Overview of Cisco's Catalyst Family of Wi-Fi 6/6E APs
The Cisco Catalyst series of 802.11ax (called Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E) wireless access points build on prior generation 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) access points by delivering less delay and more predictable performance, supporting higher client density, having tighter security, conserving energy for battery-dependent handheld devices, and providing more versatility for handling different types of Internet-of-Things (IoT) endpoints.

Progent's Cisco CCIE wireless infrastructure experts offer online or on-premises integration and troubleshooting services to help your organization to design, implement, update, optimize, administer and debug Catalyst wireless access point deployments of any size or topology. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller experts can also assist you to combine your wireless ecosystem with your wired network and cloud-hosted resources to build a seamless enterprise connectivity foundation that is simple to manage and scale. Progent also offers affordable Wi-Fi site surveys to assist you to decide the most appropriate selection, location and configuration of Aironet Wi-Fi APs to accommodate your specific office layout, building structure, and expected workloads.

Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Access Points Experts

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of Wireless access points deliver the performance and density of 802.11ax technology

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 family of Wi-Fi 6 access points are designed for environments ranging from home offices to crowded arenas. 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) standard. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is designed to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Headline enhancements supported by Catalyst 9100 Series access points include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for improved dependability, Target Wake Time for reduced power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum utilization, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points can run Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC), accommodate as many as 200 clients per Wi-Fi radio, and run on Cisco IOS XE Software.

Catalyst 9105i Wi-Fi 6 AP Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series wireless AP is a ceiling mount or desktop Wi-Fi 6 access point intended for use in home offices or in small to medium size businesses. The Catalyst 9105AXi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and includes dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios as well as an Internet-of-Things radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 and Zigbee. The Catalyst 9105AXi device features 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO and provides a combined top speed of 1.2 Gbps. The 9105AXi AP includes one 10/100/1000 Base-T uplink port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console interface, 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 (EWC) activated, the 9105AXi AP allows you to manage 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Catalyst 9105w Wi-Fi 6 APs Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXw Series wireless AP is a wall-mount appliance and is targeted at hospitality, residence halls, and other multi-unit dwellings. The 9105AXw's performance is like Cisco's 9105AXi Wi-Fi access point but has special antenna profiles and features a variety of interfaces not offered on the 9105AXi device. 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 port supports 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

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

Catalyst 9117 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Planning and Deployment ConsultantsThe Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series LAN access point is designed for small to midsize 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 (BLE) 5.0. The Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series AP features 8x8 MIMO with eight spatial streams for the 5-GHz band and 4x4:4 MIMO. Maximum combined performance is 5 Gbps. The Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series AP comes with one 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 console interface, a USB 2.0 interface, and built-in internal antennas. RAM includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With EWC activated, the Catalyst 9117AX Series AP can manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 client users.

Catalyst 9120 Wireless Access Points Solution Design ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6 access point is intended for for mid-size 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 in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz mode. An IoT radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The 9120AX Series AP features 4x4:4 MU-MIMO and delivers a combined max data rate of 5.2 Gbps when both Wi-Fi radios run in 5-GHz mode. Cisco's Catalyst 9120AX includes 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45). The device also supports 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 Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) activated, the 9120AX Series AP can manage up to 100 access points and 2,000 client users.

Catalyst 9130AX Wi-Fi 6 APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified access point is targeted at mid-size to large networks and dense open venues like auditoriums and stadiums. The Catalyst 9130AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO. External antennas on the Catalyst 9130AX AP may be split into two 4x4 radios. An Internet-of-Things radio supports (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's Catalyst 9130AX includes a built-in 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink port and delivers a combined max throughput 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 integrated internal antennas. The Catalyst 9130AX AP includes a smart physical antenna connector that offers you the versatility to set up an external antenna to handle challenging venues. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image installed, the 9130AX Series AP can manage 100 access points and 2,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9136 Wi-Fi 6E APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9136 Series is a breakthrough line of access points targeted at enterprises looking for the enhanced performance, client density, and cybersecurity enabled by the 6-GHz spectrum addition introduced with the Wi-Fi 6E specification. By adding 1.2 GHz of uninterrupted and interference-free RF 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 client 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 operation support up to 8x8:8 at 5 GHz and 4x4:4 at 2.4/6 GHz. Combined max throughput rate is 10.2 Gbps. Also featured are a Bluetooth BLE 5.0 radio for IoT and a scan radio. Internal antennas antennas allow 2.4 GHz, 5-GHz, and 6 GHz operation. Catalyst 9136 access points come with two integrated 5 Gbps mGig (RJ-45) Ethernet interfaces with redundant powering. Channel width is 20 MHz for the 2.4 GHz band and 20/40/80/160 MHz at 5/6 GHz. System memory includes 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 916x Series Wi-Fi 6E access points are the first Cisco access points that have the option to be managed either on-site via Cisco DNA Center or through the cloud by deploying Meraki Dashboard management utilities. This enables businesses to move to cloud-based or hybrid management environments on their own timetable. All Catalyst 916x APs meet the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E wireless standards and support the new 6-GHz band. Each device includes 5 radios and supports up to 400 clients per radio. Each AP model also contains a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for mitigating wireless interference, comes with a USB 2.0 port, and supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Cisco's small-footprint Catalyst 9162 Series access point is intended for small businesses, has three 2x2 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet support. The Catalyst 9164 Series AP is meant for small and mid-size organizations, has one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and offers 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet support. The Catalyst 9166 Series Wi-Fi access point is meant for large and medium-sized organizations, includes three 4x4 radios, and offers 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet support. The 9166 also has environmental sensors that track air quality, temperature, and humidity.

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

How Progent Can Assist Your Business with Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consulting professional to help you to design, install, maintain and troubleshoot a wireless environment that includes Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs. Progent can assist you to manage early-generation Wi-Fi APs from Cisco or upgrade seamlessly to the latest Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller integration experts can assist you to determine whether your wireless environment should include Cisco wireless controller hardware or can be managed using Cisco's software-based management tools such as Cisco's EWC.

Progent's CISA and ISSAP security consultants can advise you about how to design security into your wireless network and your company's processes. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity consultants can help you to set up the HA technology incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged infrastructure delivers non-stop business value.

Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to design and implement a robust WLAN customized for your environment, offering a wireless ecosystem that delivers comprehensive coverage, high speed and density, QoS features to handle IP video, advanced security, and streamlined management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be delivered remotely to cut time and expense, or on premises to deal with more difficult facilities.

To see more information concerning Progent's professional expertise for Cisco solutions, pick a topic: Contact Progent for Help with Cisco Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E Access Points
To find out more about Progent's support for planning, installing, managing and debugging a wireless solution incorporating Cisco Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E APs, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.