Introduction to of Cisco's Catalyst Family of 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Access Points
Cisco's Catalyst family of 802.11ax (called W-Fi 6) wireless access points improve on previous generation 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) APs by offering lower delay and more predictable performance, supporting increased client density, having tighter cybersecurity, saving power for battery-based handheld devices, and offering more configurability for handling different kinds of IoT endpoints.

Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi consultantsCisco CCIE Wi-Fi network experts offer online or onsite integration and debugging services to help you to design, implement, upgrade, optimize, manage and debug Catalyst wireless AP deployments of any scale or topology. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller consultants can also assist you to combine your wireless environment with your wired network and cloud-based resources to create an enterprise-wide connectivity foundation that is easy to manage and scale. Progent also offers affordable Wi-Fi site surveys to assist you to determine the most efficient selection, placement and configuration of Aironet wireless APs to work with your specific office design, building structure, and anticipated network traffic.

Catalyst 802.11ax APs Consultants

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of 802.11ax access points support the performance and scale of 802.11ax technology

The Catalyst 9100 line of Wi-Fi 6 APs are intended for environments ranging from telecommuter homes to high-density enterprise campuses. Catalyst 9100 APs are compliant with the 802.11ax standard, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, which in turn builds on the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. Unlike 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Headline enhancements incorporated in Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series access points include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for improved reliability, Target Wake Time for reduced power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum utilization, and extended guard intervals for improved outdoor performance. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series wireless APs support Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC), accommodate up to 200 clients per radio, and run on Cisco IOS XE Software.

Cisco Catalyst 9105i Wireless AP Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series wireless AP is a compact Wi-Fi 6 access point designed for operation in home offices or in small to medium size organizations. The Catalyst 9105AXi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and features dual 2.4/5 GH radios as well as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 and Zigbee. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi device supports 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO spatial streams and provides an aggregate max data rate of 1.2 Gbps. The 9105AXi AP includes one 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console 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 the EWC image installed, the 9105AXi AP can manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9105AXw Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Planning and Deployment ConsultantsThe Cisco Catalyst 9105AXw Series wireless access point is a wall-mount device and is intended for hospitality, residence halls, and other high-occupancy dwellings. The 9105AXw's capability is like the Cisco 9105AXi AP but has different antenna profiles and features a variety of interfaces not offered on the 9105AXi unit. 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. One downlink port has 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Catalyst 9115 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Solution Design ExpertsThe Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified wireless access point is intended for small to midsize businesses. The 9115AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0. The 9115AX includes 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and supports a combined max data speed of 5 Gbps. The Catalyst 9115AX comes with a fixed 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 interface, integrated internal antennas, and optional external antennas. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller installed, Cisco's 9115AX Series AP can manage as many as 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Wireless Access Points Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9117AX Series LAN AP is intended for small to medium size businesses. The Wi-Fi 6 appliance complies with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax standards and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio that supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The 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. Max aggregate data rate is 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9117AX comes with one 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 console port, a USB 2.0 port, and built-in internal antennas. System memory 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 9120AX Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6 AP is intended for for mid-size to large networks. The Cisco Catalyst 9120AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and incorporates four radios. Flexible Radio Assignment technology permits radios to work 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 supports a combined max throughput of 5.2 Gbps when both Wi-Fi radios operate in 5-GHz client serving mode. Cisco's Catalyst 9120AX includes 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45). The access point also works with PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management console 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 activated, the 9120AX can manage up to 100 APs and 2,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9130AX Wi-Fi 6 APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6 AP is targeted at mid-size to large networks and dense open environments like convention centers and arenas. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO spatial streams. External antennas on Cisco's 9130AX AP can be split into two 4x4 radios. An IoT radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0. The Cisco Catalyst 9130AX includes a built-in 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink port and supports an aggregate top throughput of 5.38 Gbps. The access point also works with PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 port, and built-in internal antennas. The Catalyst 9130AX access point includes an intelligent physical antenna connector that offers you the flexibility to configure an external antenna to handle challenging deployments. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller activated, the 9130AX can manage 100 APs and 2,000 clients.

Cisco's EWC on Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points
Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) is a software image running on Cisco IOS XE and offered on most Catalyst 9100 Series wireless APs. EWC includes the majority of features, but not the scale, of Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi controller appliances. APs running EWC can concurrently service Wi-Fi clients. (Catalyst 9105AXW access points can be part of an EWC LAN and support clients but cannot provide EWC management functions.) Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller can be managed using Cisco DNA Center (DNAC) for multi-location deployments, or by means of a web browser or mobile app for a single location. All Cisco DNA Center Automation and Assurance use cases are available. Embedded Wireless Controller features include high availability with active and standby controllers, software maintenance updates for hot patching, automatic configuration, Application Visibility and Control, and Site Survey.

How Progent's Engineers Can Assist You with Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax Access Points
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified expert to help your business to plan, deploy, maintain and repair a wireless environment that incorporates Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points. Progent can assist you to maintain legacy Wi-Fi APs from Cisco or migrate seamlessly to the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller solutions experts can help you to determine whether your Wi-Fi network should include Cisco wireless controller appliances or can be managed using Cisco's software-based management tools such as the Embedded Wireless Controller.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security professionals can advise you about how to build security into your WLAN and into your business processes. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity planning consultants can assist you to deploy the high availability technology incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged infrastructure delivers significant return on investment.

Progent's Wireless Site Survey helps you to plan and implement a state-of-the-art wireless network customized for your environment, providing a Wi-Fi ecosystem that delivers seamless coverage, high speed and density, QoS to support IP video, advanced security and compliance, and streamlined management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be delivered online to reduce time and expense, or on premises for more difficult situations.

For additional details concerning Progent's engineering assistance for Cisco networking products, pick a subject: Contact Progent for Help with Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Access Points
To find out more about Progent's consulting services for planning, installing, maintaining and troubleshooting a Wi-Fi deployment incorporating Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 APs, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.