Cisco Certified Expert Network Consulting and Support

Cisco offers an extensive catalog of wireless LAN products and software tools designed to provide continual access to information and other resources and to facilitate collaboration among employees, partners, vendors, and clients. Cisco's wireless products include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points, plus Cisco's Wireless Network Controller plug-ins and standalone devices. Progent's certified wireless experts can help businesses of any size to deploy Cisco wireless products to accommodate the new paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) computing by integrating their tethered and untethered environments to benefit from simplified deployment, consistently high throughput, centralized control, uniform policy enforcement, fault tolerance, and across-the-board security.

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network architecture can scale to as many as 18,000 APs with Layer 3 mobility across local or offsite venues like enterprise campuses, college lecture halls, branches, and home offices. Cisco's 802.11x access points and controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are designed to support the identical level of protection, performance, and manageability for wireless LANs that businesses demand in their wired infrastructure. This architecture incorporates built-in mobile services such as Voice over IP, high-definition IP video, and secure guest access. Cisco's Unified Wireless architecture allows organizations to build wireless ecosystems that improve the way they work and enhance productivity via a dynamic and connected employee base.

Progent's Cisco CCIE network consulting services can provide online or on-premises support to help your organization to design, deploy, manage, upgrade, and troubleshoot converged wired/wireless network infrastructure of all sizes and for any environment. In addition, Progent offers economical remote and onsite wireless site surveys to help your company to plan and deploy a wireless network with customized access point clustering optimized for your individual office layout, building characteristics, and intended application.

Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst families of APs allow businesses to integrate wired/wireless infrastructure to deliver the coverage, capacity, throughput, security compliance and ease of management needed to support virtually any environment. Cisco's APs range from entry-level, single-band 802.11b/g/n units with throughput of 300 Mb designed for very small companies or home offices to Wi-Fi 6 access points suitable for supporting hundreds of wireless clients on each access point and delivering data rates in excess of 5 Gbps. Cisco's current selection of access points can be clustered to deliver the scale to support sites crowded with clients and with high usage rates of HD video applications.

Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Family of APs
Cisco's Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Family of wireless access points are Linux-based devices engineered as value-priced wireless APs for light workloads. Most versions in the Cisco Small Business line of APs support Cisco's Single Point Setup system, which allows you to set up, manage and troubleshoot a group of wireless access points from one device via a simple browser-based tool. All models include Power over Ethernet (POE) and feature QoS, rogue access point detection, and bridge mode for connecting to another Ethernet LAN.

The Cisco Small Business WAP121 Access Point is a wallmount, single-band 2.4GHz unit able to support 16 802.11b/g/n wireless clients, has a 10/100 Ethernet interface, permits up to four access pointss and 40 active wireless clients in a cluster, and can handle data rates of up to 300 Mbps. The Cisco WAP131 is a desktop dual-radio 802.11a/b/g/n access point able to support 16 active clients per radio for a total of up to 32 wireless clients, includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, and delivers throughput of up to 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP131 Wireless-N does not allow AP clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 is a value-priced Wave 1 dual-radio AC/n wireless access point that features a one Gbit Poe port and can support 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps performance for AC devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n devices. The Cisco Small Business WAP150 supports four APs per cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP321 Wireless-N model is a wallmount selectable-band (either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) 802.11n unit that can handle up to 80 wireless clients sharing an 8-AP cluster. The Cisco WAP321 features a GE interface and can deliver sustained throughput of 300 Mbps for the selected radio. The Cisco WAP351 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet interface and can handle 32 active clients per radio for up to 64 active clients, and deliver throughput of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP351 access point does not support clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 is a dual-band 802.11ac access point that features a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet LAN switch, can support 32 active WLAN clients per radio, and delivers 867 Mbps throughput for wireless AC clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. The Cisco Small Business WAP361 supports eight WAP361 access points per cluster. Cisco's wallmount Small Business WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-radio device that supports 802.11a/b/g/n and the latest 802.11ac wireless networking specification. The WAP371 Wireless-AC/N has a GE interface, can handle 32 wireless clients on each radio, and 8 APs for each cluster.

Cisco's WAP561 Wireless-N Dual Radio Selectable Band access point features one Gigabit Ethernet port and dual concurrent radios that deliver 450 Mbps performance per radio, can handle 64 clients for each radio, and allow up to 16 access points per cluster. The Cisco WAP551 is similar to Cisco's WAP 561 but features a single selectable band (2.4 or 5.0 GHz). The Cisco Small Business WAP571 and WAP571E (a ruggedized outdoor model) are dual-band 802.11ac Wave 1 access points that feature 2 x GE ports with link aggregation, and as high as 1.9 Gbps throughput with 1300 Mbps over 802.11ac and 600 Mbps over 11n. Both APs support 32 active WAN clients on each radio and 16 APs on each cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point complies with the 802.11ac specification and features 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO to deliver 2.8 Gbps data rates at 5 GHz and 600 Mbps on the 2.4-GHz radio for a total maximum throughput of 2.4 Gbps. The Small Business WAP581 includes an integrated 2.5G Ethernet interface and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface with 802.3at PoE. Cisco's WAP581 Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 access point supports up to 200 connective client users, up to 50 active client users for each radio, 16 access points for each cluster, and 960 active client users for each cluster.

For details about Progent's consulting services for current and older Cisco Small Business series of WiFi access points, refer to Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi access points planning and support.

The Aironet Line of Access Points
The Aironet family of indoor and outdoor wireless APs has for years been the leading access point product. Aironet access points range from entry-level models to advanced APs. The Aironet series cover several generations of devices compliant with the evolving 802 standard. Cisco's current line of Aironet wireless access points support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture and incorporate 802.11ac support, which offers three times the speed as well as greater distance and user density than the prior generation of devices. Cisco's current dual-band Aironet APs can handle 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for clients without 802.11ac radios.

The earliest Aironet APs are now legacy devices that have reached end-of-life status and are no longer fully supported by Cisco. Progent continues to provide technical support for the complete Aironet family of access points and can help your company to maintain your current Aironet Wi-Fi system or upgrade efficiently to the latest Aironet products. For more information about Progent's consulting services for current and legacy Aironet wireless access points, refer to Cisco Aironet access points planning and support.

Cisco's Meraki Wireless Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor access points range from value-priced devices for general use to enterprise-class products supporting up to 5.9 Gigabit per second performance. Each Cisco Meraki indoor wireless access point offers next-generation features like self-configuring plug-and-play installation, advanced protection, BYOD support, built-in traffic analysis, automatic over-the-web firmware updates, and consolidated cloud management via an intuitive dashboard. Every Meraki indoor wireless access point also includes dual high-power radios with boosted reception plus a dedicated radio that provides (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection.

Cisco's Meraki outdoor wireless access points are IP67 certified, built to operate in rugged outdoor conditions, and able to withstand dust particles, vibration and humidity. Cisco's Meraki outdoor wireless access points include a 1 x Gbit Ethernet port and offer advanced features that include cloud management with multi-site visibility and control, native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan (NAC), single-click secure guest access and isolation firewall, Layer 7 traffic shaping, plus auto-configuring mesh with MIMO and beamforming. To find out more about Progent's support for Meraki APs and cloud management, see Meraki APs system design and troubleshooting.

Catalyst 9100 Family of 802.11ax APs
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 line of 802.11ax wireless access points are designed for deployments ranging from telecommuter homes to high-density stadiums. Cisco Catalyst 9100 access points are compliant with the 802.11ax standard, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, which in turn builds on the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. Unlike 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz bands. Important enhancements supported by Catalyst 9100 Series APs include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for improved dependability, TWT for reduced power usage in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for better spectrum utilization, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Catalyst 9100 wireless APs can run Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller, handle up to 200 clients per radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software. For details about Progent's support for Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Line of Wi-Fi 6 APs, refer to Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax access points system planning, configuration, and troubleshooting services.

Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6-compatible wireless LAN controllers help you manage modern wireless environments that support 802.11ax APs. 802.11ax, aka Wi-Fi 6, improves on prior generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) appliances by providing lower latency and more predictable performance, supporting higher client density, offering greater protection, saving energy for battery-powered mobile devices, and allowing more flexibility for supporting new types of Internet-of-Things endpoints. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 family Wi-Fi controllers feature high availability with transparent software upgrades, hot patching, and the ability to add Wi-Fi access points with zero disruption of service. Advanced security features include Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), image signing, and Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access). Streaming telemetry permits you to track and understand infrastructure and client health.

All devices in the Catalyst 9800 line are powered by Cisco's IOS XE Software and work with Cisco's DNA Center or with Cisco Prime Infrastructure network management platforms. Catalyst 9800 wireless network controllers can support Cisco Aironet Wi-Fi 5 Wave 1 and Wave 2 access points concurrently with Catalyst 9100 802.11ax access points. For details about Progent's consulting services for Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, see Cisco Catalyst 9800 line of Wi-Fi 6 wireless controllers solution planning, deployment, and management services.

Cisco Wave 2 802.11ac Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 wireless controllers enable fast data exchange, deployment, management, analysis and debugging for Cisco Wi-Fi devices and software services. Cisco offers both physical and software-based Wi-Fi controllers for unified management of wireless networks, but systems with many wireless APs are better served by physical wireless controllers. Wave 2 wireless controller devices from Cisco offer significant advantages over Wave 1 and earlier products including greater performance, concurrent support for 1G and 10G Ethernet, enhanced application visibility and control (AVC), and hardened, built-in protection.

Cisco's 3504 Wireless Controller is a value-priced appliance with a desktop body and designed for smaller businesses. You can use the 3504 in a centralized WLAN environment such as in small branch and remote offices managed across the WAN with FlexConnect, or in mesh installations where wiring is sparse. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller supports as many as 150 APs and 3,000 clients, offers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 WiFi controller features a Cisco Multigigabit port and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports. Access points can be attached to the WiFi controller via two PoE ports. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller offers fast failover for access points and users, which allows high availability for apps. As with other Wave 2 Wi-Fi 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.

The Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller, offered in a 1RU enclosure, is designed for midsize to large enterprises and campus environments and can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments. The 5520 wireless controller supports as many as 1,500 wireless APs and 20,000 users, delivers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 model controller features two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates SSD storage, redundant fans, optional redundant power supplies, and rapid failover for uninterrupted availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, available in a 2 rack unit (RU) form factor, is a high-end wireless controller designed to support enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 Wireless controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and can handle as many as 6,000 APs and 64,000 users. The 8540 Wireless controller offers data rates as high as 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 includes four 1-GB or 10GE interfaces and features solid-state storage, redundant power supplies, redundant fans, and rapid failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless network controllers reduce the time and cost required to configure, manage, and operate wireless networks by centralizing control of tasks such as setting up APs, applying consistent policies throughout converged networks, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for voice and video, monitoring and optimizing network performance, activating security capabilities to defend against unauthorized access and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and managing IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has developed wireless network controllers for organizations of all sizes and can provide desktop or rackmount controllers, modular plug-in controllers for Cisco ISR routers and Catalyst switches, and switches with integrated wireless LAN controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 wireless LAN controllers include Cisco CleanAir tools to minimize signal interference and produce self-optimizing wireless networks for maximum 802.11n and 802.11ac throughput and protection. Integrated Apple Bonjour Gateways permit discovery, advertisement and policy throughout WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple-based applications. For fault tolerance, Cisco wireless LAN controllers support wireless access point and client stateful failover by permitting a backup HA controller to synchronize with a main controller for access point license tabulation, CAPWAP keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the primary controller stops working, thousands of wireless access points and wireless clients can failover at subsecond speeds to the secondary wireless network controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E offers entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac support for 2900 and 3900 routers deployed by small to medium-sized businesses and branch offices. This affordable and scalable module can handle from five to 200 APs and as many as 6000 wireless clients. (To learn about Progent's online and onsite consulting support services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and management consulting.)

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU switches intended for SMBs and branch offices and features an integrated wireless LAN controller with the ability to handle 40 Gb of wireless capacity for each switch and 25 wireless access points and 1000 clients per switch or stack. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches intended for mid-size and large organizations and feature an integrated wireless controller with 40 Gb of wireless capacity on each switch and the ability to handle 50 wireless access points and 2000 wireless clients. The WiSM2 is an add-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches with an integrated wireless controller designed for mid-to-large size businesses and able to deliver 20 Gbps performance and able to handle 1000 wireless access points and 15,000 wireless clients. (To learn concerning Progent's support for Catalyst switches, refer to Cisco Catalyst switches deployment and management services.)

Cisco 2500 Wireless Controllers are value-priced desktop devices that simplify the provisioning and management of Wi-Fi networks for SMBs and branches. The Cisco 2500 wireless controller can manage from five to 75 access points and up to 1000 wireless clients and offers sustained performance of 1 Gbps.

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

Cisco's Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is intended to manage thousands of wireless branches from a single datacenter, avoiding the need for a wireless controller at every remote site. The 1RU Flex 7500 appliance allows you to create a private cloud to deploy, monitor, maintain, and repair up to 6000 APs and up to 64,000 wireless clients while handling 1 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance engineered to monitor and manage wireless environments for very large campuses or service providers and can be expanded to support 6000 APs and 64,000 clients while offering 10 Gbps throughput.

To learn more about Cisco wireless controllers, see Cisco wireless controllers consulting and integration.

Legacy Cisco Access Points, Bridges and Wireless Controllers Supported by Progent
The 802.11ac standard for Wi-Fi virtually rendered obsolete all earlier releases of Wi-Fi devices for environments that have high numbers of wireless clients and high usage of video-intensive applications. Even for organizations who do not currently require the performance of 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a large number of Cisco wireless products have reached end-of-sale or end-of-support status, which can pose serious service and compliance problems. Progent's Cisco-certified consulting experts offer online and onsite support services for a wide array of older-generation wireless products from Cisco. Progent can also help companies to assess the potential ROI for upgrading legacy wireless technology and can assist in planning and executing affordable, non-disruptive migrations. Below are a sample of Cisco legacy wireless devices that Progent's consultants continue to support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Aironet 1000 or 1130AG family APs are ideal for conventional workplaces and other sites which have minimal environmental variability. These access points have integrated antennas that offer dependable radio range profiles. The Cisco 1130G Series product is designed for regulated domains that do not permit 802.11a transmission.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family wireless access points are intended for more challenging RF environments like factories or above suspended ceilings which commonly require flexible protruding antennas and ruggedized enclosures. The Aironet 1240G Series access point is intended for regulatory locations that do not allow 802.11a/5GHz operation.

Aironet 1500 family lightweight outside mesh APs offer an affordable, scalable, secure outdoor wireless network solution for enterprise campuses and for public venues that require connectivity for portable devices.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Bridges
Cisco wireless LAN bridges provide a high-speed and feature-rich solution for connecting multiple LANs in a metro area or public wireless network. Cisco Aironet bridges provide a versatile, easy-to-use technology that satisfies the security demands of WAN specialists. These devices handle both PTP and point-to-multipoint implementations with good coverage and support for data rates up to 54 Mbps.

Cisco Aironet wireless bridges offer throughput several times higher than E1/T1 connections for far less expense, eliminating the necessity of expensive leased lines when linking separate offices. Because wireless bridges have no periodic costs, savings on connection services quickly cover the initial hardware investment. Private lines and in some cases leased lines utilizing copper or optical cable can require high startup expenses when they are separated by obstacles such as freeways, railroads, or bodies of water. Cisco wireless LAN bridges can be deployed rapidly an offer a fast ROI.

Aironet 1300 Series outdoor wireless access points/bridges can be implemented as stand-alone wireless access points, bridges, or workgroup bridges. These devices have a durable cover and offer fast, cost-effective wireless interfaces between numerous stationary or mobile environments and clients.

Cisco Aironet 1400 wireless bridges provide fast, reliable outdoor wireless bridging for line-of-sight (LOS) applications. These devices are housed in a ruggedized enclosure that can withstand harsh outdoor conditions and function within broad temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Controllers
Cisco Wireless Network Controllers provide single-point management of wireless LANs by simplifying the handling of key technologies including intrusion prevention, real-time RF control, automatic deployment, and N+1 redundancy. Wireless Network controllers work with small APs to offer superior performance and high-end management capabilities.

WLAN Controllers (WLCs) offer the manageability, expandability, protection, and reliability that network managers require to create safe, enterprise-scale wireless solutions, from branch offices to small companies to main campuses. Cisco's legacy Wireless Network Controllers can be configured together to offer accommodation for up to 2400 wireless access points for each roaming domain.

Cisco's WLCM or WLCM-E Wireless LAN Controller Module for Integrated Services (IS) Routers provides small-to medium businesses and large corporations an economical solution to implement and control secure wireless LANs at satellite offices. These products supervise up to twelve Cisco Aironet APs and are supported on 2800/3800 Routers and 3700 Series Integrated Services Routers. (For information about Progent's remote and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting services.)

How Progent's Engineers Can Help You with Cisco Wireless Technology
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified expert to help you to design, deploy, manage and repair a converged wired and wireless infrastructure integrating a broad range of wireless products that provide the same security, scalability, and ease of management you demand from a wired environment. Progent can help you to manage early-generation wireless products from Cisco or migrate efficiently to the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 technology. Progent's CISM and CISSP security professionals can advise you about how to design security into your WLAN and your company's operations. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity consultants can assist you to deploy the high availability technology built into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged network provides non-stop return on investment.

Progent’s Wireless Site Survey assists you to design and deploy a state-of-the-art WLAN optimized for your environment, providing a Wi-Fi solution that delivers seamless coverage, high speed and capacity, Quality of Service features to accommodate IP voice and video, advanced security, and simplified management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be delivered remotely to reduce time and costs, or on premises for more complex facilities.

For a further look at Progent's wireless integration services, visit Progent's Wireless Expertise.

To learn additional details about Progent's consulting assistance for Cisco products, select a topic:

• Introduction to Cisco Consulting Services
• Timely Remote Support from a Cisco CCIE Consultant
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Configuration and Management Support
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower: Consulting and Management Support
• ASA 5500 Firewall Integration Help
• PIX Firewall Engineering Help
• Cisco Routers Consulting Expertise
• Aironet APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Small Business Wireless APs Engineering Expertise
• Catalyst 802.11ax Wireless APs Planning, Deployment and Debugging Support
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Support Services
• Cisco Meraki APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Integration and Technical Support
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Phones Consulting Services and Wireless IP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber and Management Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Meraki Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco VPN Engineering Support
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Design Solutions for Cisco-powered Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Infrastructure Design Consulting for Service Providers
• Streamlined Network Management Solutions for Cisco-powered Environments