Cisco Network Consultants

Cisco offers an extensive catalog of wireless networking devices and software tools engineered to enable anywhere, anytime connections to data and resources and to promote teamwork among workers, partners, suppliers, and clients. Cisco's wireless product families include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki series of wireless access points, plus Cisco's Wireless Network Controller plug-ins and appliances. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless experts can enable organizations of all sizes to utilize Cisco wireless products to support the new paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) computing by converging their wired/wireless environments to benefit from easy deployment, consistently high throughput, single-point management, enterprise-wide policy enforcement, fault tolerance, and advanced protection.

Cisco's Unified Wireless Network solution can scale to up to 18,000 wireless access points with full Layer 3 mobility across local or offsite venues such as business headquarters, university lecture halls, branch offices, and telecommuter homes. Cisco's Wi-Fi wireless access points and controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to support the same degree of protection, throughput, and ease of management for WLANs that companies demand in their wired ecosystem. Cisco's technology incorporates built-in mobile services such as Voice over IP, high-definition IP video, and secure guest connectivity. Cisco's Unified Wireless Network solution enables organizations to create wireless ecosystems that improve the way they do business and enhance output through a dynamic and connected workforce.

Progent's Cisco-certified network infrastructure consulting services can provide online or onsite expertise to assist your organization to plan, configure, maintain, upgrade, and repair converged wired/wireless networks of all sizes and for any venue. Also, Progent offers affordable remote and onsite wireless site surveys to help your company to plan and deploy a Wi-Fi network with custom-designed access point clustering optimized for your specific work area layout, building characteristics, and application workloads.

Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst lines of wireless access points enable you to integrate wired/wireless networks to provide the coverage, density, performance, security compliance and ease of management needed for virtually any scenario. Cisco's access points range from bare bones, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with throughput of 300 Mb designed for very small companies or telecommuters to 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) access points suitable for handling hundreds of wireless clients on each access point and offering throughput of more than 5 Gigabits per second. Cisco's latest line of APs can be clustered to deliver the scale to handle wireless networks crowded with clients and with high usage rates of HD video applications.

Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Family of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of wireless access points are Linux-powered units engineered as value-priced wireless APs for small offices. Most versions in Cisco's Small Business portfolio of APs support Cisco's Single Point Setup technology, which allows you to set up, manage and troubleshoot a group of wireless access points from a single device via an intuitive web browser tool. All of the versions support Power over Ethernet (POE) and feature QoS, rogue AP awareness, and bridge mode for connecting to another network.

Cisco's Small Business WAP121 AP is a wallmount, single-radio 2.4GHz device that can support 16 active 802.11n clients, has a Fast Ethernet interface, permits up to four access pointss and 40 active wireless clients in a cluster, and can handle sustained data rates of up to 300 Mbps. The Cisco WAP131 is a desktop dual-radio 802.11n access point that can handle 16 active wireless clients on each radio for a total of up to 32 wireless clients, includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface, and can support throughput of up to 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP131 Wireless-N does not allow clustering. The Cisco WAP150 is a value-priced Wave 1 dual-radio AC/n access point that includes a one Gbit Power over Ethernet port and can handle up to 16 clients from each radio with 867 Mbps throughput for 802.11ac devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n devices. The Cisco WAP1501 supports 4 access points per cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP321 Wireless-N model is a wall-mountable single-band (either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n device that can handle up to 80 wireless clients in an 8-device cluster. The Cisco WAP321 has a GE port and can deliver a sustained data rate of 300 Mbps for the activated radio. The Cisco Small Business WAP351 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access point with a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and can support 32 wireless clients on each radio for up to 64 active clients, and support a data rate of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP351 AP does not allow clustering. The Cisco Small Business WAP361 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11ac Wave 1 wireless access point that features a 5 x Gb Ethernet switch, allows 32 active WLAN clients per radio, and offers 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n devices. Cisco's WAP361 supports eight access points for each cluster. Cisco's wall-mountable WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band AP that works with 802.11a/b/g/n and the new 802.11ac IEEE standard. The WAP371 includes a Gigabit Ethernet interface, can support up to 32 active clients on each radio, and 8 access points for each cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP561 802.11n Dual Radio wireless access point features one 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface and dual concurrent radios that offer 450 Mbps throughput per radio, can handle 64 devices for each radio, and allow 16 access points for each cluster. The Cisco WAP551 is similar to Cisco's WAP 561 but features a single radio selectable band (2.4 or 5.0 GHz). The Cisco Small Business WAP571 and WAP571E (a weather-proof outdoor model) are dual-radio 802.11ac wireless access points that feature two Gb Ethernet interfaces with link aggregation (LAG), and up to 1.9 Gigabit/sec performance with 1300 Mbps on 11ac and 600 Mbps on 11n. Both APs can handle 32 clients per radio and 16 wireless access points per cluster.

Cisco's Small Business WAP581 Wireless-AC Wave 2 Wireless Access Point complies with the 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 standard and offers 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO to provide 2.8 Gbps throughput on the 5.0-Ghz radio and 0.6 Gbps on the 2.4-GHz radio for an aggregate maximum throughput of 2.4 Gbps. The Small Business WAP581 includes an integrated 2.5G Ethernet interface and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface with 802.3at PoE. Cisco's WAP581 Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 AP can handle as many as 200 connective users, a maximum of 50 active users for each radio, 16 APs for each cluster, and 960 active users per cluster.

For more information about Progent's support for current and legacy Cisco Small Business family of wireless APs, see Cisco Small Business wireless APs system design and troubleshooting.

Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
The Aironet portfolio of wireless access points has consistently been the market leading AP solution. Aironet wireless access points run the gamut from entry-level devices to enterprise-class APs. The Aironet family span several generations of models compliant with the evolving Wi-Fi standard. Cisco's current portfolio of Aironet access points support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network software and include 802.11ac technology, which offers three times the speed plus superior range and density compared to the previous generation of APs. The latest multi-band Aironet access points can accommodate 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for client devices that lack 802.11ac capability.

The oldest Aironet APs are now legacy units that have reached end-of-sale status and are no longer supported by Cisco. Progent continues to support the entire Aironet line of APs and can assist your company to maintain your current Aironet Wi-Fi system or upgrade cost effectively to the latest Aironet technology. To find out more about Progent's consulting services for current and legacy Cisco Aironet access points, refer to Aironet wireless access points system design and troubleshooting.

Meraki Wireless Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor wireless access points include value-priced devices for general use to enterprise-class units supporting up to 5.9 Gigabit per second performance. Each Cisco Meraki indoor access point provides high-end features like self-configuring deployment, in-depth security, Bring-Your-Own-Device support, built-in traffic analysis, automatic web-based firmware updates, and unified cloud-based management for multiple sites. Every Cisco Meraki indoor wireless access point also incorporates two powerful radios with enhanced receive sensitivity as well as a dedicated radio that provides (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection.

Meraki outdoor APs are IP67 rated, built to withstand rugged outdoor environments, and able to resist dust particles, shock and moisture. Meraki outdoor APs include a Gigabit Ethernet port and offer advanced features that include cloud management with network-wide visibility, 802.1X and native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan, single-click secure guest access and guest isolation firewall, application-aware traffic shaping, plus auto-configuring mesh with MIMO and beamforming. To find out more about Progent's support for Cisco's Meraki APs and management, refer to Meraki APs system design and troubleshooting.

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Line of 802.11ax Access Points
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 line of Wi-Fi 6 access points are intended for deployments ranging from telecommuter homes to crowded convention centers. Catalyst 9100 APs are based on the 802.11ax standard, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, which is an evolution of the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. Unlike 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is designed to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Headline enhancements incorporated in Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series APs include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for better reliability, Target Wake Time for conserving power usage in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for better spectrum utilization, and extended guard intervals for improved outdoor performance. All Catalyst 9100 802.11ax access points can run Cisco's EWC, accommodate up to 200 clients per Wi-Fi radio, and run on Cisco IOS XE Software. For details about Progent's support for Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of Wireless Access Points, refer to 802.11ax APs system design, deployment, and troubleshooting services.

Cisco 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6-supported wireless controllers allow you to manage modern Wi-Fi environments that incorporate 802.11ax APs. The 802.11ax standard, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, improves on prior generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) appliances by providing less latency and more predictable performance, allowing higher client user density, offering greater protection, conserving energy for battery-powered mobile devices, and allowing more flexibility for handling the latest kinds of Internet-of-Things endpoints. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 line Wi-Fi controllers feature always-on availability with seamless software updates, live fixes, and the ability to add access points with zero downtime. Advanced cybersecurity features include Cisco Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), image signing, and Software-Defined Access. Streaming telemetry permits you to track and analyze 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 or Prime Infrastructure network management platforms. Catalyst 9800 Series wireless network controllers can manage Cisco Aironet 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points concurrently with Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points. To find out more about Progent's consulting services for Cisco 9800 line of Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, see Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 wireless controller appliances solution planning, configuration, and debugging consulting.

Cisco Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers enable realtime communication, configuration, management, analysis and troubleshooting for Cisco wireless devices and software services. Cisco offers both physical and virtual wireless controllers for unified administration of WiFi environments, but networks with many Wi-Fi APs are better served by hardware-based Wi-Fi controllers. Wave 2 wireless controller devices from Cisco deliver significant advantages in comparison to Wave 1 and older models such as higher performance, simultaneous support for both 1G and 10G interfaces, improved application visibility and control, and advanced, built-in protection.

Cisco's 3504 Wireless Controller is a value-priced appliance available in a desktop body and intended for smaller organizations. You can install the 3504 in a centralized network environment such as in lean branch and home-based offices administered over the wide-area network via Cisco FlexConnect, or in bridge deployments where wiring is limited. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller can handle as many as 150 APs and 3,000 client users, offers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 WiFi controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet port (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-GB Ethernet interfaces. APs can be attached to the controller via two Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller features subsecond failover for APs and clients, which provides nonstop availability for apps. Like other Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated capability to communicate with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLAN controllers.

Cisco's 5520 WiFi Controller, offered in a 1 rack unit package, is intended to support midsize to large organizations and campus environments and can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments. The 5520 wireless controller supports as many as 1,500 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 SSD storage, redundant fans, optional dual power supplies, and rapid failover for high availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit package, is a high-end wireless controller intended to support enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 WiFi controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and can handle as many as 6,000 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 8340 includes four 1-GB or 10GE interfaces and features solid-state storage, backup power supplies, redundant fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless network controllers reduce the time and expense needed to configure, manage, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of tasks such as provisioning access points, enforcing single-point policies throughout converged wired and wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service (QoS) for IP voice and video, tracking and troubleshooting network health, implementing intrusion prevention capabilities 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 all sizes and can provide standalone desktop controllers, modular plug-in controllers for Cisco routers and switches, and Catalyst switches with built-in wireless controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi network controllers include Cisco CleanAir tools to avoid RF interference and create self-healing and self-optimizing wireless networks for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and security. Integrated Apple Bonjour Gateways permit discovery, advertisement and policy throughout the enterprise for Apple applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless network controllers allow AP and client stateful failover by permitting a backup HA controller to synch with a primary controller for access point license tabulation, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and access point CAPWAP state. In case the primary wireless controller fails, thousands of wireless access points and wireless clients can failover at subsecond speeds to the secondary controller.

Cisco's Wireless Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E provides entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac support for 2900 and 3900 routers deployed by smaller organizations and branches. This value-priced and scalable solution can handle up to 200 access points and up to 6000 clients. (To learn about Progent's remote and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router configuration and troubleshooting consulting.)

Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches designed for SMBs and branches and features an integrated wireless network controller with the capability to support up to 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and 25 APs and 1000 wireless clients on each switch or stack. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU switches designed for mid-size and large organizations and include an integrated wireless controller with 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and support for 50 access points and 2000 clients. The WiSM2 is a plug-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches that include a built-in wireless network controller intended for mid-to-large size enterprises and able to deliver 20 Gbps performance and with support for up to 1000 wireless access points and 15,000 wireless clients. (To learn about Progent's online and onsite consulting support for Catalyst switches, see Cisco switches configuration and troubleshooting services.)

Cisco 2500 Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop devices that simplify the provisioning and operation of wireless LANs for SMBs and satellite offices. The 2500 Series wireless LAN controller supports 5 to 75 wireless access points and 1000 clients and can deliver throughput of 1 Gbps.

Cisco's 5500 Series Wireless Controller is a scalable 1RU appliance intended for medium-sized to large businesses and campus environments and can manage up to 500 APs and 7,000 wireless clients while delivering 8 Gbps performance. Cisco's 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU device intended for mid-to-large campus environments with support for 1000 access points and 12,000 clients and offering performance of 60 Gbps to handle high wireless client densities and high usage of media-rich mobile applications.

The Cisco Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is designed to enable centralized management of thousands of wireless branches from one location, avoiding the costs of a wireless controller at each branch. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 lets you build a private cloud to configure, track, maintain, and troubleshoot up to 6000 APs and up to 64,000 clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. The Cisco 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU rackmount appliance engineered 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 wireless clients while offering 10 Gbps throughput.

For more information about Cisco WiFi controllers, see Cisco wireless controllers consulting and integration.

Legacy Cisco Access Points, Bridges and Controllers Supported by Progent
The IEEE 802.11ac specification for wireless connectivity largely rendered obsolete the previous generations of Wi-Fi products for many environments that support high densities of clients and high usage of HD video software applications. Even for organizations who do not require the performance of 802.11ac, many of Cisco wireless products have arrived at end-of-life status, which can pose serious service and compliance problems. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants provide online and onsite support for a broad array of older-generation wireless products from Cisco. Progent can in addition help companies to evaluate the financial justification for upgrading legacy wireless technology and can help in planning and executing affordable, non-disruptive upgrades. Below are a sample of Cisco legacy Wi-Fi devices that Progent's consulting experts continue to support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Aironet 1000 or 1130AG Series access points are intended for conventional workplaces and other venues which have little environmental variability. These access points have built-in antennas that provide predictable omnidirectional coverage patterns. The 1130G Series WAP is offered for controlled locations that do not permit 802.11a operation.

Aironet 1230AG or 1240AG family wireless access points are ideal for more difficult RF environments such as factories and warehouses or above ceiling structures which often call for flexible external antennas and rugged metal enclosures. The Aironet 1240G family device is available for regulatory domains that do not allow 5GHz operation.

Aironet 1500 lightweight outdoor mesh APs provide a cost-effective, scalable, secure outdoor wireless network solution for enterprise campuses and for public sites that require connectivity for portable devices.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges offer a high-throughput and multi-featured solution for connecting multiple local area networks in a metropolitan situation or public wireless network. Cisco bridges provide a versatile, easy-to-use solution that meets the security demands of public networking specialists. These devices manage both P2P and point-to-multipoint deployments with good coverage and the ability to handle traffic rates as high as 54 Mbps.

Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges deliver throughput several times faster than E1/T1 links for far less expense, erasing the need for costly leased lines when linking separate buildings. Because bridges have no ongoing charges, the expenses saved on leased-line services quickly pay for the initial equipment costs. Private lines and in some cases leased lines made of copper or fiber-optic cable often result in very expensive initial expenses in cases where they are impeded by barriers such as freeways, train tracks, or bodies of water. Cisco Aironet wireless bridges can be installed quickly an offer a fast return on investment.

Cisco 1300 outdoor access points/bridges can be deployed as stand-alone wireless access points, wireless bridges, or workgroup bridges. These products have a ruggedized enclosure and offer high-speed, affordable wireless connectivity between numerous stationary or mobile environments and users.

Cisco 1400 family bridges offer high-performance, reliable outside bridging for LOS environments. These devices include a ruggedized enclosure that can withstand harsh outside conditions and operate within broad temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wireless Controllers centralize the management of wireless networks by simplifying the handling of common technologies such as integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS), real-time RF control, automatic configuration, and N+1 redundancy. Cisco WLAN controllers operate with lightweight APs to deliver enhanced performance and high-end administration capabilities.

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers provide the control, scalability, protection, and resilience that network managers require to create secure, large-scale wireless networks, from satellite offices to small businesses to main campuses. Cisco's first-generation Wireless Controllers can be configured together to provide support for as many as 2400 access points for each roaming domain.

The Cisco WLCM or WLCM-E Module for Integrated Services (IS) Routers provides small-to mid-size businesses and large corporations an affordable solution to implement and control secure wireless LANs at satellite locations. These products supervise as many as twelve Cisco APs and are supported on 2800/3800 Series Routers and 3700 Series Routers. (To find out about Progent's online and onsite consulting support for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and management services.)

How Progent's Engineers Can Assist Your Company with Cisco Wireless Technology
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified expert to assist you to plan, install, manage and troubleshoot a converged wired/wireless ecosystem integrating a broad array of wireless products that provide the identical protection, scalability, and ease of management you demand from your wired environment. Progent can help you to maintain legacy Wi-Fi products from Cisco or migrate seamlessly to the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 technology. Progent's CISM and CISSP security consultants can advise you about how to design protection into your WLAN and your company's operations. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planning consultants can assist you to set up the high availability features built into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged network provides significant return on investment.

Progent’s Wi-Fi Site Survey helps you to plan and deploy a state-of-the-art WLAN optimized for your facilities, offering a wireless ecosystem that provides seamless coverage, high performance and density, Quality of Service to accommodate IP voice and video, enterprise-class security, and streamlined management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be delivered online to cut time and expense, or onsite for more difficult facilities.

For a more in-depth look at Progent's wireless consulting capabilities, see Progent's Wireless Network Consulting Services.

To find out more information about Progent's professional support for Cisco products, choose a subject:

• Overview of Progent's Cisco Expertise
• Fast Remote Assistance from a Cisco CCIE Consultant
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Configuration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Firepower Services: Integration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500 Firewalls Integration Support
• PIX Firewall Management Services
• Cisco Routers Configuration and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco Aironet APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points Engineering Services
• Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Access Points Planning, Deployment and Debugging Expertise
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Experts
• Meraki Access Points Consulting Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Migration and Support Services
• Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Nexus Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Meraki Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Consulting Services
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Infrastructure Optimization Services for Internet Service Providers
• Remote Management Strategies for Cisco Environments