode, delivering 5.2 Gbps wireless throughput and expanding client capacity.
Cisco Aironet Wave 1 Indoor Wireless APs
The Wi-Fi 802.11ac specification works exclusively in the 5-GHz band, uses 80-MHz channels for higher throughput, and enables Wi-Fi radios to use spectrum more efficiently, transmit data faster, and relinquish spectrum more quickly than previous standards. This improves performance, mitigation, scalability, and hand-offs for high-concentration wireless networks. Even though the 802.11ac standard was accepted at the start of 2014, Cisco designed crossover Aironet 802.11ac access points prior to that. These crossover products deliver many of the major advantages of the 802.11ac standard and Cisco refers to them as Wave 1 access points. Cisco's Wave 1 dual-band Aironet access points incorporate 2.4 GHz radios to communicate with legacy client devices.
Cisco's entry-level Aironet 1700 Series is an economical Wi-Fi AP that supports 802.11ac Wave 1 technology, features 3x3 multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) equalization 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 enterprises and is offered with four internal or external antennas. The 2700 Series wireless access point has a 3x4 MIMO radio with three spatial streams, has a top connection speed of 1.3 Gbps, and supports 200 802.11ac clients and up to 128 802.11n users. Cisco's Aironet 3700 Series Wi-Fi APs are wall-mountable units available with an internal antenna, an external antenna, or in a special Aironet 3700p model with a narrow-beam, high-gain antenna. Cisco's 3700 Series Wi-Fi AP has a 4x4 MIMO design with three spatial streams and delivers a top connection rate of 1.3 Gbps. The modular design of the 3700 Series Wi-Fi access point accepts Cisco's Wireless Security add-on module and Cisco's 3G Small Cells module.
Aironet 802.11n Indoor Wi-Fi AP
The 802.11n standard made it practical for people to rely on Wi-Fi as their main LAN connection, delivering 390 Mbps data rates and single-user MIMO (multiple input multiple output) in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Cisco offers a catalog of wireless APs based on this popular Wi-Fi technology. Progent can provide remote and onsite consulting and troubleshooting expertise for Cisco's current 802.11n wireless APs and for discontinued Aironet APs, and Progent can assist your organization to determine the benefit to your business of moving from your outdated Wi-Fi infrastructure to Cisco's modern line of 802.11ac Wi-Fi access points.
The Cisco Aironet 700W Series wireless AP is an 802.11n unit intended for multi-dwelling sites like 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 users, comes with four 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet ports (one with PoE), and delivers data rates as high as 300 Mbps. The Aironet 1600 Series is a value-priced wireless AP intended for small and midsize companies and offers 802.11n-based 3x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, can handle 128 Wi-Fi users, and delivers throughput as high as 300 Mbps. The Cisco Aironet 2600 Series wireless access point is designed for dense sites and features 802.11n-based 3x4 MIMO with three spatial streams, serves 200 wireless users, and delivers performance as high as 450 Mbps.
Aironet Outdoor and Ruggedized Wi-Fi APs
Cisco's Aironet family of wireless access points includes Wave 2, Wave 1, and 802.11a/b/g/n access points designed to be installed in outdoor environments that range municipalities to severe industrial sites such as transportation, mining, or oil. Progent's Wi-Fi consultants can assist you to select, configure and administer Aironet outdoor and industrial wireless APs to meet your functional requirements and IT budget. Progent's security consultants can also help you to specify and enforce policies for your outside Wi-Fi infrastructure or test the security profile of your Aironet Wi-Fi APs.
Cisco's Aironet 1530 Series outdoor 802.11b/g/n wireless access points are Wave 1 dual-radio, carrier-grade devices available in an IP67-rated body resistant to dust particles, humidity, vibration and temperature extremes. The Wi-Fi APs have a Gigabit Ethernet port and a GE WAN uplink interface and deliver data rates as high as 300 Mbps. The Cisco 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 Cisco Aironet 1530E outdoor Wi-Fi AP supports 2x2 MIMO and two spatial streams on both radios and includes software-configurable dual- or single-band external antennas.
Cisco's Aironet 1540 Series outdoor Wi-Fi access point is a Wave 2 unit that provides performance of up to 867-Mbps on the 5 GHz radio. This enables a total aggregate data rate of up to 1.1 Gbps. The 1540 Wi-Fi access point features 2x2 MU-MIMO and supports two spatial streams. For networks with a maximum of 50 Wi-Fi access points, you can run Cisco Mobility Express Solution for fast and easy deployment without requiring a Cisco wireless Wi-Fi controller appliance. One of the smallest footprint outdoor wireless APs with built-in antennas, the 1540 is available with either a directional or a semi-omni directional antenna, giving you versatility in selecting antenna patterns to match various RF conditions.
The Aironet 1552S outdoor/industrial Wi-Fi AP is designed for dangerous sites such as chemical plants and has a built-in ISA100-compliant backbone router to interface with Wi-Fi sensor networks, offering 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, supports data rates as high as 300 Mbps, and includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 10/100/1000 BaseT port, and a fiber SP uplink interface. The Aironet 1552WU Wi-Fi access point is engineered for dangerous environments and includes a built-in WirelessHART gateway for communicating wirelessly with industrial sensor devices. Cisco's Aironet 1552WU wireless access point is packaged in a hazardous location-certified enclosure, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers performance as high as 300 Mbps, and provides GE and 10/100/1000 BaseT uplink choices.
Cisco Aironet 1562 series outdoor Wi-Fi APs are offered with three antenna choices to match various usage scenarios. The high-performance 1562I wireless AP has internal omnidirectional antennas for general-purpose scenarios such as a school campus. The 1562E includes high-power external omni antennas for sites such as outside warehouses or malls where customers can configure the required coverage. The Cisco Aironet 1562D Wi-Fi AP has an internal directional antenna suitable for high-density venues or for locations that call for wireless bridging such as parks or or concert halls. All three 1562 models can serve a maximum of 400 Wi-Fi clients, offer 48 VDC and Power-over-Ethernet power, and feature fiber Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (SP) optics and cable modem backhaul. The 1562E and 1562D models feature 2x2 MU-MIMO technology with 2 spatial streams and deliver data rates as high as 867 Mbps. The 1562I features 3x3 MU-MIMO technology with 3 spatial streams and delivers data rates of up to 1,300 Mbps.
The Cisco Aironet 1570 Series is an enterprise-class wireless access point that was at one time the fastest outdoor wireless access point on the market. The Aironet 1570 comes with internal or external antennas, incorporates 4x4 MIMO technology with three spatial streams, delivers performance of up to 1.3 Gbps, and has Fiber/SFP, GE, and Cable Modem uplink ports. Models include the Aironet 1572EAC that has an external antenna with AC-power, the Aironet 1572IC which includes integrated antennas with cable modem, and the Aironet 1572EC which has an external antenna with cable modem.
Cisco's 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, provides aggregate data speeds of up to 1.3 Gbps, and serves up to 200 Wi-Fi clients.
Legacy Aironet Wi-Fi APs Supported by Progent
The dramatic improvements in Wi-Fi throughput and capacity enabled by 802.11ac technology, coupled with the proliferation of BYOD clients running high-bandwidth applications with streaming video, has made earlier families of Wi-Fi infrastructure products out of date. Even though many organizations run Wi-Fi workloads that are reasonably supported by legacy 802.11n environments, the fact that end-of-life Wi-Fi infrastructure appliances such as access points 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 future expansion.
Progent's Cisco-certified wireless solutions consultants can provide a full range of consulting support services to help businesses of any size maintain and troubleshoot their legacy Aironet solution, evaluate the possible advantages for upgrading to the newest generation of Aironet access points, and design a budget-friendly strategy to migrate seamlessly to a unified wireless environment that provides the speed. performance, security, manageability and reliability expected of a modern wireless ecosystem. Examples of legacy Aironet APs for which Progent can provide online and on-premises support include:
Aironet 1000 or 1130AG Series APs are intended for conventional workplaces and other venues which have little environmental instability. These products include built-in antennas that provide dependable radio coverage patterns. The Aironet 1130G Series product is engineered for regulated locations that do not allow 802.11a transmission.
Aironet 1230AG/1240AG Series access points are intended for more challenging RF environments such as factories or above suspended ceilings which often call for adjustable external antennas and ruggedized enclosures. The Cisco 1240G family product is intended for controlled domains that do not permit 802.11a operation.
Cisco Aironet 1500 family lightweight outdoor mesh LAN access points offer a cost-effective, scalable, protected outdoor Wi-Fi solution for campus areas and for public venues that require connectivity for portable devices.
Cisco's Aironet 600 OfficeExtend Series wireless access point is an 802.11n unit designed for telecommuters. Cisco's Aironet 600 wireless access point features a dual 2.4/5 GHz radio, uses 2x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, serves a maximum of 15 Wi-Fi clients, and delivers data rates up to 300 Mbps.
How Progent Can Help You with Aironet Wireless APs
Progent offers affordable online or onsite support from a Cisco-certified CCIE network infrastructure expert to help you to design, deploy, manage, tune, upgrade or troubleshoot a Wi-Fi environment that includes Cisco's Aironet Wi-Fi APs. Progent can assist you manage and debug legacy Aironet devices or migrate smoothly to Cisco's latest lineup of Wave 2 Wi-Fi APs based on the 802.11ac specification. Progent's certified Cisco Wi-Fi controller experts can assist you to determine whether your wireless deployment calls for Cisco Wi-Fi controller appliances or can be managed with software-based utilities such as Cisco Mobility Express.
Progent's online and on-premises wireless site surveys can assist you to identify the most efficient selection and location of Cisco Aironet wireless APs to support your client volume, offer the coverage you require, and keep up with your most demanding workloads. Progent's cybersecurity consultants can assist you to design, implement and test a compliant security strategy that covers policy enforcement, remote network monitoring, and centralized management. Progent's disaster preparedness experts and business continuity planning consultants can assist your organization to build availability and recoverability into your Cisco product deployments to maximize the uptime of your converged wired/wireless infrastructure.
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