Wireless Consulting Services

Overview of Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless APs
Cisco's top-selling Aironet family of wireless access points has evolved in concert with wireless technology and has steadily offered enhancements in speed, capacity, coverage, security, manageability and dependability. Modern Aironet Wave 2 wireless access points can handle as many as 400 users per device and can handle data rates in excess of 5 gigabits/sec. Networks of Aironet APs integrated with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure design model enable you to build multi-location wireless networks with up to 18,000 APs supporting as many as 64,000 users, all under centralized management. Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi consultants offer remote or onsite consulting and troubleshooting services to help your organization to design, deploy, upgrade, tune, manage and troubleshoot Aironet wireless environments of any size, inside or outdoors.

Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified wireless network infrastructure experts offer remote or onsite configuration and debugging services to help you to design, configure, upgrade, optimize, administer and debug Aironet Wi-Fi access point environments of any size or topology. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller experts can also help you to integrate your wireless ecosystem with your wired network and cloud-based resources to create an enterprise-wide connectivity solution that is simple to administer and scale. Progent also offers affordable Wi-Fi site surveys to help you to determine the most efficient selection, location and setup of Aironet wireless APs to accommodate your specific office layout, building structure, and anticipated network traffic.

Cisco Aironet Wave 2 Indoor Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Wave 2 Wireless access points offer substantial enhancements compared to the first releases of 802.11ac devices, known as Wave 1. Improvements include up to 2.34 Gbps instead of 1.3 Gbps data rate in the 5 GHz band, multi-user MIMO for transferring data to multiple clients simultaneously, better coverage and scale, and the ability to use 160-MHz-wide channels and/or an additional spatial stream to enhance throughput and support more functionlity. For concentrated wireless environments, almost all Aironet Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points work with the Cisco Mobility Express solution, which permits 50 to 100 APs to be deployed rapidly without requiring a Cisco wireless controller. Progent can help your organization to assess the business benefits of upgrading your Wave 1 or older Aironet Wi-Fi access points and can also help you to design, implement and manage a Wave 2 Aironet Wi-Fi AP network that delivers maximum business value.

The Aironet 1810W Series Wi-Fi APs are low-profile Wave 2 wall-plate-mountable APs intended for deployment in multi-dwelling units such as hotels and cruise ships. The Cisco Aironet 1810W features Dual 2.4 and 5 GHz transceivers and a Bluetooth radio, features 2x2 MU-MIMO technology with two spatial streams, and delivers an aggregate data transfer rate of 867-Mbps and a maximum client count of 400. The Aironet 1810W includes three local GB Ethernet connections including one with Power over Ethernet Out for powering a device such as an IP phone, printer or security camera. Cisco's Aironet 1818 adds a 10/100/1000BASE-T PoE uplink port and a pass-through RJ-45 connection. The Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series access point is a Wave 2 802.11ac unit that includes a mounting cradle and is engineered to provide secure Wi-Fi access for telecommuters and branch office employees. Cisco's Aironet 1810W Series OfficeExtend Access Point must be attached to a remote wireless network controller, which allows easy unified management of policies and eliminates the need for setting up home or remote-office firewalls. Cisco's Aironet 1810 OfficeExtend Series offers the same throughput and I/O ports as the Aironet 1810W Wi-Fi AP.

The Cisco Aironet 1815 Series wireless access points are value-priced, compact Wave 2 appliances intended for small and medium-size businesses. The series is made up of four versions made for different applications. The 1815i wireless access point offers flexible options for wall or ceiling mount. Cisco's 1815w Wi-Fi access point is a desktop device. The Cisco 1815t Wi-Fi access point features three Gigabit Ethernet ports to support telecommuters or workers in a small branch office; and the Cisco 1815m Wi-Fi access point features extra transmit energy for greater coverage. All products in the Cisco 1815 Wireless Access Point family include dual radios (2.4/5 GHz) and 2x2 MU-MIMO with two spatial streams. All except the 1815t Wi-Fi AP can be administered with Cisco Mobility Express. Only the 1815t wireless access point supports OfficeExtend. Each 1815 Series Wi-Fi AP offers a combined transfer rate of 1 gigabit/sec and can handle a maximum of 400 clients. All models except the 1815t include a BLE radio, and only the 1815t has a USB interface and offers the option of Power over Ethernet or AC/DC power.

The Cisco Aironet 1830 Series wireless access point is intended for small and mid-size wireless networks and includes 2.4/5 GHz radios, features 3x3 MU-MIMO with two spatial streams, includes a 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-4 port with PoE, supports a combined data rate of 867-Mbps on the 5-Ghz radio, and can handle up to 400 clients. Cisco's 1830 Series Wi-Fi access point also supports a Bluetooth Low Energy radio via a USB dongle. The BLE radio can be used for navigation, proximity marketing, and inventory.

The Aironet 1850i wireless access point is intended for small and medium-sized businesses and features 4x4 multi-user MIMO with up to four spatial streams (when in single-user MIMO mode, three spatial streams in MU-MIMO), incorporates a GigE Power over Ethernet (PoE) interface, a GigE port for link aggregation, and an RJ-45 management console connection. The Aironet 1850i Wi-Fi AP supports a maximum aggregate dual-radio data rate of 2.0 gigabits/sec and a max client count of 400. A BLE radio can be added to the 1850i Series Wi-Fi access point by using a USB dongle.

The Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Wi-Fi AP is designed for large companies and can optimize performance by dynamically assigning its dual radios as one 2.4 and one 5 GHz radio or as dual 5 GHz radios, which can support aggregate performance up to 5 Gbps. The Aironet 2800 wireless access point features 4x4 MU-MIMO technology with up to three spatial streams and can handle as many as 400 clients. An extra antenna connector accommodates challenging sites such as high-ceiling halls, libraries and eating areas. Cisco's 2800 Wi-Fi AP includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports and an RJ-45 management console port. A BLE radio can be added by using a USB dongle.

Cisco's Aironet 3800 Wave 2 wireless APs are designed for crowded environments such as 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 has high-power external antennas to handle high-density indoor venues such as arenas and convention areas. All 3800 series wireless access points support 4x4 multi-user MIMO with three spatial streams, and their dual radios can be run in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz 802.11ac mode. Total throughput can be up to 5.2 Gbps in Dual 5-GHz mode. The Cisco Aironet 3800 Wi-Fi access point can serve as many as 400 users and comes with two 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet ports, one 100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 auxiliary port, and an RJ-45 management console port.

The Cisco Aironet 4800 Wi-Fi access point, designed for large enterprises in need of high performance and advanced security, is the top of the line of Cisco's Aironet family, incorporating dual 2.4/5 GHz or dual 5 GHz radios and 4x4 MU-MIMO supporting three spatial streams. Cisco's 4800 wireless AP can serve as many as 400 Wi-Fi users. The AP comes with two Multigigabit ports, an RJ-45 management console interface, and a BLE radio. By including a fourth radio, The 4800 wireless AP can distribute key Aironet operations across more radios so they can run simultaneously. These key functions include built-in Flexible Radio Assignment, Hyperlocation, and BLE. The 4800 Wi-Fi AP's fourth radio adds advanced security and in-depth analytics for performance and location. Having four radios also allows the two Wi-Fi radios outfitted with Flexible Radio Assignment to run in 5 GHz client serving mode, supporting 5.2 Gbps Wi-Fi data rates and expanding client capacity.

Cisco Aironet Wave 1 802.11ac Indoor Wi-Fi Access Points
The Wi-Fi 802.11ac specification works in the 5-GHz band, uses 80-MHz channels for higher performance, and enables wireless radios to use spectrum more efficiently, transmit data faster, and surrender spectrum more rapidly than previous Wi-Fi standards. This improves performance, mitigation, expandability, and roaming for high-density wireless deployments. Although the 802.11ac specification was approved in the beginning of 2014, Cisco designed transitional Aironet 802.11ac APs prior to that. These transitional devices offer many of the major benefits of the 802.11ac standard and Cisco has branded them Wave 1 access points. Cisco's Wave 1 dual-band Aironet APs include 2.4 GHz radios to accommodate earlier generation Wi-Fi clients.

Cisco's Aironet 1700 Series is an economical Wi-Fi AP based on 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 serve up to 200 clients. The Aironet 2700 Series is a wall-mountable wireless AP designed for midsize or large enterprises and is offered with four internal or external antennas. The Cisco 2700 Series wireless access point has a 3x4 MIMO radio design with three spatial streams, delivers a maximum connection speed of 1.3 Gbps, and supports 200 802.11ac client devices and up to 128 802.11n clients. The Cisco Aironet 3700 Series Wi-Fi access points are wall-mountable devices offered with an internal antenna, an external antenna, or in the Aironet 3700p model with a narrow-beam, high-gain antenna. Cisco's 3700 Series Wi-Fi access point 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 wireless access point accepts Cisco's Wireless Security module and Cisco's 3G Small Cells module.

Cisco Aironet 802.11n Indoor Wi-Fi AP
The 802.11n specification 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 continues to offer an extensive portfolio of Wi-Fi APs based on this popular wireless technology. Progent can provide remote and on-premises consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco's current 802.11n wireless APs as well as legacy Aironet access points, and Progent's consultants can assist your organization to assess the benefit to your business of moving from your older AP environment to Cisco's new line of 802.11ac Wi-Fi APs.

The Aironet 700W Series Wi-Fi AP is an 802.11n device designed for multi-dwelling sites 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, can handle 100 wireless clients, comes with four 10/100/1000BASE-T ports (one with Power over Ethernet), and delivers data rates of up to 300 Mbps. The Aironet 1600 Series is a value-priced wireless AP intended for small and midsize organizations and includes 802.11n-based 3x3 MIMO with two spatial streams, can handle 128 wireless clients, and delivers throughput as high as 300 Mbps. Cisco's Aironet 2600 Series Wi-Fi AP is designed for dense sites and features 802.11n-based 3x4 MIMO with three spatial streams, serves 200 wireless users, and delivers data rates up to 450 Mbps.

Aironet Outdoor and Industrial Wireless APs
The Cisco Aironet family of Wi-Fi APs includes Wave 2, Wave 1, and 802.11a/b/g/n access points designed to be installed in outdoor sites that range campuses and municipalities to harsh industrial sites like rail, mining, or oil and gas. Progent can assist you to select, deploy and administer Cisco Aironet outdoor and ruggedized Wi-Fi APs to fit your technical 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 and validate the security profile of your Aironet Wi-Fi access points.

Cisco's Aironet 1530 Series outdoor 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi APs are Wave 1 dual-radio, carrier-grade units available in an IP67-compliant enclosure resistant to dust, humidity, vibration and temperature extremes. The wireless access points have a GE connection and a GbE WAN uplink port and deliver performance of up to 300 Mbps. The Aironet 1530I incorporates 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. Cisco's Aironet 1530E outdoor Wi-Fi access point offers 2x2 MIMO and two spatial streams on both radios and comes with software-configurable dual- or single-band external antennas.

The Aironet 1540 Series outdoor wireless AP is a Wave 2 unit that delivers performance of up to 867-Mbps on the 5 GHz radio. This enables a total data rate of 1.1 Gbps. The 1540 Wi-Fi AP features 2x2 MU-MIMO technology and allows up to two spatial streams. For small to midsize networks with up to 50 Wi-Fi APs, you can use Cisco Mobility Express Solution for fast and simple configuration without requiring a Cisco wireless Wi-Fi controller appliance. One of the smallest outdoor wireless APs with internal antennas, the 1540 is offered with either a directional or a semi-omni directional antenna, giving you flexibility in choosing antenna patterns to fit different RF conditions.

Cisco's Aironet 1552S outdoor/industrial wireless access point is engineered for hazardous environments like chemical plants and has a built-in ISA100-standard backbone router to communicate with Wi-Fi sensor networks, offering an all-in-one package for Wi-Fi user support and connectivity to sensors. Cisco's Aironet 1552WU comes in a Class 1 hazardous location-certified body, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers performance of up to 300 Mbps, and includes a GbE port, a 10/100/1000 BaseT interface, and a fiber Small-Form-Factor Pluggable uplink interface. The Cisco Aironet 1552WU Wi-Fi access point is engineered for dangerous sites and includes a built-in WirelessHART gateway for connecting wirelessly with industrial sensor devices. The Cisco Aironet 1552WU Wi-Fi access point is packaged in a hazardous location-certified enclosure, supports 2:3 MIMO and two spatial streams, delivers performance of up to 300 Mbps, and offers Gigabit Ethernet and 10/100/1000 BaseT uplink options.

Cisco Aironet 1562 model outdoor wireless APs are available with three antenna choices to match various usage scenarios. The high-performance 1562I Wi-Fi AP has internal omnidirectional antennas for conventional venues like a school campus. The 1562E includes powerful external omni antennas for sites such as outside warehouses or malls where businesses can select the required signal coverage. The Aironet 1562D Wi-Fi access point has an internal directional antenna suitable for high-density venues or for locations that need wireless point-to-point bridging such as parks or or concert halls. All three 1562 models can handle up to 400 clients, support 48 VDC and PoE power, and feature fiber Small-Form-Factor Pluggable optics and cable modem backhaul. The 1562E and 1562D units feature 2x2 MU-MIMO technology with 2 spatial streams and deliver performance as high as 867 Mbps. The 1562I has 3x3 MU-MIMO technology with 3 spatial streams and delivers performance as high as 1,300 Mbps.

The Cisco Aironet 1570 Series is a carrier-class wireless AP that was at introduction the fastest performing outdoor Wi-Fi access point on the market. The 1570 comes with internal or external antennas, supports 4x4 MIMO technology with three spatial streams, supports data rates of up to 1.3 Gbps, and has Fiber/SFP, Gigabit Ethernet, and Cable Modem uplink interfaces. 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 access point to offer 4x4 MIMO with three spatial streams plus beamforming. The Aironet Wave 1 IW3700 Wi-Fi 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 aggregate data rates as high as 1.3 Gbps, and supports a maximum of 200 Wi-Fi clients.

Legacy Aironet Wireless Access Points Supported by Progent
The remarkable improvements in Wi-Fi speed and capacity enabled by 802.11ac technology, combined with the proliferation of BYOD users using high-bandwidth applications with HD video, has made earlier families of wireless infrastructure products out of date. Although many organizations run wireless applications that are well served by legacy 802.11n networks, the fact that discontinued Wi-Fi networking appliances such as APs have reached, or are about to reach, end-of-life status can have serious consequences for compliance, the ongoing access to technical support, and the challenge of downstream expansion.

Progent's Cisco-certified wireless technology consultants offer a full range of consulting support services to help organizations of all sizes maintain and troubleshoot their legacy Aironet environment, evaluate the potential benefits for upgrading to the newest family of Aironet access points, and develop an affordable plan to migrate smoothly to a unified wireless solution that provides the speed. performance, protection, manageability and reliability required of a modern wireless ecosystem. Some of legacy Aironet APs for which Progent can provide remote and onsite support include:

Cisco Aironet 1000 or 1130AG Series wireless access points are designed for offices and other venues which have little environmental variability. These devices have integrated antennas that offer dependable radio range patterns. The Aironet 1130G family WAP is engineered for controlled locations that do not allow 802.11a operation.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family APs are designed for more challenging radio frequency situations like factories and warehouses or above ceiling structures which often require flexible external antennas and ruggedized enclosures. The Cisco 1240G family device is intended for regulatory locations that do not permit 802.11a/5GHz transmission.

Cisco Aironet 1500 lightweight outdoor mesh access points provide an affordable, expandable, protected outdoor Wi-Fi solution for enterprise campuses and for public sites that require connectivity for mobile devices.

The Cisco Aironet 600 OfficeExtend Series wireless access point is an 802.11n device designed for home workers. Cisco's Aironet 600 wireless access point includes a dual 2.4/5 GHz radio, incorporates 2x3 MIMO technology with two spatial streams, supports a maximum of 15 wireless users, and delivers performance as high as 300 Mbps.

How Progent Can Assist You with Aironet Wi-Fi Access Points
Progent can provide cost-effective remote or on-premises help from a Cisco-certified CCIE network infrastructure consultant to help you to plan, deploy, administer, optimize, upgrade or repair a Wi-Fi environment that includes Cisco's Aironet wireless APs. Progent can help you maintain legacy Aironet devices or move smoothly to Cisco's latest lineup of Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points based on 802.11ac technology. Progent's certified Cisco Wi-Fi controller consultants can assist you to determine whether your wireless network calls for Cisco wireless controller hardware or can be configured and maintained with software-based utilities such as Cisco Mobility Express.

Progent's online and on-premises wireless site surveys can help your organization to determine the most appropriate selection and placement of Aironet wireless access points to support your user volume, offer the coverage you require, and keep up with your most demanding workloads. Progent's cybersecurity consultants can help you to design, implement and validate a compliant security strategy that includes policy enforcement, remote network monitoring, and streamlined management. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planning experts can help your organization to incorporate availability and recoverability into your Cisco product deployments to optimize the uptime of your converged wired/wireless infrastructure.

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