Wireless Consulting Expertise

Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi controllers streamline the administration of Wi-Fi networks by unifying the configuration and management of Wi-Fi access points, tuning wireless throughput by mitigating the effects of RF congestion, improving Wi-Fi uptime with rapid zero-touch failover, and improving security by identifying threats and filtering content according to client class and location.

Catalyst Wi-Fi controllers work with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure platform, which can support up to Wi-Fi 18,000 wireless APs and 64,000 users. Cisco Catalyst wireless controllers are available at price points and with features appropriate for environments ranging from small offices to large enterprises and campuses. Cisco 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers and APs are designed to provide the same level of protection, performance and manageability that companies demand in their wired networks. Cisco Wi-Fi controller technology includes integrated mobility functions like Voice over IP, high-definition video, and secure access for guests. Cisco's Prime Infrastructure allows you to build environments that combine wired and wireless resources into a centrally managed connectivity solution that delivers maximum business value.

Progent's Cisco-certified wireless experts can assist you to assess the benefits of using Catalyst wireless controllers to manage wireless networks of any scale. Progent can assist you to maintain and debug your current wireless network or help you plan and carry out a smooth migration from earlier generation wireless controllers to current solutions.

Progent's Cisco-certified Wi-Fi infrastructure consultants can provide cost-effective remote consulting across the U.S. and Canada to help you to create and manage Wi-Fi solutions. Progent also offers onsite support in major metro areas across the U.S. and in Toronto, Canada. In addition, Progent offers low-cost remote and on-premises wireless site surveys to help your company to design and install a wireless network with optimal access point clustering to align with your specific workplace layout, building materials, client concentration, and usage patterns.

Cisco Wave 2 802.11ac Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers allow fast communication, provisioning, management, analysis and debugging for Cisco wireless appliances and services. Cisco offers both physical and virtual Wi-Fi controllers for centralized management of WiFi networks, but WLANs with many Wi-Fi access points typically require physical wireless controllers. New wireless controller devices from Cisco offer major advantages in comparison to Wave 1 and earlier models including greater throughput, concurrent support for 1G and 10G Ethernet, improved application visibility and control (AVC), and hardened, built-in protection.

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is a value-priced appliance with a desktop enclosure and designed for small and medium-sized organizations. You can use the 3504 model in a centralized WLAN architecture such as in small branch and home-based offices administered across the WAN with FlexConnect, or in bridge deployments where Ethernet cabling is sparse. The 3504 wireless controller can handle up to 150 APs and 3,000 clients, offers 4 Gbps performance, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet port and four 1-GB Ethernet ports. APs can be attached directly to the WiFi controller through two Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports. The 3504 wireless controller features fast failover for APs and clients, which provides nonstop availability for apps. As with other Wave 2 wireless controllers from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated ability to communicate with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WiFi controllers.

The Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller, available in a 1RU enclosure, is intended for midsize to large organizations and campus networks and can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 Wi-Fi controller can handle as many as 1,500 access points and 20,000 users, offers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 WiFi controller features two 10 GE ports and incorporates solid-state storage, backup fans, optional redundant power supplies, and rapid failover for uninterrupted availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, available in a 2 rack unit (RU) enclosure, is a top-of-the-line WiFi controller intended to support enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 WiFi controller can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and can handle up to 6,000 access points and 64,000 users. The 8540 WiFi controller offers data rates up to 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 includes four 1-GB or 10GE interfaces and features SSD storage, redundant power supplies, backup fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers reduce the time and cost required to deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of critical functions such as provisioning wireless access points, applying single-point policies throughout converged wired/wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service for IP voice and HD video, monitoring and optimizing system health, activating intrusion prevention tools to defend against unauthorized access and Distributed Denial of Service threats, and handling IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has designed wireless LAN controllers for businesses of any size and can provide standalone desktop appliances, modular add-on wireless controllers for Cisco routers and switches, and switches with built-in wireless LAN controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 wireless network controllers include Cisco CleanAir technology to minimize RF interference and produce self-optimizing wireless networks for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and security. Built-in Apple Bonjour Gateways enable discovery, advertisement and policy throughout the enterprise for Apple applications. For high availability, Cisco wireless LAN controllers support AP and client stateful switchover by enabling a backup HA wireless controller to synchronize with a primary wireless controller for access point license count, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and access point CAPWAP state. In case the primary controller stops working, thousands of access points and clients can switchover immediately to the secondary wireless controller.

Cisco's Wireless Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E provides entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for Cisco 2900 and 3900 Series routers used by smaller organizations and branch offices. This value-priced and scalable module can handle from five to 200 wireless access points and up to 6000 wireless clients. (For information concerning Progent's online and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and management services.)

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU switches designed for small to mid-size businesses and satellite offices and have an integrated wireless controller with the capability to support up to 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and up to 25 wireless access points and 1000 wireless clients per switch or stack. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU switches intended for midsize and large organizations and feature an integrated wireless network controller with 40 Gb of wireless capacity on each switch and the ability to handle 50 access points and 2000 wireless clients. The WiSM2 is a plug-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches that include an integrated wireless network controller designed for mid-to-large size enterprises and capable of 20 Gbps performance and with support for 1000 access points and 15,000 clients. (To find out about Progent's support for Cisco switches, refer to Cisco switches deployment and management consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop devices that simplify the deployment and operation of wireless LANs for small and midsize businesses and branches. The Cisco 2500 wireless controller can handle from five to 75 access points and up to 1000 wireless clients and can deliver throughput of up to 1 Gbps.

The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is an expandable 1RU unit intended for mid-to-large sized businesses and campus environments and can support 500 wireless access points and 7,000 wireless clients while providing 8 Gbps performance. The Cisco 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU device intended for mid-to-large campus environments with support for up to 1000 access points and 12,000 wireless clients and offering throughput of 60 Gbps to accommodate high client densities and high amounts of video-intensive applications.

Cisco's Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is intended to enable centralized management of massive collections of wireless branches from a single location, avoiding the requirement for a wireless controller at every remote site. The 1RU Flex 7500 appliance allows you to build a private cloud to deploy, track, maintain, and troubleshoot up to 6000 access points and 64,000 wireless clients while handling 1 Gbps throughput. The Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU device engineered to manage wireless networks for large campuses or service providers and can scale to support up to 6000 APs and up to 64,000 clients while delivering 10 Gbps throughput.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wireless Controllers provide single-point management of wireless networks by simplifying the handling of common functions including intrusion prevention, fast RF management, zero touch deployment, and N+1 redundancy. These controllers operate with small wireless access points to deliver enhanced performance and advanced administration capabilities.

WLAN Controllers (WLCs) offer the manageability, scalability, protection, and reliability that system managers need to create safe, enterprise-scale wireless environments, from branch locations to small businesses to main campuses. Cisco's first-generation WLCs can be clustered to offer support for up to 2400 WAPs for each roaming domain.

Cisco's WLCM or WLCM-E Wireless LAN Controller Module for Integrated Services (IS) Routers provides small-to mid-size businesses and large corporations a cost effective solution to deploy and control secure wireless networks at satellite offices. These devices supervise as many as a dozen Cisco APs and are supported on Cisco 2800/3800 Series Routers and Cisco 3700 Series IS Routers. (For information concerning Progent's online and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and management services.)

How Progent's Experts Can Assist You with Catalyst Wireless Controllers
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consulting professional to help your business to design, install, manage and repair a converged wired/wireless infrastructure incorporating a wide range of wireless products that offer the identical security, scalability, and ease of management you demand from a wired network. Progent can help you to maintain early-generation wireless products from Cisco or upgrade seamlessly to the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology. Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can advise you about how to design protection into your WLAN and your company's operations. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity planning consultants can assist you to deploy the high availability (HA) features incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless products so your converged infrastructure delivers non-stop return on investment.

Progent’s Wireless Site Survey helps you to design and deploy a state-of-the-art wireless network optimized for your facilities, providing a Wi-Fi solution that delivers seamless coverage, high speed and capacity, Quality of Service to support 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 onsite to deal with more difficult facilities.

For a further look at Progent's wireless consulting capabilities, visit Progent's Wireless Network Support.

For details about Progent's consulting expertise for additional Cisco networking technology, select a topic:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Expertise
• Fast Remote Support from a Cisco CCIE Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Series Firewalls: Configuration and Management Expertise
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Firewall with Cisco Firepower: Integration and Management Support
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Troubleshooting Support
• PIX Series Firewall Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Consulting Support
• Aironet Access Points Consulting Help
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Wireless Access Points Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Points Engineering Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP (VoIP) Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Integration Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Engineering Services
• Nexus Switches Deployment Services
• Meraki MS Switches Consulting and Support Expertise
• Cisco VPN and Security Consulting Assistance
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP Trunking and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Design Expertise for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Data Center Design Expertise for Internet Service Providers
• Streamlined Network Management Techniques for Cisco Environments