Overview of Cisco's Catalyst Line of Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points
The Cisco Catalyst series of 802.11ax (called Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E) wireless access points improve on previous version 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) access points by delivering less delay and more predictable performance, allowing increased client user density, providing tighter security, saving energy for battery-dependent mobile devices, and providing more flexibility for handling different types of IoT endpoints. Cisco's Wi-Fi 6E products add support for the 6-GHz radio-frequency band, opening up an additional 1200 MHz of bandwidth to provide over double the Wi-Fi bandwidth compared to the 5-GHz band.

Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi network consultants offer remote or on-premises integration and troubleshooting services to help your organization to plan, configure, upgrade, tune, administer and debug Catalyst wireless AP deployments of any size or architecture. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also help you to combine your Wi-Fi ecosystem with your wired network and cloud-hosted resources to create a seamless enterprise connectivity solution that is simple to administer and scale. Progent also offers affordable wireless site surveys to assist you to decide the most efficient selection, location and setup of Aironet wireless access points to work with your unique office layout, construction, and expected workloads.

Cisco Catalyst Wireless APs Consultants

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of 802.11ax APs deliver the performance and scale of 802.11ax technology

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax access points are designed for environments ranging from telecommuter homes to crowded convention centers. Catalyst 9100 access points are compliant with the 802.11ax standard, known as Wi-Fi 6, which in turn builds on the previous 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) standard. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Important technologies incorporated in Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series access points include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for better reliability, Target Wake Time for reduced power usage in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power thresholds for better spectrum use, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 APs can run Cisco's EWC, handle up to 200 clients per Wi-Fi radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.

Catalyst 9105i Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series Wi-Fi access point is a compact Wi-Fi 6 access point designed for use by at-home workers or in small to medium size organizations. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and features dual 2.4/5 GH radios plus an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supporting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 and Zigbee. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi device supports 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO spatial streams and delivers a combined max speed of 1.2 Gbps. The 9105AXi AP comes with a 10/100/1000 Base-T uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management port, and two internal 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 (EWC) activated, the Catalyst 9105AXi can manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 client users.

Catalyst 9105AXw Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ExpertsThe Catalyst 9105AXw Series Wi-Fi access point is designed specially as a wall-mount appliance and is targeted at hospitality, residence halls, and other multi-unit living spaces. The 9105AXw's capability is similar to the Cisco 9105AXi access point but has special antenna options and features a variety of ports not offered 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 Ethernet downlink port supports 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Catalyst 9115AX Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-compliant wireless access point is intended for small to medium size organizations. The Cisco 9115AX Series AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and includes three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The 9115AX Series AP includes 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and supports a combined max data speed of 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9115AX Series AP includes a fixed 100/1000/2500 Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink port with Power-over-Ethernet 802.3at, an RJ-45 management port, a USB 2.0 port, integrated antennas, plus optional external antennas. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image installed, Cisco's 9115AX Series AP lets you manage as many as 50 access points and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Wireless Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9117AX Series wireless AP is designed for small to midsize organizations. The Wi-Fi 6 device works with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax specifications and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios as well as an IoT radio that supports (BLE) 5.0. The Catalyst 9117AX Series AP features 8x8 MIMO with eight spatial streams for the 5-GHz radio and 4x4:4 MIMO. Maximum combined performance is 5 Gbps. The Catalyst 9117AX comes with a 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet (RJ-45) port with Power-over-Ethernet 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 port, and built-in internal antennas. RAM includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With EWC activated, the Catalyst 9117AX Series AP can manage as many as 50 access points and 1,000 client users.

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

Catalyst 9130AX Wireless Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6 AP is intended for medium to large networks and dense public venues such as convention centers and stadiums. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO. External antennas on the 9130AX AP can be split into two 4x4 Wi-Fi radios. An IoT radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0. The Catalyst 9130AX features a built-in 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet uplink interface and delivers a combined maximum data rate of 5.38 Gbps. The device also works with PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management interface, a USB 2.0 port, and built-in internal antennas. The Catalyst 9130AX AP includes a smart antenna connector that offers you the flexibility to configure an external antenna to handle challenging environments. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. With EWC installed, the 9130AX Series AP can manage up to 100 APs and 2,000 clients.

Catalyst 9136 Wi-Fi 6E Access Points Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9136 Series is an innovative family of access points designed for enterprises looking for the enhanced speed, client density, and security enabled by the 6-GHz spectrum expansion introduced with the Wi-Fi 6E specification. By adding 1.2 GHz of contiguous and interference-free RF spectrum in the 6 GHz band, the Wi-Fi 6E technology implemented in Catalyst 9136 Series access points delivers over twice the spectrum that can be used by earlier model Wi-Fi clients. Catalyst 9136 access points support legacy 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi devices designed for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands as well as the newer generation of 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices. Concurrent MU-MIMO spatial streams support up to 8x8:8 at 5 GHz and 4x4:4 at 2.4/6 GHz. Aggregate max throughput rate is 10.2 Gbps. Also featured are a Bluetooth BLE 5.0 radio for IoT and a scan radio. Built-in omnidirectional antennas allow 2.4 GHz, 5-GHz, and 6 GHz operation. Catalyst 9136 access points have two integrated 5 Gbps Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) Ethernet interfaces with redundant powering. Channel width is 20 MHz at 2.4 GHz and 20/40/80/160 MHz at 5/6 GHz. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. Power options include PoE, PoE+, and UPoE.

Cisco Catalyst 9166 Wi-Fi 6E Access Point ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9160 Series Wi-Fi 6E APs are the first Cisco APs to offer the flexibility of being monitored and managed either on-premises with Cisco DNA Center or through the cloud using Meraki management tools. This enables businesses to move to cloud-based or hybrid management environments at their own pace. All Catalyst 916x access points meet the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E Wi-Fi standards and support the new 6-GHz band. Each AP includes 5 radios and supports a maximum of 400 clients on each radio. Every model also comes with a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for reducing wireless interference, includes a USB 2.0 port, and supports Bluetooth BLE. The small-footprint Catalyst 9162 Series AP is meant for small organizations, incorporates three 2x2 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet connectivity.

Catalyst Access Points System Design and TroubleshootingThe Catalyst 9163E Wi-Fi 6E AP is built to withstand harsh outside deployments like campuses or stadiums. The 9163E comes with three client serving 2x2 radios, one IoT radio, and a tri-band scanning radio. Interfaces include 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet, a management console port (RJ-45), 4x N-Type Wi-Fi antenna connectors, and an RP-SMA active GPS/GNSS antenna connector. The 9163E supports Omnidirectional Dipole Self-Identifying Antennas. The Catalyst 9164 Series AP is intended for small and mid-size enterprises, incorporates one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet support. The Catalyst 9166 Series access point is meant for large and medium-sized organizations, has three 4x4 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet connectivity. The 9166 also has environmental sensors that detect air quality, temperature, and moisture.

Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs
Cisco's EWC is a software image running on Cisco IOS XE and offered on most Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 APs. EWC includes most functions, but not the expandability, of Cisco's Catalyst 9800 Series wireless controller devices. Access points running EWC can simultaneously support Wi-Fi clients. (Cisco Catalyst 9105AXW access points can be part of an EWC network and service client users but are not able to run EWC management functions.) Cisco's EWC can be managed via Cisco DNA Center for multi-site 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. EWC features include always-on with active and standby controllers, software maintenance updates (SMUs) for live patching, automatic configuration, Application Visibility and Control, and Site Survey.

How Progent Can Help Your Business with Catalyst 802.11ax Access Points
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consultant to assist your business to design, configure, manage and troubleshoot a wireless environment that incorporates Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 APs. Progent can assist you to manage legacy Wi-Fi access points from Cisco or migrate efficiently to current 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller solutions consultants can help you to evaluate whether your wireless environment should include Cisco Wi-Fi controller hardware or can be managed with Cisco's software-based management tools like the Embedded Wireless Controller.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security consultants can show you how to design protection into your wireless network and your business processes. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planners can assist you to set up the HA technology incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged infrastructure provides continuing business value.

Progent's Wireless Site Survey helps you to design and deploy a state-of-the-art WLAN optimized for your environment, providing a Wi-Fi ecosystem that provides comprehensive coverage, high speed and capacity, Quality of Service to accommodate IP voice and video, enterprise-class security and compliance, and streamlined management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be performed remotely to reduce time and expense, or on premises to deal with more difficult environments.

To see more information concerning Progent's consulting expertise for Cisco technology, choose a subject: Contact Progent for Consulting Support for Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E Access Points
To find out more about Progent's support for planning, installing, maintaining and troubleshooting a wireless deployment incorporating Cisco Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E APs, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.