Cisco Network Consultants

Cisco Wi-Fi controllers integrate with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure and DNA Center (DNAC) network management solutions and can accommodate up to 6,000 wireless APs and 64,000 users. Cisco's family of Wi-Fi controllers are available at prices and with capabilities appropriate for networks that run from branch offices to service provider networks, multi-site enterprises, and large campus environments. Cisco's 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 controllers and APs are designed to provide the same level of security, speed and robustness that users are accustomed to in their wired network. Cisco's technology includes integrated mobility support like Voice over IP, HD video, and protected guest access. Cisco's Prime Infrastructure and DNA Center platforms allow organizations to implement environments that combine wired and Wi-Fi networks into a centrally managed ecosystem that provides a consistent and productive work environment.

Progent's seasoned Wi-Fi consultants can assist your organization to determine the business value of deploying Cisco Wi-Fi controllers to manage WiFi environments of any size. Progent can assist your business to maintain and troubleshoot your existing Cisco-based Wi-Fi ecosystem or help you to plan and implement a cost-effective migration from older wireless controllers to current models to get enhanced functionality and protection and to simplify administration.

Progent's Cisco-certified network infrastructure consultants can provide low-cost remote consulting and support expertise throughout the U.S. and Canada to help organizations to create and enhance Wi-Fi solutions. Progent can also provide onsite consulting and troubleshooting in larger metropolitan areas across the United States and in Toronto, Canada. In addition, Progent can provide remote predictive and onsite Wi-Fi Site Surveys to help you to plan a Wi-Fi network with wireless access points placed and set up optimally for your specific site layout, traffic volume, and user density.

Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Catalyst 9800 line of Wi-Fi 6-supported wireless controllers allow you to manage advanced Wi-Fi networks that incorporate 802.11ax Wi-Fi access points. 802.11ax, also called Wi-Fi 6, builds on prior generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) devices by providing lower latency and more reliable performance, allowing higher client user density, offering greater protection, conserving energy for battery-powered handheld devices, and allowing more versatility for handling the latest types of Internet-of-Things (IoT) endpoints. Catalyst 9800 Series wireless controllers feature always-on availability with seamless software upgrades, hot patching, and the ability to connect additional wireless APs without service interruption. Advanced cybersecurity features include Cisco Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), image signing, and Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access). Streaming telemetry allows you to track and understand network and endpoint health. All appliances in the Catalyst 9800 family are powered by Cisco's IOS XE Software and operate with Cisco's DNA Center (DNAC) or with Prime Infrastructure network management tools. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 wireless network controllers can support Cisco Aironet 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 APs concurrently with Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi access points.

Cisco's 9800-L 802.11ax Controller is an entry-level appliance available in a half-width 1RU form factor that permits dual installation in a 19-in rack. Intended for smaller businesses, the controller delivers enhanced throughput and capacity if you purchase a Performance license. The 9800-L supports 250 Wi-Fi access points and 5,000 users (500 Wi-Fi access points and 10,00 clients if you have Cisco's Performance license). The controller delivers 5 Gbps data rates (10 Gbps with a Performance license), and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Deployment modes include Centralized, FlexConnect for branch office installations, and fabric. Integrated uplinks include four 2.5G/1G ports plus either two 10G/Multigigabit copper (Catalyst 9800-L-C) or two 10G/Multigigabit fiber ports (Catalyst 9800-L-F). Additional ports include an RJ-45 console port and a Micro USB console port for out-of-band management, a USB 3.0 port for adding external memory, an RJ-45 service port, and an RJ-45 high-availability redundancy port used for stateful switchover.

The Cisco Catalyst 9800-40 802.11ax Wireless Controller, offered in a 1 rack unit (RU) package, is designed for midsize campus environments. The 9800-40 can handle 2,000 Wi-Fi access points and 32,000 clients. The 9800-40 offers 40 Gbps data rates and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Deployment options include Centralized, Cisco FlexConnect, and Fabric Wireless. Integrated interfaces include four GE SFP/10 GE SFP+ or SFP interfaces and an SFP Gigabit Ethernet redundancy port. Other fixed ports include RJ-45 and USB 3.0 console interfaces, an RJ-45 service port, an RJ-45 redundancy port for stateful switchover, and two USB 3.0 interfaces for plugging in external memory.

Cisco's Catalyst 9800-80 802.11ax Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit enclosure, is a modular, top-of-the-line Wi-Fi controller intended to support large campus and service provider environments. The 9800-80 can handle 60,00 access points and 64,000 users. The controller delivers up to 80 Gbps data rates and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Deployment options include Centralized, FlexConnect, and Fabric Wireless (SD-Access). Integrated uplink interfaces include eight 10G SFP+ ports or six 10G ports and two 1G ports. Available uplink add-in modules can add 18 1GE interfaces, 10 10GE ports, a 40GE port, two 40GE interfaces, or a 100GE interface. Other integrated ports include RJ-45 and USB 3.0 console ports, an RJ-45 management interface, an SFP Gigabit Ethernet redundancy interface used for SSO, an RJ-45 redundancy interface used for stateful switchover, and two USB 3.0 ports for adding external memory.

Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 controllers allow fast data exchange, configuration, control, analysis and debugging for Cisco Wi-Fi devices and software services. Cisco offers both physical and virtual Wi-Fi controllers for centralized management of WiFi environments, but WLANs with a large number of Wi-Fi APs are better served by hardware-based wireless controllers. Wave 2 wireless controller devices from Cisco offer significant benefits over Wave 1 and older products such as greater performance, simultaneous support for 1G and 10G Ethernet, improved application visibility and control (AVC), and advanced, integrated protection.

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is an entry-level device with a desktop body and designed for smaller organizations. You can use the 3504 model in a centralized network architecture such as in small branch and home-based offices managed across the WAN with FlexConnect, or in bridge installations where Ethernet cabling is sparse. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller can handle up to 150 wireless APs and 3,000 clients, delivers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 WiFi controller features a Cisco Multigigabit port and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. APs can be attached directly to the controller via two Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller offers subsecond failover for APs and users, which allows uninterrupted availability for apps. As with other current Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers 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 (RU) package, is designed to support larger organizations and campus environments and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments. The 5520 Wi-Fi controller supports up to 1,500 wireless APs and 20,000 clients, delivers 20 Gbps performance, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 WiFi controller includes two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates solid-state storage, backup fans, optional dual power supplies, and rapid failover for uninterrupted availability.

The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, available in a 2 rack unit enclosure, is a top-of-the-line WiFi controller designed to support enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 Wireless controller can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and supports up to 6,000 Wi-Fi access points and 64,000 client users. The 8540 Wireless controller can deliver data rates as high as 40 Gbps and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 8540 controller includes four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features SSD storage, redundant power supplies, redundant fans, and rapid failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers reduce the time and cost required to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by centralizing control of critical functions like provisioning access points, applying consistent policies across converged wired/wireless LANs, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for voice and HD video, monitoring and optimizing system performance, activating wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) tools to guard against cyber break-ins and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and handling IPv6 clients. Cisco has designed wireless network controllers for organizations of any size and offers desktop or rackmount appliances, modular plug-in controllers for Cisco routers and switches, and Catalyst switches with integrated wireless controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi controllers include Cisco CleanAir technology to avoid signal interference and produce self-optimizing wireless LANs for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and protection. Integrated Bonjour Gateways permit discovery across WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple-based applications. For fault tolerance, Cisco wireless controllers allow AP and client stateful switchover by permitting a backup high-availability wireless controller to synch with a primary controller for AP license count, CAPWAP keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the primary wireless controller fails, thousands of APs and clients can failover immediately to the backup wireless LAN controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E provides basic 802.11n and 802.11ac support for 2900 and 3900 Series routers deployed by small to medium-sized organizations and branches. This affordable and scalable module can support up to 200 APs and as many as 6000 wireless clients. (To find out concerning Progent's online and on-premises consulting and troubleshooting services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting consulting.)

Cisco Legacy Wireless LAN Controllers
Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU switches designed for small to mid-size businesses and branch offices and come with an integrated wireless LAN controller with the capability to support up to 40 Gb of wireless capacity for each switch and 25 APs and 1000 clients per switch. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches intended for midsize businesses and large enterprises and feature an integrated wireless LAN controller supporting 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and support for up to 50 wireless access points and 2000 clients. The Wireless Services Module2 (WiSM2) is a plug-in blade for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches with an integrated wireless LAN controller designed for mid-to-large size businesses and capable of 20 Gbps performance and able to handle 1000 wireless access points and as many as 15,000 clients. (To find out concerning Progent's support for Catalyst switches, refer to Cisco Catalyst switches configuration and management consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Wireless Controllers are economical desktop appliances that streamline the deployment and operation of wireless networks for SMBs and branches. The 2500 Series wireless controller supports from five to 75 APs and up to 1000 clients and can deliver sustained data rates of 1 Gbps.

The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is an expandable 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large sized enterprises and campuses and can manage 500 access points and 7,000 clients while providing 8 Gbps performance. The Cisco 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large campus environments with the ability to manage 1000 wireless access points and 12,000 clients and delivering throughput of 60 Gbps to handle high client densities and high usage of video-intensive mobile applications.

Cisco's Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is intended to manage thousands of wireless branches from a single location, eliminating the costs of a wireless controller at each branch. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 appliance allows you to create a private cloud to deploy, track, maintain, and troubleshoot as many as 6000 APs and 64,000 clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. Cisco's 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU device designed to monitor and manage wireless environments for large campuses or for service providers and can scale to support up to 6000 wireless points and 64,000 clients while delivering 10 Gbps performance.

Contact Progent for Consulting Support for Cisco Wi-Fi Controllers
To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Cisco wireless controllers, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

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