Cisco Certified Expert Network Consulting and Support

Cisco offers an extensive catalog of wireless LAN products and software tools engineered to provide anywhere, anytime connections to information and resources and to promote collaboration among workers, partners, vendors, and customers. Cisco's wireless product families include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points, as well as Cisco's Wireless Network Controller modules and appliances. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless consultants can enable businesses of all sizes to deploy Cisco wireless products to accommodate the current paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device computing by converging their wired/wireless ecosystems to achieve simplified configuration, consistently high throughput, single-point control, uniform policy, high availability, and advanced security.

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network architecture can expand to as many as 18,000 APs with Layer 3 connectivity at central or offsite venues like business campuses, college lecture halls, branches, and telecommuter homes. Cisco's Wi-Fi wireless access points and wireless controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to support the identical degree of protection, performance, and ease of management for wireless networks that businesses demand in their wired ecosystem. Cisco's architecture incorporates built-in mobile services like VoIP, IP video, and safe guest connectivity. Cisco's Unified Wireless technology allows organizations to create Wi-Fi ecosystems that streamline the way they work and enhance output through a dynamic and connected employee base.

Progent's Cisco-certified network infrastructure consultants can provide online or on-premises support to assist you to plan, deploy, maintain, expand, and troubleshoot converged wired/wireless network infrastructure of any size and for any venue. In addition, Progent offers affordable online and on-premises wireless site surveys to help you to design and deploy a Wi-Fi LAN with custom-designed AP clustering optimized for your individual work area layout, building structure, and application workloads.

Cisco Small Business, Aironet and Meraki Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points enable businesses to integrate wired/wireless networks to deliver the coverage, capacity, throughput, protection and ease of management required to support virtually any scenario. Cisco's wireless access points range from bare bones, single-radio 802.11b/g/n units with data rates of 300 Mbps for very small companies or home offices to dual-band 802.11ac access points capable of supporting 200 or more wireless clients per AP and delivering data rates of up to 1.9 Gigabits per second. Cisco's current selection of APs can be combined or clustered to deliver the capacity to support sites crowded with clients and with high usage rates of HD video applications.

Cisco Small Business Family of Access Points
Cisco's Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Family of access points are Linux-powered devices designed as value-priced Wi-Fi APs for light workloads. Many models in the Cisco Small Business line of APs support Cisco's Single Point Setup system, which makes it possible to configure, control and repair a group of wireless access points from one AP through an intuitive web browser interface. All of the models support Power over Ethernet and feature Quality of Service (QoS), rogue AP detection, and bridging for connecting to a second Ethernet LAN.

The Cisco Small Business WAP121 AP is a wall-mountable, single-band 2.4GHz device able to support 16 802.11b/g/n clients, has a 10/100 Ethernet port, allows up to four access pointss and 40 wireless clients per cluster, and supports sustained throughput of up to 300 Mbps. The Cisco Small Business WAP131 is a desktop dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n wireless access point able to support 16 wireless clients per radio for a total of up to 32 clients, features a Gigabit Ethernet LAN interface, and delivers sustained data rates of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP131 Wireless-N does not support clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 is a general-purpose dual-radio AC/n AP that features a one Gbit Power over Ethernet (PoE) port and can handle up to 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 allows four APs for each cluster.

Cisco's Small Business WAP321 Wireless-N model is a wallmount selectable-band (2.4 or 5 GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n device with support for 80 active wireless clients in an 8-device cluster. The Cisco WAP321 includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port and can deliver sustained throughput of 300 Mbps for the selected radio. The Cisco WAP351 is a dual-radio 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n AP with a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and can handle 32 active clients per radio for a total of up to 64 active clients, and deliver throughput of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP351 AP does not support clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 is a dual-radio Wireless-AC/N AP that features a 5 x Gb Ethernet LAN switch, can support 32 clients on each radio, and offers 867 Mbps throughput for wireless AC clients and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 supports 8 WAP361 access points per cluster. Cisco's wallmount Small Business WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band device that supports 802.11a/b/g/n as well as the latest 802.11ac IEEE specification. The WAP371 Wireless-AC/N has a Gigabit Ethernet interface, can support up to 32 active clients per radio, and 8 access points per cluster.

Cisco's WAP561 Wireless-N Dual Radio Selectable Band access point includes one Gigabit Ethernet LAN interface and dual radios (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) that deliver 450 Mbps performance for each radio, can handle 64 devices per radio, and allow up to 16 APs per cluster. The Cisco WAP551 is similar to Cisco's WAP 561 but has a single selectable band (2.4 or 5.0 GHz). Cisco's Small Business WAP571 and WAP571E (the weather-proof outside version) are dual-band 802.11ac Wave 1 access points that feature 2 x GE LAN interfaces with link aggregation (LAG), and as high as 1.9 Gigabit/sec performance with 1300 Mbps on 802.11ac and 600 Mbps over 11n. Both units support 32 active WAN clients per radio and 16 WAP371 APs on each cluster.

For details about Progent's consulting services for both current and legacy Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 series of wireless APs, refer to Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi access points configuration and troubleshooting.

The Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
The Aironet portfolio of wireless APs has consistently been the market leading access point solution. Aironet access points range from value-priced entry-level devices to enterprise-class units. The Aironet series span several generations of models compliant with the evolving 802.11x Wi-Fi specification. The latest line of Aironet APs support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network software and incorporate 802.11ac support, which offers triple the speed as well as greater distance and density than the prior generation of devices. Cisco's current dual-band Aironet access points can accommodate 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for clients that do not have 802.11ac capability.

The oldest Aironet APs are legacy devices that have come to end-of-sale status and are no longer fully supported by Cisco. Progent continues to support the complete Aironet family of APs and can help you to maintain your current Aironet wireless environment or upgrade smoothly to current Aironet products. For more information about Progent's consulting services for current and legacy Cisco Aironet wireless access points, refer to Cisco Aironet APs system design and troubleshooting.

Cisco's Meraki Wireless Access Points
Cisco's family of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor wireless access points include budget-friendly models for small businesses to enterprise-class units that offer as high as 2.5 Gigabit per second performance. Every Meraki indoor wireless access point offers high-end features such as plug-and-play deployment, advanced security, BYOD support, extensive analytics, automatic web-based firmware updates, and consolidated cloud-based management for multiple sites. Every Meraki indoor access point also incorporates two high-power radios with enhanced reception plus a separate radio that offers (WIDS/WIPS) security for threat detection and deep packet inspection.

Meraki outdoor access points are IP67 rated, designed to operate in harsh outdoor conditions, and able to resist dust, shock and humidity. Cisco's Meraki outdoor wireless access points include a Gigabit Ethernet port and offer advanced capabilities that include cloud management with multi-site visibility, 802.1X integration, built-in antivirus scan (NAC), 1-click guest access and isolation firewall, Layer 7 traffic shaping, plus auto-configuring mesh with MIMO and beamforming. For details about Progent's consulting services for Meraki wireless access points and cloud management, refer to Cisco's Meraki APs consulting.

Cisco Wave 2 WiFi LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 wireless controllers enable fast communication, deployment, control, analysis and troubleshooting for Cisco Wi-Fi devices and software services. Cisco has developed both hardware and software-based wireless controllers for centralized administration of WiFi networks, but WLANs with a large number of wireless APs are better served by physical Wi-Fi controllers. New Wi-Fi controller appliances from Cisco offer significant advantages in comparison to Wave 1 and older products including greater performance, simultaneous support for 1G and 10G Ethernet, enhanced application visibility and control (AVC), and hardened, built-in protection.

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is an entry-level appliance available in a desktop body and intended for smaller organizations. You can use the 3504 in a centralized network environment such as in lean branch and remote offices administered over the WAN via Cisco FlexConnect, or in mesh installations where wiring is limited. The 3504 wireless controller supports up to 150 access points and 3,000 clients, delivers 4 Gbps performance, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet interface and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet connections. APs can be connected directly to the WiFi controller through two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller features fast failover for APs and clients, which provides high availability for applications. As with other Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated capability to work with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services Engine, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 wireless controllers.

Cisco's 5520 Wireless Controller, available in a 1RU package, is designed for larger organizations and campus environments and can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 wireless controller supports as many as 1,500 APs and 20,000 clients, delivers 20 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 wireless controller features two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates solid-state storage, redundant fans, optional backup power supplies, and rapid failover for uninterrupted availability.

The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2RU enclosure, is a high-end wireless controller intended to support enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 WiFi controller can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and supports up to 6,000 access points and 64,000 users. The 8540 WiFi controller offers throughput up to 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 includes four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features solid-state storage, backup power supplies, redundant fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco wireless network controllers cut the time and expense required to deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot wireless networks by offering single-point control of critical tasks like provisioning wireless access points, applying single-point policies across wired/wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service for voice and video, tracking and troubleshooting network health, activating security capabilities to guard against cyber break-ins and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and managing IPv6 clients. Cisco has developed wireless LAN controllers for businesses of all sizes and can provide desktop or rackmount appliances, modular add-on wireless controllers for Cisco routers and Catalyst switches, and switches with built-in wireless LAN controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi controllers incorporate Cisco CleanAir technology to avoid RF interference and create self-healing wireless networks for maximum 802.11n and 802.11ac throughput and security. Built-in Bonjour Gateways allow discovery across WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless LAN controllers allow wireless access point and client stateful failover by permitting a standby HA wireless controller to synch with a primary wireless controller for AP license tabulation, CAPWAP keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the main wireless controller stops working, thousands of wireless access points and clients can switchover at subsecond speeds to the secondary wireless network controller.

Cisco's Wireless 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 businesses and branches. This value-priced and expandable module can support from five to 200 wireless access points and up to 6000 wireless clients. (For information about Progent's online and onsite consulting services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and management support.)

Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches designed for SMBs and branches and come with a built-in wireless network controller with the capability to support 40 Gb of wireless capacity for each switch and up to 25 access points and 1000 clients on each switch. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU switches intended for mid-size and large organizations and include an integrated wireless controller with up to 40 Gb of wireless capacity on each switch and support for up to 50 access points and up to 2000 wireless clients. The Wireless Services Module2 is a plug-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches with a built-in wireless network controller intended for mid-to-large size enterprises and capable of 20 Gbps performance and able to handle up to 1000 access points and 15,000 wireless clients. (To learn concerning Progent's online and onsite consulting support for Catalyst switches, see Catalyst switches deployment and management consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop appliances that simplify the deployment and operation of wireless networks for small to medium-sized enterprises and branches. The Cisco 2500 Series wireless LAN controller can manage from five to 75 wireless access points and up to 1000 clients and can deliver sustained performance of up to 1 Gbps.

The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is an expandable 1RU appliance intended for medium-sized to large enterprises and campuses and can support up to 500 access points and 7,000 wireless clients while delivering 8 Gbps performance. The Cisco 5760 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU device designed for mid-to-large campus environments with support for up to 1000 wireless access points and 12,000 clients and offering throughput of 60 Gbps to handle high client densities and high amounts of media-rich applications.

Cisco's Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is designed to enable centralized management of thousands of wireless branches from one location, eliminating the costs of a wireless controller at every branch. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 lets you establish a private cloud to deploy, track, manage, and repair up to 6000 access points and up to 64,000 clients while handling 1 Gbps throughput. The Cisco 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU device designed to manage wireless networks for very large campuses or service providers and can scale to support 6000 APs and up to 64,000 clients while delivering 10 Gbps performance.

For more information about Cisco WiFi controllers, go to Cisco wireless controllers consulting services.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Access Points, Bridges and Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the 802.11ac specification for wireless connectivity largely made obsolete all previous generations of Wi-Fi products for venues that support high numbers of clients and high usage of video-intensive software applications. Even for organizations who do not currently need the performance of 802.11ac, a large number of Cisco wireless products have arrived at end-of-life status, which can represent significant maintenance and regulatory compliance problems. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants provide remote and onsite support for a wide range of older-generation Cisco wireless products. Progent can in addition help organizations to assess the business case for upgrading up-of-date wireless infrastructure and can help in planning and carrying out affordable, non-disruptive upgrades. The following are a sample of Cisco older-generation Wi-Fi products that Progent's consultants continue to support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Access Points
Aironet 1000/1130AG family access points are designed for offices and other locations which have minimal environmental variability. These products have integrated antennas that provide dependable radio range profiles. The Aironet 1130G Series device is available for restricted domains that do not allow 5GHz operation.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG or 1240AG Series wireless access points are ideal for more problematic radio frequency situations like manufacturing plants and warehouses or above suspended ceilings which often call for adjustable protruding antennas and rugged metal enclosures. The Cisco 1240G Series wireless access point is intended for restricted domains that do not permit 802.11a transmission.

Cisco Aironet 1500 lightweight outdoor mesh APs provide an economical, expandable, protected outdoor wireless mechanism for enterprise campuses and for public sites that require connectivity for mobile devices.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges provide a high-performance and feature-rich solution for integrating numerous LANs in a metro situation or public wireless environment. Cisco bridges provide a versatile, easy-to-use technology that satisfies the security demands of WAN professionals. They handle both PTP and PMP deployments with excellent range and support for data rates up to 54 Mbps.

Cisco wireless bridges offer throughput substantially higher than E1/T1 links for much lower expense, erasing the need for costly leased lines when connecting separate buildings. Since bridges have no ongoing costs, the expenses saved on connection bills quickly pay for the startup equipment costs. Private lines and in some cases leased lines made of metal or optical cable can require very expensive startup costs if they are separated by obstacles like freeways, railroads, or lakes and rivers. Cisco wireless LAN bridges can be installed quickly with a fast ROI.

Cisco Aironet 1300 outdoor access points/bridges can be deployed as independent wireless access points, wireless bridges, or wireless group bridges. These devices have a tough enclosure and offer high-speed, economical wireless interfaces between numerous stationary or mobile environments and clients.

Aironet 1400 bridges provide high-performance, reliable outdoor wireless bridging for line-of-sight (LOS) applications. These devices are housed in a durable enclosure that can hold up to harsh outdoor conditions and function in wide temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers provide single-point management of wireless LANs by streamlining the control of common technologies including integrated IPS, real-time RF control, zero touch configuration, and full N+1 redundancy. Wireless Network controllers operate with small wireless access points to deliver enhanced performance and high-end management capabilities.

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) offer the manageability, scalability, protection, and reliability that IT managers need to build secure, enterprise-scale wireless networks, from satellite locations to small companies to main campuses. Cisco's first-generation WLCs can be clustered to provide accommodation for as many as 2400 access points for each roaming domain.

The Cisco WLCM or WLCM-E Module for Integrated Services Routers offers small-to medium businesses and large corporations an economical solution to deploy and control secure WLANs at satellite offices. These wireless LAN controllers supervise up to twelve Cisco APs and are installable in 2800/3800 Series Integrated Services Routers and Cisco 3700 Series Routers. (To find out about Progent's online and onsite consulting support for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting consulting.)

How Progent's Consultants Can Help Your Business with Cisco Wireless Devices
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consultant to help you to plan, deploy, maintain and troubleshoot a converged wired/wireless infrastructure incorporating a broad range of wireless devices that offer the identical protection, extensibility, and manageability you demand from your wired environment. Progent can help you to manage early-generation wireless solutions from Cisco or upgrade efficiently to the latest 802.11ac-comaptible products. Progent's CISM and CISSP security consultants can advise you about how to design protection into your WLAN and your company's processes. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity consultants can show you how to deploy the HA technology incorporated into Cisco's wireless and wired technologies so your converged network delivers non-stop business value.

Progent’s Wireless Site Survey assists you to design and deploy a robust WLAN optimized for your environment, offering a wireless solution that provides seamless coverage, high speed and capacity, QoS features to accommodate IP voice and video, advanced security and compliance, and streamlined management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be performed online to cut time and expense, or on premises for more complex situations.

For a further discussion of Progent's wireless integration services, see Progent's Wireless LAN Help.

For more details about Progent's consulting expertise for Cisco solutions, choose a topic:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Support
• Fast Online Help from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Consultant
• Cisco Firepower Firewalls: Configuration and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Firewall with Firepower Services: Integration and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Integration Support
• Cisco PIX Series Firewall Engineering Assistance
• Cisco Routers Consulting Services
• Aironet APs Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi Access Points Deployment Services
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Integration Consulting
• Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Points Deployment Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Consulting Services and Cisco Wireless IP Phone Solutions
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• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunking and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Design Solutions for Cisco-based Datacenters
• Data Center Optimization Services for Internet Service Providers
• Streamlined Management Techniques for Cisco-powered Infrastructure

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• 802.11ac Wireless Access Point Remote Troubleshooting San Francisco Bay Area
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