Introduction to of Cisco's Catalyst Line of 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 APs
The Cisco Catalyst series of 802.11ax (called W-Fi 6) wireless access points improve on previous version 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) APs by delivering lower delay and more consistent operation, allowing increased client density, providing greater cybersecurity, saving power for battery-based handheld devices, and offering more flexibility for supporting new kinds of IoT endpoints.

Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi expertsCisco CCIE-certified wireless network infrastructure experts can provide remote or on-premises configuration and troubleshooting support to assist you to design, configure, upgrade, tune, administer and debug Catalyst wireless AP environments of any size or topology. Progent's Cisco wireless controller consultants can also help you to integrate your Wi-Fi ecosystem with your wired network infrastructure and cloud-based resources to build a seamless enterprise-wide connectivity foundation that is easy to manage and scale. Progent also can provide affordable wireless site surveys to assist you to determine the most appropriate selection, placement and setup of Aironet Wi-Fi APs to work with your specific workplace layout, building structure, and anticipated workloads.

Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Experts

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of Wireless access points support the performance and capacity of the 802.11ax standard

The Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs are intended for deployments ranging from home offices to crowded enterprise campuses. Catalyst 9100 access points are based on the 802.11ax specification, known as Wi-Fi 6, which in turn builds on the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to utilize both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz bands. Headline enhancements incorporated in Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series APs include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for improved dependability, increased device sleep time for conserving power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum use, and extended guard intervals for improved outdoor performance. All Catalyst 9100 802.11ax APs can run Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller, accommodate up to 200 clients per Wi-Fi radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.

Cisco Catalyst 9105i Wireless AP Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series wireless AP is a ceiling mount or desktop Wi-Fi 6 AP intended for use by at-home workers or in small to medium size organizations. The Catalyst 9105AXi AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and features dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios as well as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supporting (BLE) 5.0 and Zigbee. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi AP features 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO spatial streams and provides a combined top data rate of 1.2 Gbps. The Catalyst 9105AXi includes one 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console interface, and a pair of integrated antennas. Channel width for the 2.4 GHz radio is 20 MHz and 20/40/80 MHz for the 5 GHz radio. With Embedded Wireless Controller activated, the Catalyst 9105AXi allows you to manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9105AXw Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXw Series Wi-Fi AP is designed specially as a wall-mount device and is intended for hospitality, dormitories, and other high-occupancy living spaces. The 9105AXw's capability is similar to the 9105AXi Wi-Fi access point but has different antenna profiles and features a set of interfaces not available on the 9105AXi device. These include a 100/1000/2500 Base-T (Ethernet) uplink, three 10/100/1000 Ethernet downlink ports, a USB 2.0 port, and one passthru interface. A downlink port has 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Cisco Catalyst 9115 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Solution Design ConsultantsThe Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-compliant LAN AP is designed for small to midsize businesses. The 9115AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and includes three Wi-Fi radios plus an IoT radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0. The 9115AX Series AP includes 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and delivers an aggregate maximum data rate of 5 Gbps. The Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Series AP comes with one 100/1000/2500 Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink interface with Power-over-Ethernet 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console interface, a USB 2.0 interface, built-in internal antennas, and optional external antennas. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With EWC activated, Cisco's 9115AX Series AP lets you manage up to 50 access points and 1,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9117AX Series Wi-Fi AP is intended for small to medium size businesses. The Wi-Fi 6 device complies with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax standards and includes three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio that supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's Catalyst 9117AX features 8x8:8 MIMO for the 5-GHz band and 4x4:4 MIMO. Max combined data rate is 5 Gbps. The Catalyst 9117AX Series AP comes with one 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console interface, a USB 2.0 interface, and integrated internal antennas. RAM includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With EWC installed, the Catalyst 9117AX can manage as many as 50 access points and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Wireless APs Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6 AP is designed for for medium to large networks. The Cisco Catalyst 9120AX complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi and includes four radios. Flexible Radio Assignment technology allows radios to run either in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz mode. An Internet-of-Things radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's 9120AX features 4x4:4 MU-MIMO spatial streams and delivers a combined maximum throughput of 5.2 Gbps when both radios operate in 5-GHz mode. The Cisco Catalyst 9120AX includes 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45). The device also works with PoE 802.3at and includes an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 port, and integrated internal antennas. External antennas are optional. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. With Embedded Wireless Controller installed, the 9120AX Series AP can manage up to 100 access points and 2,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9130AX Wireless Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified access point is intended for mid-size to large enterprises and dense open venues like convention centers and stadiums. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO. External antennas on Cisco's 9130AX access point can be divided into two 4x4 radios. An IoT radio supports (BLE) 5.0. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX features a built-in 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet uplink port and delivers an aggregate maximum throughput of 5.38 Gbps. The device also works with PoE 802.3at and includes an RJ-45 management console interface, a USB 2.0 port, and built-in internal antennas. Cisco's 9130AX AP includes an intelligent physical antenna connector that offers you the flexibility to configure an external antenna to accommodate challenging venues. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller installed, the 9130AX can manage 100 access points and 2,000 clients.

Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) on Catalyst 9100 Wireless Access Points
Cisco's EWC is a software image running on Cisco IOS XE and available for most Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points. EWC includes most functions, but not the expandability, of Cisco's Catalyst 9800 Series wireless controller devices. APs running EWC can simultaneously service Wi-Fi clients. (Catalyst 9105AXW APs can participate in an EWC network and service client users but are not able to provide EWC management functions.) The EWC can be managed using Cisco DNA Center for multi-location deployments, or by means of a web browser or mobile app for single-site environments. All Cisco DNAC Automation and Assurance use cases are available. Embedded Wireless Controller features include high availability with active and standby controllers, software maintenance updates (SMUs) for hot patching, auto setup, Application Visibility and Control, and Site Survey.

How Progent Can Assist You with Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax Access Points
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified CCIE consultant to assist you to design, configure, manage and troubleshoot a wireless environment that incorporates Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 access points. Progent can assist you to maintain legacy wireless APs from Cisco or migrate efficiently to current 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco wireless controller solutions experts can help you to assess whether your Wi-Fi network should include Cisco wireless controller hardware or can be managed using Cisco's software-based management tools such as the Embedded Wireless Controller.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security consultants can advise you about how to design security into your wireless network and into your business processes. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planners can assist you to set up the HA technology built into Cisco's wireless and wired technologies so your converged infrastructure provides non-stop business value.

Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey helps you to plan and deploy a robust wireless network optimized for your facilities, providing a Wi-Fi solution that delivers seamless coverage, high speed and density, Quality of Service features to handle IP voice and video, advanced security, and streamlined management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be performed online to reduce time and costs, or onsite for more challenging facilities.

For additional details about Progent's professional support for Cisco solutions, pick a subject: Contact Progent for Consulting Support for Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax APs
To learn more about Progent's consulting services for designing, integrating, maintaining and debugging a Wi-Fi solution based on Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.