Wireless Consulting Support

Cisco Wi-Fi controllers streamline the management of Wi-Fi environments by unifying the deployment and control of Wi-Fi access points, optimizing Wi-Fi throughput by minimizing the impact of RF interference, enhancing Wi-Fi uptime with rapid auto-failover, and hardening security by detecting cyber threats and filtering content based on user ID and location.

Cisco WiFi controllers work with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure platform, which can support as many as 6,000 Wi-Fi APs and 64,000 users. Cisco's line of Wi-Fi controllers are offered at prices and with feature sets appropriate for networks ranging from small or home offices to service provider networks, multi-site enterprises, and dense campus environments. Cisco's 802.11ac Wave 2 controllers and Wi-Fi access points are designed to deliver the same standard of protection, performance and robustness that users expect in their wired environments. Cisco's technology incorporates built-in mobility services like Voice over IP, HD video, and safe guest access. Cisco's Prime Infrastructure architecture allows organizations to implement environments that combine wired and wireless networks into a centrally managed solution that provides a seamless and productive user experience.

Progent's certified Wi-Fi consultants can help you to assess the business benefits of deploying Cisco wireless controllers to manage wireless networks of any scale. Progent can help your business to support and troubleshoot your existing Cisco-based Wi-Fi solution or help you to plan and carry out an efficient migration from earlier generation wireless controllers to current models to get improved functionality and protection and to streamline administration.

Progent's Cisco-certified integration consultants can provide low-cost online consulting services throughout the U.S. and Canada to assist you to create and enhance Wi-Fi solutions. Progent can also provide on-premises support in larger metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. and in Toronto, Canada. In addition, Progent can provide affordable remote and onsite Wi-Fi Site surveys to assist your company to plan a Wi-Fi network with wireless access points placed and set up efficiently for your particular site environment, application workloads, and client density.

Cisco Wave 2 Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers allow realtime communication, provisioning, control, monitoring and debugging for Cisco wireless appliances and services. Cisco has developed both hardware and software-based wireless controllers for unified administration of wireless environments, but networks with a large number of Wi-Fi APs typically require hardware-based wireless controllers. Current generation wireless controller devices from Cisco offer major advantages in comparison to Wave 1 and earlier models including higher performance, concurrent support for 1G and 10G Ethernet, improved application visibility and control, and hardened, built-in security.

The Cisco 3504 WiFi Controller is a value-priced device available in a desktop form factor and designed for smaller businesses. You can use the 3504 model in a centralized network architecture such as in lean branch and home-based offices managed over the wide-area network with Cisco FlexConnect, or in mesh deployments where Ethernet cabling is sparse. The 3504 wireless controller supports up to 150 wireless APs and 3,000 clients, offers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 WiFi controller includes a Cisco Multigigabit interface (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-GB Ethernet connections. APs can be attached to the controller through two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller offers subsecond failover for access points and clients, which provides nonstop availability for applications. As with other Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers available from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated ability to communicate with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services Engine, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLAN controllers.

The Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller, available in a 1 rack unit form factor, is intended for midsize to large organizations and campus environments and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 wireless controller can handle as many as 1,500 APs and 20,000 clients, delivers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 model controller includes two 10 GE interfaces and features solid-state storage, backup fans, optional redundant power supplies, and rapid failover for high availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2RU package, is a high-end WiFi controller intended to support large enterprises, service providers, and large campus environments. The 8540 WiFi controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and can handle up to 6,000 wireless APs and 64,000 clients. The 8540 Wireless controller can deliver throughput up to 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8540 controller comes with four 1-GB or 10GE interfaces and features solid-state storage, backup power supplies, redundant fans, and rapid failover.

Wave 1 Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers reduce the time and cost needed to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of tasks such as setting up APs, applying single-point policies throughout wired/wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for IP voice and video, monitoring and optimizing network health, activating wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) tools to defend against unauthorized access and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and handling IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has designed wireless network controllers for organizations of all sizes and offers standalone desktop appliances, modular plug-in controllers for Cisco routers and Catalyst switches, and switches with integrated wireless LAN controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 wireless network controllers include Cisco CleanAir tools to avoid signal interference and produce self-healing and self-optimizing wireless LANs for maximum 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and security. Built-in Apple Bonjour Gateways enable discovery across the enterprise for Apple-based applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless network controllers allow wireless access point and client stateful failover by enabling a standby HA wireless controller to synch with a main wireless controller for AP license count, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the main wireless controller fails, thousands of APs and clients can failover immediately to the backup wireless network controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E provides basic 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for 2900 and 3900 Series routers deployed by small to medium-sized organizations and branch offices. This affordable and expandable module can support from five to 200 access points and as many as 6000 wireless clients. (To find out about Progent's online and on-premises consulting support for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and management consulting.)

Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU switches intended for SMBs and branches and features an integrated wireless LAN controller with the ability to support 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and up to 25 access points and 1000 wireless clients per switch. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches designed for midsize and large organizations and include an integrated wireless controller with 40 Gb of wireless throughput on each switch and the ability to handle up to 50 wireless access points and up to 2000 wireless clients. The Wireless Services Module2 (WiSM2) is an add-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches that include an integrated wireless network controller intended for mid-to-large size enterprises and capable of 20 Gbps throughput and with support for up to 1000 access points and as many as 15,000 wireless clients. (For information about Progent's consulting services for Catalyst switches, refer to Cisco Catalyst switches deployment and troubleshooting consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop units that streamline the provisioning and management of wireless networks for small and midsize businesses and branches. The Cisco 2500 Series wireless network controller can manage from five to 75 access points and 1000 clients and offers sustained performance of up to 1 Gbps.

Cisco's 5500 Series Wireless Controller is a scalable 1RU unit intended for mid-to-large sized businesses and campus environments and can manage 500 access points and 7,000 wireless clients while providing 8 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 5760 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU device intended for mid-to-large campus environments with the ability to manage up to 1000 wireless access points and 12,000 wireless clients and offering throughput of 60 Gbps to handle high wireless client densities and high amounts of video-intensive mobile applications.

The Cisco Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is intended to manage thousands of wireless branches from a single datacenter, avoiding the need for a wireless controller at every remote site. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 appliance allows you to create a private cloud to deploy, monitor, manage, and troubleshoot as many as 6000 access points and up to 64,000 clients while supporting 1 Gbps performance. Cisco's 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU rackmount appliance engineered to manage Wi-Fi networks for large campuses or service providers and can be expanded to support up to 6000 access points and up to 64,000 clients while offering 10 Gbps throughput.

To find out about Progent's additional consulting and troubleshooting support services for Cisco technology, select a topic:

• Overview of Progent's Cisco Expertise
• Timely Remote Support from a Cisco CCIE Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Configuration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower Services: Configuration and Management Support
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewalls Engineering Expertise
• Cisco PIX Firewall Troubleshooting Assistance
• Cisco Routers Consulting Services
• Cisco Wireless Consulting Expertise
• Aironet Wireless Access Points Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Small Business WiFi APs Engineering Support
• Meraki Wireless Access Points Deployment Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Expertise and Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Nexus Switches Consulting and Support Expertise
• Meraki MS Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco VPN and Security Engineering Help
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Expertise
• Design Solutions for Cisco-based Datacenters
• Infrastructure Design Services for Service Providers
• Remote Management Techniques for Cisco-powered Infrastructure