Cisco Network Consultants

Cisco Wi-Fi controllers work with Cisco's Prime Infrastructure and DNA Center (DNAC) management tools and can accommodate up to 6,000 wireless access points and 64,000 clients. Cisco's line of wireless controllers are available at price points and with capabilities suitable for networks ranging from branch offices to service provider networks, enterprises, and large campus deployments. Cisco's 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 controllers and APs are engineered to provide the high level of protection, speed and robustness that companies are accustomed to from their wired environments. Cisco's technology includes built-in mobility support like Voice over IP, HD video, and protected guest access. Cisco's Prime Infrastructure and DNA Center platforms make it possible for businesses to implement environments that integrate wired and wireless networks into a unified solution that ensures a seamless and productive work environment.

Progent's seasoned Wi-Fi experts can help you to determine the business value of deploying Cisco wireless controllers to administer WiFi environments of any scale. Progent can assist your business to manage and troubleshoot your current Cisco Wi-Fi ecosystem or help you to design and carry out an efficient transition from earlier generation Wi-Fi controllers to modern models to get improved performance and protection and to streamline administration.

Progent's Cisco-certified integration consultants offer affordable remote consulting expertise across the U.S. to assist you to build and enhance Wi-Fi networks. Progent can also provide onsite consulting and troubleshooting in major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. and in Toronto, Canada. In addition, Progent can provide remote predictive and on-premises Wireless Site Surveys to help your company to plan a Wi-Fi network with access points located and set up optimally for your particular office layout, traffic volume, and user density.

Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6-compatible wireless controller appliances allow you to automate and manage advanced wireless environments that incorporate 802.11ax access points. The 802.11ax standard, also called Wi-Fi 6, improves on previous generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) devices by providing lower latency and more reliable performance, allowing higher client density, providing greater protection, conserving energy for battery-powered handheld devices, and offering more flexibility for handling new types of IoT endpoints. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 family wireless controllers feature always-on availability with seamless software updates, hot patching, and the ability to add access points without service interruption. Enhanced cybersecurity features include Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), image signing, and Software-Defined Access (SD-Access). Streaming telemetry permits you to monitor and understand network and client health. All controllers in the Catalyst 9800 line are powered by Cisco's IOS XE Software and operate with Cisco's DNA Center (DNAC) or Prime Infrastructure management tools. Catalyst 9800 wireless network controllers can manage Cisco Aironet 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 wireless APs as well as Catalyst 9100 802.11ax access points.

The Cisco 9800-L 802.11ax Controller is a value-priced device with a half-width 1RU enclosure that permits side-by-side mounting in a 19-in rack. Intended for smaller businesses, the 9800-L controller offers enhanced throughput and capacity if you purchase a Performance license. The 9800-L supports 250 Wi-Fi access points and 5,000 users (500 wireless APs and 10,00 client users with Cisco's Performance license). The 9800-L controller delivers 5 Gbps throughput (10 Gbps with a Performance license), and supports 4,096 VLANs. Deployment modes include Centralized, Cisco FlexConnect for remote office deployments, and fabric. Fixed uplinks include four 2.5G/1G ports and two 10G/Multigigabit copper (Catalyst 9800-L-C) or two 10G/Multigigabit fiber ports (Catalyst 9800-L-F). Other ports include an RJ-45 console interface and a Micro USB console port for management, a USB 3.0 interface for adding external memory, an RJ-45 service port, and an RJ-45 HA redundancy interface for SSO.

The Cisco Catalyst 9800-40 Wi-Fi 6 Controller, available in a 1 rack unit package, is designed for midsize campus deployments. The 9800-40 can handle 2,000 APs and 32,000 client users. The 9800-40 controller offers 40 Gbps throughput and supports 4,096 VLANs. Deployment modes include Centralized, Cisco FlexConnect, and Fabric Wireless (SD-Access). Fixed interfaces include four GE SFP/10 GE SFP+ or SFP interfaces and an SFP Gigabit Ethernet redundancy interface. Other integrated ports include RJ-45 and USB 3.0 console ports, an RJ-45 service port, an RJ-45 redundancy port used for stateful switchover (SSO), and two USB 3.0 interfaces for plugging in external RAM memory.

Cisco's Catalyst 9800-80 802.11ax Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit (RU) enclosure, is an expandable, high-end wireless controller intended to support large campus and service provider deployments. The 9800-80 supports 60,00 Wi-Fi access points and 64,000 clients. The 9800-80 controller offers up to 80 Gbps data rates and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Deployment scenarios include Centralized, FlexConnect, and Fabric Wireless (SD-Access). Fixed uplink ports include eight 10G SFP+ ports or six 10G interfaces and two 1G ports. Supported uplink add-in modules can add 18 1GE interfaces, 10 10GE ports, a 40GE interface, two 40GE interfaces, or a 100GE port. Additional fixed ports include RJ-45 and USB 3.0 console interfaces, an RJ-45 service interface, an SFP Gigabit Ethernet redundancy interface for stateful switchover (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 LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 wireless controllers allow fast data exchange, configuration, control, monitoring and troubleshooting for Cisco wireless appliances and services. Cisco offers both physical and virtual Wi-Fi controllers for unified administration of WiFi environments, but networks with many wireless access points are better served by hardware-based Wi-Fi controllers. Wave 2 wireless controller devices from Cisco offer significant benefits over Wave 1 and earlier products such as higher performance, simultaneous support for 1G and 10G interfaces, improved application visibility and control (AVC), and hardened, integrated security.

The Cisco 3504 WiFi Controller is a value-priced appliance with a desktop body and designed for smaller businesses. You can use the 3504 in a centralized WLAN architecture such as in small branch and remote offices managed over the WAN via FlexConnect, or in mesh installations where wiring is sparse. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller supports as many as 150 WiFi access points and 3,000 client users, delivers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 WiFi controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet port (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports. APs can be connected to the WiFi controller through two PoE ports. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller features fast failover for APs and clients, which provides uninterrupted availability for applications. As with other current Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers from Cisco, the 3504 model has the built-in capability to work with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 wireless controllers.

Cisco's 5520 WiFi Controller, available in a 1RU package, is designed to support larger organizations and campus networks and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 Wi-Fi controller can handle up to 1,500 wireless APs and 20,000 users, delivers 20 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 wireless controller includes two 10 GE ports and features solid-state storage, redundant fans, optional dual power supplies, and rapid failover for nonstop availability.

The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2RU form factor, is a high-end wireless controller intended to support enterprises, service providers, and large campus environments. The 8540 Wireless controller can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and supports as many as 6,000 Wi-Fi access points and 64,000 clients. The 8540 Wireless controller can deliver data rates 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, redundant power supplies, backup fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers cut the effort and cost needed to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of tasks like setting up wireless access points, enforcing consistent policies throughout converged wired/wireless LANs, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for voice and HD video, monitoring and optimizing network health, implementing wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) tools to defend against cyber break-ins and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and managing IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has developed wireless LAN controllers for organizations of any size and can provide standalone desktop controllers, modular plug-in controllers for Cisco ISR routers and switches, and Catalyst switches with built-in wireless network controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi network controllers incorporate Cisco CleanAir tools to avoid signal interference and create self-healing and self-optimizing wireless LANs for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and protection. Built-in Apple Bonjour Gateways enable discovery across WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless controllers allow wireless access point and client stateful failover by permitting a backup HA wireless controller to synchronize with a main wireless controller for AP license tabulation, CAPWAP keys, and access point CAPWAP state. In case the main wireless controller stops working, thousands of wireless access points and clients can failover in less than a second to the backup controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E provides entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for Cisco 2900 and 3900 routers used by smaller businesses and branch offices. This value-priced and expandable solution can support up to 200 APs and up to 6000 wireless clients. (To find out concerning Progent's online and onsite consulting and troubleshooting support services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and management support.)

Cisco Legacy Wi-Fi LAN Controllers
Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches intended for small to mid-size businesses and branches and have an integrated wireless controller with the ability to support 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and 25 wireless access points and 1000 clients per switch or stack. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches designed for mid-size businesses and large enterprises and feature an integrated wireless LAN controller supporting up to 40 Gb of wireless capacity on each switch and support for up to 50 APs and up to 2000 wireless clients. The Wireless Services Module2 (WiSM2) is a plug-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches with a built-in wireless controller designed for mid-to-large size enterprises and able to deliver 20 Gbps performance and able to handle up to 1000 access points and up to 15,000 clients. (For information about Progent's support for Cisco Catalyst switches, see Catalyst switches deployment and troubleshooting consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop devices that simplify the deployment and operation of Wi-Fi LANs for SMBs and branches. The 2500 Series wireless LAN controller can handle from five to 75 access points and up to 1000 clients and offers sustained performance of 1 Gbps.

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

Cisco's Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is intended to manage massive collections of wireless branches from one location, avoiding the need for a wireless controller at each branch. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 appliance lets you establish a private cloud to deploy, monitor, manage, and troubleshoot as many as 6000 access points and 64,000 wireless clients while supporting 1 Gbps performance. The Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance engineered to monitor and manage Wi-Fi networks for very large campuses or for service providers and can scale to handle up to 6000 wireless points and up to 64,000 clients while offering 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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