Cisco has developed an extensive catalog of wireless LAN products and software tools intended to enable continual access to data and resources and to promote collaboration among employees, partners, suppliers, and customers. Cisco's wireless offerings include Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki series of access points, plus Cisco's Wireless LAN Controller plug-ins and appliances. Progent's certified wireless experts can enable businesses of any size to deploy Cisco wireless products to support the new paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) computing by integrating their tethered and untethered ecosystems to benefit from simplified deployment, consistently high performance, single-point control, enterprise-wide policy enforcement, high availability, and advanced protection.
The Cisco Unified Wireless Network solution can expand to as many as 18,000 wireless access points with Layer 3 mobility across local or remote locations such as business headquarters, college auditoriums, branch offices, and telecommuter homes. Cisco's 802.11x APs and controllers are components of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are designed to support the identical degree of protection, throughput, and manageability for wireless LANs that companies expect in their wired ecosystem. Cisco's technology includes built-in mobility services like VoIP, HD video, and safe guest connectivity. Cisco's Unified Wireless technology enables organizations to create wireless ecosystems that improve the way they work and enhance productivity via a mobile and collaborative workforce.
Progent's Cisco-certified network consultants offers online or onsite expertise to help your organization to plan, configure, manage, expand, and troubleshoot converged wired and wireless networks of all sizes and for any venue. Also, Progent offers value-priced remote and on-premises Wi-Fi site surveys to assist your company to plan and deploy a Wi-Fi network with custom-designed AP clusters optimized for your individual work area layout, building structure, and intended application.
Cisco Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Access Points (APs)
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst lines of wireless access points allow you to converge wired/wireless infrastructure to deliver the accessibility, capacity, throughput, security and manageability needed to support virtually any environment. Cisco's APs start at entry-level, single-band 802.11b/g/n units with throughput of 300 Mbps for very small businesses or telecommuters to Wi-Fi 6 wireless access points capable of supporting hundreds of clients per AP and offering throughput of more than 5 Gbps. Cisco's current selection of access points can be clustered to provide the scale to handle environments with high client density and with high usage rates of video-intense apps.
Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of Access Points
Cisco's Small Business Family of wireless access points are Linux-based units engineered as value-priced wireless solutions for light workloads. Most models in Cisco's Small Business line of wireless access points work with Cisco's Single Point Setup technology, which makes it possible to set up, manage and repair a group of wireless access points from a single device through a simple browser-based tool. All versions support POE and provide Quality of Service (QoS), rogue access point detection, and bridging for wirelessly connecting to a second network.
Cisco's Small Business WAP121 AP is a wall-mountable, single-radio 2.4GHz device that can support 16 active 802.11b/g/n clients, has a 10/100 Ethernet port, allows up to four access pointss and 40 active clients per cluster, and can handle data rates of 300 Mbps. The Cisco WAP131 is a desktop dual-radio 802.11a/b/g/n AP able to support 16 wireless clients on each radio for up to 32 clients, features a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, and delivers throughput of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP131 does not support AP clustering. Cisco's WAP150 is an entry-level Wave 1 dual-radio 802.11ac/n access point that includes a one Gbit Power over Ethernet port and can support 16 clients from each radio with 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 allows 4 APs for each cluster.
The Cisco Small Business WAP321 Access Point is a wallmount selectable-band (2.4 or 5 GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n device with support for up to 80 active clients in an 8-AP cluster. The Cisco WAP321 includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface and can deliver a sustained data rate of 300 Mbps for the activated radio. Cisco's Small Business WAP351 is a dual-radio 802.11a/b/g/n AP that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet interface and can support 32 active wireless clients on each radio for a total of up to 64 clients, and support sustained throughput of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP351 access point does not support clustering. Cisco's WAP361 is a dual-radio 802.11ac Wave 1 wireless access point that features a 5 x Gb Ethernet LAN switch, allows 32 clients on each radio, and delivers 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n devices. The Cisco Small Business WAP361 allows 8 access points for each cluster. Cisco's wallmount WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-radio device that supports 802.11a/b/g/n as well as the new 802.11ac IEEE Wi-Fi standard. The WAP371 Wireless-AC/N has a Gigabit Ethernet interface, can handle 32 wireless clients per radio, and 8 APs for each cluster.
The Cisco Small Business WAP561 802.11n Dual Radio AP includes a GE port and two radios that offer 450 Mbps performance per radio, can handle 64 clients for each radio, and allow up to 16 wireless access points for each cluster. Cisco's WAP551 is like the WAP 561 but features a single selectable band. Cisco's WAP571 and WAP571E (the weather-proof outdoor model) are dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11ac Wave 1 APs incorporating two Gb Ethernet interfaces with link aggregation (LAG), 3x3 MIMO, and up to 1.9 Gbps throughput with 1300 Mbps over 11ac and 600 Mbps over 802.11n. Both units support 32 active WAN clients on each radio and 16 APs on each cluster.
Cisco's Small Business WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 AP supports the 802.11ac standard and features 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO to deliver 2.8 Gbps throughput on the 5.0-Ghz radio and 600 Mbps at 2.4 GHz for a total maximum data rate of 2.4 Gbps. The WAP581 includes a fixed 2.5G Ethernet LAN interface and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface with 802.3at PoE. Cisco's WAP581 Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 AP can handle up to 200 connective client users, up to 50 active client users for each radio, 16 APs for each cluster, and 960 active users for each cluster.
To find out more about Progent's support for both current and legacy Cisco Small Business series of wireless access points, see Cisco Small Business wireless APs consulting services.
Cisco's Aironet Family of Access Points
The Aironet family of indoor and outdoor wireless APs has consistently been the leading access point product. Aironet APs range from value-priced entry-level devices to advanced units. The Aironet line span multiple generations of devices supporting the evolving 11x standard. The latest line of Aironet wireless access points work with Cisco's Unified Wireless Network software and come with 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, which delivers three times the throughput as well as greater distance and user density in comparison to the previous generation of APs. Cisco's latest dual-band Aironet APs can handle 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for clients that do not have 802.11ac radios.
The oldest Aironet APs are outdated units that have come to end-of-life status and are not supported by Cisco. Progent continues to provide technical support for the entire Aironet family of APs and can help your company to maintain your existing Aironet wireless environment or upgrade cost effectively to the latest Aironet products. For more information about Progent's consulting services for both current and outdated Aironet access points, refer to Aironet APs planning and support.
Meraki Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki dual-band 2.4/5 GHz indoor access points include value-priced models for small businesses to advanced products supporting up to 5.9 Gbit/sec performance. Each Meraki indoor AP provides next-generation features like self-configuring plug-and-play installation, advanced security, BYOD support, extensive traffic analysis, zero-touch web-based updates, and consolidated cloud-based management for multiple sites. Each Meraki indoor access point also includes two powerful radios with enhanced reception plus a dedicated radio that provides intrusion detection and prevention system (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection.
Meraki outdoor wireless access points are IP67 rated, designed to operate in rugged outdoor conditions, and tested to resist dust, shock and moisture. Meraki outdoor access points include a Gigabit Ethernet port and offer advanced features such as cloud management with network-wide visibility and control, 802.1X integration, built-in antivirus scan, 1-click secure guest access and guest isolation firewall, application-aware traffic shaping, plus self-configuring mesh with MIMO. To find out more about Progent's consulting services for Meraki wireless access points and management tools, see Meraki APs consulting services.
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 and W-Fi 6E Access Points
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 and 6E 802.11ax access points are intended for deployments ranging from home offices to high-density arenas. Catalyst 9100 access points are compliant with the 802.11ax standard, known as Wi-Fi 6, which in turn builds on the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) standard. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to utilize both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Headline enhancements supported by Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series APs include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for better reliability, increased device sleep time for reduced power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum use, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs can run Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller, handle up to 400 clients per Wi-Fi radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.
Cisco's Catalyst 9160 Series Wi-Fi 6E access points are the first Cisco access points to feature the flexibility of being managed on-prem with Cisco DNA Center or through the cloud by using Meraki management utilities. This permits organizations to move to cloud-based or hybrid management environments on their own timetable. All Cisco's Catalyst 916x APs meet the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E Wi-Fi standards and support the 6-GHz band. Each AP includes 5 radios and allows up to 400 clients per radio. Each AP also features a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for reducing wireless interference, includes a USB 2.0 port, and offers Bluetooth BLE. Cisco's small-footprint Catalyst 9162 Series access point is suited for small organizations, incorporates three 2x2 radios, and includes 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet connectivity.
The Catalyst 9163E Wi-Fi 6E access point is designed to withstand tough outdoor deployments such as campus environments or municipal Wi-Fi. The 9163E comes with three client serving 2x2 radios, one IoT radio, and a tri-band scanning radio. Interfaces include 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet, a management console port (RJ-45), 4x N-Type Wi-Fi antenna connectors, and a GPS/GNSS antenna connector. The AP works with Omnidirectional Dipole Self-Identifying Antennas. The Catalyst 9164 Series access point is intended for small and middle-size organizations, includes one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and features 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet support. The Catalyst 9166 Series AP is meant for large and mid-sized organizations, includes three 4x4 radios, and offers 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet support. The 9166 also has environmental sensors to measure air quality, temperature, and humidity. To find out more about Progent's support for Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points, see Wireless access points system design, deployment, and troubleshooting services.
Cisco 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6-compatible wireless controller appliances allow you to manage modern wireless networks that incorporate 802.11ax Wi-Fi access points. The 802.11ax standard, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, builds on previous generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) appliances by delivering lower latency and more predictable performance, allowing higher client user density, providing greater protection, saving energy for battery-dependent mobile devices, and offering more flexibility for handling new kinds of Internet-of-Things (IoT) endpoints. Catalyst 9800 line Wi-Fi controllers feature always-on availability with transparent software upgrades, live fixes, and the ability to connect additional APs with zero disruption of service. Advanced cybersecurity technologies include Cisco Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), secure boot, and Cisco Software-Defined Access. Streaming telemetry allows you to track and analyze infrastructure and client health.
All appliances in the Catalyst 9800 line are based on Cisco's IOS XE Software and work with Cisco's DNA Center or Prime Infrastructure network management platforms. Catalyst 9800 wireless LAN 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. For more information about Progent's support for Cisco 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, refer to Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 wireless controller appliances system design, deployment, and management services.
Cisco Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 wireless controllers allow fast data exchange, configuration, management, analysis and debugging for Cisco Wi-Fi appliances and software services. Cisco offers both physical and software-based wireless controllers for unified management of wireless environments, but networks with many wireless access points are better served by hardware-based wireless controllers. Wave 2 Wi-Fi controller devices from Cisco offer significant benefits over Wave 1 and older models such as greater performance, concurrent support for both 1G and 10G Ethernet, improved application visibility and control, and hardened, built-in protection.
The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is an entry-level device with a desktop body and intended for small and medium-sized businesses. You can install the 3504 model in a centralized network architecture such as in lean branch and home-based offices administered across the wide-area network with FlexConnect, or in mesh deployments where wiring is limited. The 3504 wireless controller can handle up to 150 wireless APs and 3,000 clients, offers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 controller features a Cisco Multigigabit interface (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-GB Ethernet interfaces. Access points can be attached directly to the WiFi controller via two Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports. The 3504 wireless controller features subsecond failover for access points and users, which provides nonstop availability for apps. As with other current Wave 2 wireless controllers from Cisco, the 3504 model has the built-in ability to communicate with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLAN controllers.
Cisco's 5520 Wireless Controller, available in a 1RU form factor, is designed for midsize to large organizations and campus networks and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 wireless controller can handle up to 1,500 access points and 20,000 users, delivers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 model controller includes two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates SSD storage, redundant fans, optional backup power supplies, and subsecond failover for high availability.
The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit (RU) package, is a high-end wireless controller designed to support large enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 WiFi controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and supports as many as 6,000 access points and 64,000 users. The 8540 Wireless controller can deliver data rates as high as 40 Gbps and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 8540 controller comes with four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features SSD storage, dual power supplies, backup fans, and subsecond failover.
Wave 1 Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers cut the effort and cost required to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by centralizing control of tasks such as provisioning access points, enforcing single-point policies across wired/wireless LANs, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for voice and HD video, tracking and troubleshooting system performance, implementing intrusion prevention tools to defend against cyber break-ins and DDoS attacks, and managing IPv6 clients. Cisco has developed wireless network controllers for organizations of any size and can provide desktop or rackmount appliances, modular add-on controllers for Cisco routers and switches, and Catalyst switches with integrated wireless network controllers.
Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi LAN controllers include Cisco CleanAir technology to minimize signal interference and produce self-optimizing wireless networks for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and protection. Built-in Bonjour Gateways allow discovery and policy across the enterprise for Apple-based applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless network controllers support wireless access point and client stateful switchover by permitting a standby HA wireless controller to synch with a primary controller for access point license count, CAPWAP keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the main wireless controller stops working, thousands of wireless access points and clients can switchover immediately to the backup wireless controller.
Cisco's Wireless Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E offers basic 802.11n and 802.11ac support for 2900 and 3900 routers used by small to medium-sized organizations and satellite offices. This value-priced and scalable module can support from five to 200 wireless access points and up to 6000 clients. (To find out concerning Progent's online and onsite consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and management consulting.)
Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches designed for small to mid-size businesses and branches and come with a built-in wireless controller with the capability to support 40 Gb of wireless throughput for each switch and 25 wireless access points and 1000 wireless clients per switch. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU switches designed for midsize businesses and large enterprises and feature an integrated wireless LAN controller supporting 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and the ability to handle up to 50 access points and up to 2000 wireless clients. The WiSM2 is an add-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches that include a built-in wireless network controller designed for mid-to-large size enterprises and capable of 20 Gbps throughput and with support for up to 1000 wireless access points and up to 15,000 clients. (To find out concerning Progent's support for Cisco switches, refer to Cisco Catalyst switches configuration and troubleshooting consulting.)
Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are value-priced desktop units that streamline the provisioning and management of Wi-Fi LANs for small to medium-sized enterprises and satellite offices. The 2500 Series wireless LAN controller can handle from five to 75 APs and 1000 wireless clients and offers throughput of up to 1 Gbps.
The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is an expandable 1RU appliance intended for medium-sized to large organizations and campuses and can manage 500 wireless access points and 7,000 wireless clients while delivering 8 Gbps throughput. The Cisco 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large campus environments with the ability to manage up to 1000 access points and 12,000 wireless clients and offering throughput of 60 Gbps to accommodate high wireless client densities and high usage of video-intensive applications.
The Cisco Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is designed to manage thousands of wireless branches from a single datacenter, avoiding the costs of a Wi-Fi controller at each branch. The 1RU Flex 7500 appliance allows you to establish a private cloud to deploy, track, maintain, and repair as many as 6000 wireless access points and up to 64,000 wireless clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. Cisco's 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed to monitor and control Wi-Fi environments for very large campuses or service providers and can be expanded to handle up to 6000 APs and up to 64,000 clients while offering 10 Gbps performance.
To learn more about Cisco WiFi controllers, visit Cisco Wi-Fi controllers consulting and integration.
Legacy Cisco Wireless Access Points, Bridges and Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the 802.11ac standard for wireless connectivity virtually rendered obsolete all earlier releases of Wi-Fi products for many venues that support high densities of wireless clients and high usage of HD video applications. Even for businesses who do not need the performance of 802.11ac, a large number of Cisco wireless devices have reached end-of-sale or end-of-support status, which can pose significant maintenance and compliance issues. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants offer remote and onsite support for a broad array of earlier-generation Cisco wireless products. Progent can also help organizations to assess the business case for upgrading up-of-date wireless technology and can assist in designing and executing affordable, non-disruptive migrations. Below are a few of Cisco legacy Wi-Fi devices that Progent's consulting experts still support.
Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1000 or 1130AG family APs are designed for offices and other venues which have minimal environmental instability. These devices include integrated antennas that offer dependable radio coverage patterns. The Cisco Aironet 1130G family access point is designed for restricted locations that do not permit 5GHz operation.
Aironet 1230AG/1240AG Series access points are intended for more difficult RF situations like factories and warehouses or above ceiling structures which commonly call for adjustable protruding antennas and rugged metal enclosures. The 1240G family product is intended for restricted locations that do not allow 5GHz operation.
Aironet 1500 Series lightweight outdoor mesh access points deliver a cost-effective, expandable, secure outdoor wireless network mechanism for campus areas and for public sites that require access for mobile phones or computers.
Legacy Cisco Wireless Bridges
Cisco wireless LAN bridges provide a high-throughput and multi-featured solution for integrating multiple LANs in a metro area or public wireless environment. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges offer a versatile, easy-to-use solution that satisfies the security needs of public networking specialists. These devices manage both PTP and PTMP configurations with good range and support for traffic throughput up to 54 Mbps.
Cisco wireless bridges offer throughput substantially higher than E1/T1 connections for a fraction of the expense, doing away with the necessity of expensive leased lines when linking separate buildings. Since wireless bridges have no periodic charges, the expenses saved on leased-line bills rapidly pay for the initial equipment investment. Self-installed private lines and even leased lines utilizing metal or fiber-optic cable often result in high up-front costs if they are separated by barriers like freeways, railroads, or bodies of water. Cisco Aironet wireless bridges can be installed rapidly with a fast return on investment.
Cisco 1300 family outside wireless access points/bridges can be deployed as stand-alone wireless access points, wireless bridges, or wireless group bridges. These products have a ruggedized cover and provide fast, affordable wireless connectivity between multiple fixed or mobile networks and clients.
Aironet 1400 Series wireless bridges provide high-speed, reliable outside connections for LOS applications. They include an all-weather enclosure that can withstand severe outside conditions and can function within wide temperature ranges.
Legacy Cisco Wireless Controllers
Cisco Wireless Network Controllers centralize the management of wireless LANs by simplifying the handling of common technologies including intrusion prevention, fast RF control, automatic deployment, and N+1 redundancy. Wireless LAN controllers work with small APs to offer enhanced performance and high-end management capabilities.
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) offer the manageability, scalability, security, and resilience that IT managers need to create safe, large-scale wireless environments, from satellite offices to small businesses to main campuses. Cisco's legacy Wireless Controllers can be clustered to provide accommodation for up to 2400 wireless access points for each roaming domain.
Cisco's WLCM or WLCM-E Controller Module for Integrated Services Routers offers small-to medium businesses (SMBs) and large corporations an economical way to implement and manage protected wireless LANs at satellite locations. These wireless controllers manage up to twelve Aironet access points and are supported on 2800/3800 Series IS Routers and 3700 Series Routers. (To find out about Progent's online and onsite consulting services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router configuration and management consulting.)
How Progent Can Assist Your Business with Cisco Wireless Devices
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified consultant to help your business to plan, install, maintain and repair a converged wired and wireless infrastructure integrating a broad range of wireless devices that offer the same protection, extensibility, and ease of management you demand from a wired environment. Progent can help you to maintain early-generation wireless solutions from Cisco or upgrade efficiently to current 802.11ax-compatible products. Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can advise you about how to design security into your wireless network and your company's operations. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planners can show you how to deploy the high availability (HA) technology built into Cisco's wireless and wired technologies so your converged network delivers significant business value.
Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to plan and deploy a state-of-the-art WLAN customized for your facilities, offering a Wi-Fi solution that delivers comprehensive coverage, high performance and capacity, QoS features to handle IP voice and video, advanced security, and easy management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be performed online to reduce time and expense, or onsite to deal with more complex environments.
For a more in-depth discussion of Progent's wireless integration capabilities, see Progent's Wireless Network Consulting.
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