Overview of Cisco's Catalyst Series Wi-Fi 6 APs
Cisco's Catalyst family of 802.11ax (called W-Fi 6) access points improve on prior version 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) APs by offering lower latency and more predictable operation, supporting higher client density, providing tighter cybersecurity, saving energy for battery-dependent handheld devices, and offering more flexibility for handling new types of Internet-of-Things (IoT) endpoints.

Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi expertsCisco CCIE Wi-Fi network experts can provide remote or on-premises configuration and debugging services to assist your organization to design, implement, upgrade, tune, manage and debug Catalyst Wi-Fi access point environments of any scale or topology. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also assist you to combine your Wi-Fi ecosystem with your wired network infrastructure and cloud-based resources to build a seamless enterprise connectivity foundation that is simple to manage and expand. Progent also offers affordable wireless site surveys to assist you to decide the most appropriate selection, placement and setup of Aironet Wi-Fi APs to work with your unique office design, building structure, and expected workloads.

Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Access Points Experts

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax access points deliver the performance and capacity of the 802.11ax standard

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 family of 802.11ax wireless APs are designed for deployments ranging from telecommuter homes to crowded convention centers. Cisco Catalyst 9100 APs are based on the 802.11ax specification, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, which is an evolution of the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Important enhancements supported by Catalyst 9100 Series APs include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for better dependability, TWT for conserving power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power thresholds for better spectrum use, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points support Cisco's EWC, accommodate up to 200 clients per radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.

Catalyst 9105i Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series Wi-Fi access point is a low-profile Wi-Fi 6 AP designed for use in home offices or in small to midsize networks. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and includes dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios and an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 and Zigbee. The Catalyst 9105AXi AP features 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO spatial streams and delivers an aggregate max data rate of 1.2 Gbps. The Catalyst 9105AXi includes one 10/100/1000 Base-T uplink port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console port, and a pair of 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 installed, the Catalyst 9105AXi allows you to manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Catalyst 9105AXw Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ConsultantsThe Catalyst 9105AXw Series Wi-Fi access point is a wall-mount appliance and is intended for hospitality, dormitories, and other high-occupancy living spaces. The 9105AXw's performance is similar to the Cisco 9105AXi AP but has special antenna profiles and features a set of interfaces not offered on the 9105AXi unit. These include a 100/1000/2500 Base-T (Ethernet) port, three 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet downlink interfaces, a USB 2.0 port, and a passthru interface. One Ethernet downlink port supports 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified wireless AP is intended for small to medium size organizations. The Cisco 9115AX Series AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things radio that supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The 9115AX features 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and delivers a combined combined data rate of 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9115AX Series AP comes with a fixed 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, integrated internal antennas, plus optional external antennas. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) activated, the Cisco 9115AX Series AP lets you manage up to 50 access points and 1,000 client users.

Catalyst 9117AX Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ExpertsThe Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series Wi-Fi access point is targeted at small to medium size businesses. The Wi-Fi 6 device complies with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax specifications and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios as well as an Internet-of-Things radio that supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0. The Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series AP features 8x8:8 MIMO for the 5-GHz band and 4x4 MIMO with four spatial streams for the 2.4-GHz {radio. Top aggregate throughput is 5 Gbps. The Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series AP comes with one 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 console interface, a USB 2.0 port, and built-in internal antennas. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) activated, the Catalyst 9117AX can manage as many as 50 access points and 1,000 clients.

Catalyst 9120 Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6 AP is targeted at for medium to large enterprises. The Cisco Catalyst 9120AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi and includes four radios. Flexible Radio Assignment technology permits radios to operate either in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz mode. An Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supports (BLE) 5.0. The Cisco 9120AX features 4x4:4 MU-MIMO and delivers a combined max throughput of 5.2 Gbps when both Wi-Fi radios run in 5-GHz mode. The Catalyst 9120AX Series AP includes 100/1000/2500 Ethernet (RJ-45). The access point also works with PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management interface, a USB 2.0 interface, and integrated internal antennas. External antennas are optional. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. With EWC installed, the 9120AX Series AP can manage 100 access points and 2,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9130AX Wireless APs Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6 access point is designed for medium to large enterprises and dense public venues like convention centers and stadiums. The Catalyst 9130AX complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO. External antennas on the Catalyst 9130AX AP can be split into two 4x4 Wi-Fi radios. An Internet-of-Things radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX features a built-in 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet uplink interface and delivers a combined maximum throughput of 5.38 Gbps. The access point also supports PoE 802.3at and includes an RJ-45 management port, a USB 2.0 interface, and built-in internal antennas. The Catalyst 9130AX Series AP includes an intelligent physical antenna connector that gives you the versatility to set up an external antenna to accommodate special environments. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. With EWC activated, the 9130AX can manage 100 APs and 2,000 clients.

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

How Progent Can Assist Your Company with Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 APs
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified expert to help your business to plan, configure, maintain and repair a Wi-Fi solution that includes Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 APs. Progent can help you to manage early-generation wireless access points from Cisco or migrate efficiently to current Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller integration experts can assist you to evaluate whether your wireless network should include Cisco Wi-Fi controller hardware or can be managed using Cisco's virtual appliances and utilities such as Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security consultants can show you how to build security into your wireless network and your business processes. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planning consultants can show you how to configure the high availability (HA) features built into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged network provides non-stop business value.

Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to design and implement a robust wireless network optimized for your environment, providing a Wi-Fi solution that delivers seamless coverage, high speed and capacity, Quality of Service to handle IP video, enterprise-class security and compliance, and simplified management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be delivered remotely to cut time and expense, or on premises to deal with more complex environments.

For more information concerning Progent's consulting help for Cisco networking products, select a subject: Contact Progent for Expertise with Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 APs
To learn more about Progent's support for planning, integrating, maintaining and debugging a Wi-Fi deployment based on Catalyst 802.11ax access points, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.