Overview of Cisco's Catalyst Family of 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E APs
Cisco's Catalyst series of 802.11ax (called Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E) access points improve on previous version 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) access points by delivering less delay and more predictable operation, supporting higher client user density, having tighter security, saving energy for battery-dependent handheld devices, and providing more versatility for supporting different types of IoT endpoints.

Progent's Cisco CCIE wireless network experts can provide remote or onsite configuration and debugging services to assist you to plan, implement, upgrade, tune, manage and debug Catalyst Wi-Fi access point deployments of any size or architecture. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also help you to combine your wireless ecosystem with your wired network and cloud-hosted resources to create a seamless 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, placement and configuration of Aironet Wi-Fi APs to accommodate your unique workplace design, building structure, and anticipated network traffic.

Cisco Catalyst Wireless Access Points Experts

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Line of Wireless access points support the throughput and density of the 802.11ax standard

The Catalyst 9100 family of Wi-Fi 6 access points are designed for environments ranging from telecommuter homes to high-density stadiums. Cisco Catalyst 9100 access points are based on the 802.11ax specification, known as Wi-Fi 6, which is an evolution of the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) standard. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is designed to utilize both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Important enhancements supported by Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series access points include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for better dependability, increased device sleep time for reduced power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum use, and extended guard intervals for improved outdoor performance. All Catalyst 9100 Series 802.11ax APs can run Cisco's EWC, accommodate as many as 200 clients per radio, and run on Cisco IOS XE Software.

Cisco Catalyst 9105i Wi-Fi 6 AP Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series wireless access point is a compact Wi-Fi 6 AP intended for operation in home offices or in small to midsize networks. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and features dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios and an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supporting Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 and Zigbee. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi AP supports 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO spatial streams and delivers a combined maximum speed of 1.2 Gbps. The 9105AXi AP includes one 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet uplink port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management port, 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 EWC activated, the Catalyst 9105AXi allows you to manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9105AXw Wireless Access Points Solution Design ConsultantsThe Cisco Catalyst 9105AXw Series Wi-Fi AP is a wall-mount device and is targeted at hospitality, residence halls, and other multi-unit living spaces. The 9105AXw's performance is similar to the Cisco 9105AXi access point but has special antenna profiles and includes a variety of interfaces not offered on the 9105AXi unit. These include a 100/1000/2500 Base-T (Ethernet) uplink port, three 10/100/1000 Ethernet downlink ports, a USB 2.0 port, and a passthru interface. One downlink interface has 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified LAN access point is intended for small to medium size enterprises. The Cisco 9115AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and includes three Wi-Fi radios as well as an IoT radio covering (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's 9115AX includes 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and supports an aggregate maximum data speed of 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9115AX comes with a fixed 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management port, a USB 2.0 port, integrated antennas, plus extra-cost external antennas. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller installed, the 9115AX lets you manage as many as 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9117AX Series LAN AP is targeted at small to midsize businesses. The Wi-Fi 6 appliance works with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax specifications and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things radio that supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series AP features 8x8 MIMO with eight spatial streams for the 5-GHz radio and 4x4:4 MIMO. Max combined performance is 5 Gbps. The Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series AP comes with one 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management port, a USB 2.0 port, and integrated 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 APs and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9120AX Wireless APs Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6 AP is intended for for mid-size to large enterprises. The Catalyst 9120AX complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and includes four radios. Flexible Radio Assignment technology allows radios to operate 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. The 9120AX Series AP features 4x4:4 MU-MIMO spatial streams and supports a combined maximum data rate of 5.2 Gbps when both Wi-Fi radios operate in 5-GHz client serving mode. The Catalyst 9120AX Series AP includes 100/1000/2500 Ethernet (RJ-45). The access point also supports PoE 802.3at and includes an RJ-45 management interface, a USB 2.0 interface, and built-in internal antennas. External antennas are an option. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. With Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) activated, the 9120AX Series AP can manage 100 APs and 2,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9130AX Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6 access point is intended for medium to large enterprises and high-density public environments such as convention centers and stadiums. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO spatial streams. External antennas on the 9130AX AP may be split into two 4x4 radios. An Internet-of-Things radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's Catalyst 9130AX features a fixed 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet uplink port and delivers a combined max throughput of 5.38 Gbps. The access point also supports PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management console interface, a USB 2.0 port, and integrated internal antennas. The 9130AX AP includes a smart physical antenna connector that offers you the flexibility to set up an external antenna to handle special environments. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller activated, the 9130AX can manage 100 access points and 2,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9136 Wi-Fi 6E APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9136 Series is an innovative line of access points targeted at enterprises who want the increased speed, client density, and cybersecurity brought about by the 6-GHz spectrum addition defined by the Wi-Fi 6E specification. By adding 1.2 GHz of contiguous and clean spectrum in the 6 GHz band, the Wi-Fi 6E technology supported by Cisco Catalyst 9136 Series APs more than doubles the bandwidth that can be used by earlier model Wi-Fi client devices. Catalyst 9136 APs support older generation 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi devices operating in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands as well as the newer generation of 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices. Concurrent MU-MIMO operation support up to 8x8:8 at 5 GHz and 4x4:4 at 2.4/6 GHz. Aggregate top performance rate is 10.2 Gbps. Also featured are a Bluetooth BLE 5.0 radio for IoT and a scan radio. Built-in antennas antennas support 2.4 GHz, 5-GHz, and 6 GHz operation. Catalyst 9136 access points come with two integrated 5 Gbps Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) Ethernet interfaces with redundant powering. Channel width is 20 MHz for the 2.4 GHz band and 20/40/80/160 MHz for the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. System memory consists of 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. Power options include PoE, PoE+, and UPoE.

Cisco Catalyst 9166 Wi-Fi 6E Access Point ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9160 Series Wi-Fi 6E access points are the first Cisco access points to offer the flexibility of being managed on-premises with Cisco DNA Center platform or through the cloud by deploying Meraki management utilities. This enables businesses to move to cloud-centric or hybrid management environments on their own schedule. All Catalyst 916x APs support the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E Wi-Fi standards and fully support the new 6-GHz band. Each device includes 5 radios and supports as many as 400 clients on each radio. Every AP model also features a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for mitigating wireless interference, comes with a USB 2.0 port, and supports Bluetooth Low Energy. Cisco's value-priced Catalyst 9162 Series AP is suited for small organizations, has three 2x2 radios, and includes 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet connectivity. Cisco's Catalyst 9164 Series AP is suited for small and middle-size organizations, incorporates one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and features 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet. The Catalyst 9166 Series Wi-Fi access point is designed for large and medium-sized organizations, has three 4x4 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet connectivity. The 9166 also includes environmental sensors that detect air quality, temperature, and moisture.

Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) on Catalyst 9100 Series Wireless Access Points
Cisco's EWC is a software image powered by Cisco IOS XE and offered on most Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs. Cisco's EWC supports most management functions, but not the scale, of Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi controller appliances. Access points running EWC can concurrently service Wi-Fi clients. (Catalyst 9105AXW APs can be part of an EWC network and support clients but cannot run EWC functions.) Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller can be managed via Cisco DNA Center (DNAC) for multi-location networks, or by means of a web browser or mobile app for a single location. All Cisco DNAC Automation and Assurance features are available. Embedded Wireless Controller features include always-on by deploying active and standby controllers, software maintenance updates (SMUs) for hot patching, auto configuration, Application Visibility and Control (AVC), and Site Survey.

How Progent's Engineers Can Assist You with Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E APs
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consultant to assist you to design, deploy, maintain and troubleshoot a wireless solution that includes Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 APs. Progent can help you to maintain early-generation Wi-Fi APs from Cisco or upgrade efficiently to the latest 802.11ax. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller integration consultants can help you to evaluate whether your Wi-Fi environment should incorporate Cisco wireless controller appliances or can be managed using Cisco's software-based management tools such as Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security professionals can advise you about how to design protection into your wireless network and your company's operations. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity consultants can help you to configure the high availability (HA) technology incorporated into Cisco's wireless and wired technologies so your converged network delivers significant return on investment.

Progent's Wireless Site Survey assists you to plan and deploy a state-of-the-art wireless network customized for your environment, providing a Wi-Fi ecosystem that delivers comprehensive coverage, high speed and density, Quality of Service features to handle IP video, advanced security, and easy management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be delivered remotely to cut time and costs, or on premises for more challenging situations.

To find out more details about Progent's professional assistance for Cisco networking products, select a topic: Contact Progent for Consulting Support for Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E Access Points
To learn more about Progent's support for planning, configuring, maintaining and debugging a wireless deployment based on Cisco Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E access points, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.