Cisco Certified Network Consulting and Support

Cisco offers an extensive line of wireless networking products and technologies engineered to provide anywhere, anytime connections to information and resources and to promote teamwork among employees, associates, vendors, and clients. Cisco's wireless product families include Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points (APs), plus Cisco's Wireless Network Controller plug-ins and appliances. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless consultants can enable organizations of all sizes to utilize Cisco wireless products to support the new paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) networks by converging their wired/wireless ecosystems to achieve simplified deployment, predictable performance, centralized management, uniform policy enforcement, fault tolerance, and advanced security.

Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture can expand to as many as 18,000 access points with full Layer 3 mobility across central or offsite locations such as enterprise headquarters, college lecture halls, branch offices, and home offices. Cisco's Wi-Fi APs and controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to deliver the same degree of security, performance, and manageability for wireless LANs that companies demand in their wired infrastructure. This architecture incorporates built-in mobile services such as Voice over IP, IP video, and secure guest connectivity. Cisco's Unified Wireless solution allows organizations to create wireless environments that improve the way they do business and improve output through a mobile and collaborative employee base.

Progent's Cisco-certified network consulting services can provide online or on-premises expertise to assist you to design, configure, manage, expand, and troubleshoot converged wired/wireless network infrastructure of all sizes and for any environment. Also, Progent offers economical online and on-premises Wi-Fi site surveys to help your company to plan and install a Wi-Fi LAN with customized access point clusters optimized for your specific office layout, building characteristics, and intended application.

Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst lines of access points enable you to integrate wired/wireless infrastructure to deliver the accessibility, density, throughput, security compliance and ease of management needed for virtually any environment. Cisco's APs start at entry-level, single-band 802.11b/g/n units with data rates of 300 Mbps designed for very small companies or home offices to Wi-Fi 6 access points suitable for handling hundreds of clients per access point and delivering sustained data rates of more than 5 Gigabits per second. Cisco's latest line of access points can be combined or clustered to provide the capacity to handle wireless networks with high client density and with a high incidence of video-intense apps.

Cisco Small Business Family of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Family of APs are Linux-powered units intended as entry-level Wi-Fi solutions for small offices. Most models in the Cisco Small Business line of wireless access points work with Cisco's Single Point Setup technology, which allows you to configure, manage and troubleshoot a cluster of access points from one AP through an intuitive browser-based interface. All versions support Power over Ethernet (POE) and feature Quality of Service (QoS), rogue AP detection, and bridging for connecting to another Ethernet LAN.

The Cisco Small Business WAP121 Wireless-N AP is a wallmount, single-band 2.4GHz unit able to handle 16 802.11n wireless clients, includes a Fast Ethernet interface, allows up to four AP devices and 40 wireless clients per cluster, and can handle sustained throughput of up to 300 Mbps. The Cisco WAP131 is a desktop dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n access point that can support 16 wireless clients per radio for a total of up to 32 wireless clients, includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface, and can support sustained data rates of up to 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP131 does not support clustering. The Cisco WAP150 is a value-priced Wave 1 dual-radio AC/n wireless access point that includes a one Gbit Power over Ethernet (PoE) port and can handle up to 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps throughput for AC devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 allows 4 APs for each cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP321 Wireless-N AP 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-device cluster. The WAP321 features a Gigabit Ethernet port and can support a sustained data rate of 300 Mbps for the selected radio. The Cisco WAP351 is a dual-radio 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and can support 32 wireless clients on each radio for a total of up to 64 clients, and support throughput of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP351 does not allow clustering. Cisco's WAP361 is a dual-band 802.11ac Wave 1 AP that features a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch, can support 32 clients on each radio, and offers 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n clients. The Cisco Small Business WAP361 supports eight access points for each cluster. Cisco's wall-mountable Small Business WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band device that works with 802.11n as well as the new 802.11ac IEEE standard. The WAP371 Wireless-AC/N has a GE interface, can handle up to 32 active wireless clients per radio, and eight APs per cluster.

The Cisco WAP561 802.11n Dual Radio Selectable Band wireless access point features one 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface and two concurrent radios that deliver 450 Mbps performance for each radio, support 64 devices for each radio, and allow up to 16 APs for each cluster. Cisco's WAP551 is similar to Cisco's WAP 561 but features a single selectable band. Cisco's Small Business WAP571 and WAP571E (a weather-proof outside version) are dual-band Wireless-AC/N access points incorporating two Gb Ethernet LAN interfaces with link aggregation (LAG), 3x3 MIMO, and as high as 1.9 Gigabit/sec performance with 1300 Mbps over 11ac and 600 Mbps on 11n. Both wireless access points support 32 clients per radio and 16 access points on each cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point supports the Wi-Fi 5 specification and features 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO to provide 2.8 Gbps throughput at 5 GHz and 0.6 Gbps at 2.4 GHz for a total max throughput of 2.4 Gbps. The WAP581 has an integrated 2.5G Ethernet port and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface with 802.3at PoE. The WAP581 Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 access point supports as many as 200 connective client users, up to 50 active client users per radio, 16 APs per cluster, and 960 active users for each cluster.

To learn more about Progent's support for both current and legacy Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 series of WiFi APs, see Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 wireless APs consulting.

Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Aironet family of wireless access points has for years been the top-selling access point solution. Aironet APs range from entry-level models to advanced APs. Cisco's Aironet series cover multiple generations of devices supporting the continually improving Wi-Fi specification. The latest line of Aironet wireless access points work with Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture and include 802.11ac Wi-Fi support, which offers three times the throughput as well as greater distance and user density than the previous generation of devices. Cisco's current dual-frequency Aironet APs can accommodate 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for client devices without 802.11ac capability.

The earliest Aironet APs are now outdated units that have reached end-of-sale status and are no longer supported by Cisco. Progent continues to provide technical support for the complete Aironet line of APs and can assist your company to manage and troubleshoot your existing Aironet wireless environment or move smoothly to the latest Aironet products. For details about Progent's support for current and outdated Cisco Aironet wireless access points, refer to Aironet APs consulting services.

Cisco's Meraki Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor APs include budget-friendly devices for small businesses to advanced units that offer as high as 5.9 Gigabit per second throughput. Every Cisco Meraki indoor wireless access point offers high-end capabilities like self-configuring plug-and-play installation, advanced protection, Bring-Your-Own-Device support, extensive analytics, zero-touch web-based updates, and consolidated cloud management via an intuitive dashboard. Every Cisco Meraki indoor wireless access point also includes dual high-power radios with boosted receive sensitivity as well as a dedicated radio that provides (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection at line rate.

Meraki outdoor access points are IP67 certified, built to operate in harsh outdoor environments, and tested to withstand dust particles, shock and humidity. Cisco's Meraki outdoor APs include a 1 x Gbit Ethernet port and offer advanced features that include cloud-based management with multi-site visibility and control, 802.1X and native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan, single-click secure guest access and isolation firewall, application-aware traffic shaping, plus auto-configuring mesh with MIMO. To find out more about Progent's consulting services for Cisco's Meraki access points and management, refer to Cisco's Meraki APs consulting.

Catalyst 9100 Line of 802.11ax Access Points
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 access points are intended for environments ranging from telecommuter homes to high-density stadiums. Catalyst 9100 APs are compliant with the 802.11ax specification, 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 access points include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for better dependability, TWT for conserving power usage in battery-dependent endpoints, adaptive sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum utilization, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs support Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller, 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 solution design, deployment, and management services.

Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6-supported wireless controller appliances allow you to manage modern Wi-Fi networks that incorporate 802.11ax wireless APs. 802.11ax, also called Wi-Fi 6, improves on prior generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) devices by delivering lower latency and more reliable performance, supporting higher client density, offering greater security, saving energy for battery-powered mobile devices, and offering more flexibility for supporting the latest types of Internet-of-Things endpoints. Catalyst 9800 family Wi-Fi controllers feature always-on availability with transparent software upgrades, live patching, and the ability to add access points with zero disruption of service. Advanced security technologies include Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), secure boot, and Software-Defined Access (SD-Access). Streaming telemetry permits you to track and understand infrastructure and client health.

All controllers in the Catalyst 9800 family are based on Cisco's IOS XE Software and work with Cisco's DNA Center (DNAC) or Cisco Prime Infrastructure network management tools. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 Series wireless network controllers can manage Cisco Aironet Wi-Fi 5 Wave 1 and Wave 2 wireless APs concurrently with Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi access points. To find out more about Progent's support for Cisco 9800 line of Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, see Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 wireless LAN controllers system design, deployment, and troubleshooting services.

Cisco Wi-Fi 5 Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers allow fast communication, deployment, control, monitoring and troubleshooting for Cisco Wi-Fi devices and services. Cisco offers both physical and virtual wireless controllers for centralized management of WiFi environments, but WLANs with a large number of wireless APs are better served by physical Wi-Fi controllers. Current generation wireless controller appliances from Cisco deliver major benefits in comparison to Wave 1 and earlier products such as greater performance, simultaneous support for 1G and 10G interfaces, enhanced application visibility and control, and advanced, built-in protection.

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is an entry-level device with a desktop form factor and designed for smaller businesses. You can use the 3504 in a centralized WLAN environment such as in lean branch and home-based offices managed over the wide-area network with FlexConnect, or in mesh deployments where wiring is limited. The 3504 wireless controller can handle up to 150 access points and 3,000 users, offers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 WiFi controller includes a multi-gigabit Ethernet interface (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Access points can be attached to the controller via two Power over Ethernet ports. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller offers fast failover for APs and clients, which provides uninterrupted availability for applications. As with other current Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers available from Cisco, the 3504 device has the built-in 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 enclosure, is intended to support larger organizations and campus networks and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments. The 5520 wireless controller supports as many as 1,500 access points and 20,000 users, delivers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 model controller features two 10 GE ports and features SSD storage, redundant fans, optional redundant power supplies, and subsecond failover for uninterrupted availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, available in a 2 rack unit (RU) package, is a top-of-the-line wireless controller designed to support enterprises, service providers, and large campus environments. The 8540 Wireless controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and can handle up to 6,000 access points and 64,000 client users. The 8540 WiFi controller can deliver throughput as high as 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 comes with four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features SSD storage, backup power supplies, redundant fans, and rapid failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless network controllers reduce the time and cost needed to configure, manage, and troubleshoot wireless networks by offering single-point control of critical tasks like setting up wireless access points, applying consistent policies throughout wired/wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service for voice and video, monitoring and optimizing system performance, activating wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) tools to guard against cyber break-ins and Distributed Denial of Service threats, and handling IPv6 clients. Cisco has designed wireless network controllers for businesses of any size and offers standalone desktop appliances, modular add-on wireless controllers for Cisco routers and Catalyst switches, and Catalyst switches with integrated wireless controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 wireless network controllers incorporate Cisco CleanAir tools to minimize signal interference and produce self-healing and self-optimizing wireless networks for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and protection. Built-in Bonjour Gateways enable discovery and policy across the enterprise for Apple-based applications. For high availability, Cisco wireless controllers allow wireless access point and client stateful failover by permitting a backup HA controller to synch with a primary controller for access point license count, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the primary controller fails, thousands of APs and clients can switchover at subsecond speeds to the secondary wireless LAN controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E offers entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for 2900 and 3900 Series routers deployed by smaller organizations and branch offices. This value-priced and scalable solution can handle from five to 200 APs and up to 6000 wireless clients. (To learn concerning Progent's remote and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting support.)

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches designed for SMBs and branch offices and have a built-in wireless network controller with the capability to support 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and up to 25 wireless access points and 1000 clients per switch or stack. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU switches designed for mid-size and large organizations and feature a built-in wireless LAN controller supporting up to 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and support for up to 50 APs and up to 2000 wireless clients. The Wireless Services Module2 is an add-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 as many as 15,000 wireless clients. (To learn concerning Progent's consulting services for Catalyst switches, see Cisco Catalyst switches configuration and troubleshooting support.)

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are value-priced desktop appliances that simplify the deployment and operation of wireless networks for small and midsize businesses and satellite offices. The Cisco 2500 wireless controller can manage from five to 75 access points and up to 1000 clients and can deliver sustained data rates of up to 1 Gbps.

Cisco's 5500 Wireless Controller is a scalable 1RU appliance intended for mid-to-large sized enterprises and campus environments and can manage 500 APs and 7,000 clients while providing 8 Gbps performance. Cisco's 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large campuses with support for up to 1000 access points and 12,000 clients and offering throughput of 60 Gbps to handle high wireless client densities and high amounts of video-intensive mobile applications.

The Cisco Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is designed to enable centralized management of thousands of wireless remote sites from one location, avoiding the requirement for a Wi-Fi controller at every branch. The 1RU Flex 7500 appliance allows you to establish a private cloud to deploy, monitor, manage, and troubleshoot as many as 6000 access points and 64,000 clients while supporting 1 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU device designed to monitor and control Wi-Fi environments for very large campuses or service providers and can scale to support 6000 APs and 64,000 clients while offering 10 Gbps performance.

To find out more about Cisco wireless controllers, see Cisco Wi-Fi controllers consulting services.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Access Points, Bridges and Wi-Fi Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the 802.11ac specification for wireless connectivity virtually rendered obsolete the previous generations of Wi-Fi products for many venues that have high densities of clients and high usage of HD video software applications. Even for businesses who do not currently need the performance of 802.11ac, a large number of Cisco wireless products have reached end-of-life status, which can pose significant service and compliance issues. Progent's Cisco-certified consulting experts offer remote and onsite support for a wide range of older-generation Cisco wireless products. Progent can also assist companies to evaluate the financial justification for upgrading legacy wireless technology and can assist in planning and carrying out cost-effective, seamless upgrades. Below are a few of Cisco older-generation wireless products that Progent's consultants continue to support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1000 or 1130AG family wireless access points are intended for conventional workplaces and other sites which have minimal environmental variability. These access points include built-in antennas that provide dependable radio coverage patterns. The Aironet 1130G Series access point is offered for controlled locations that do not permit 5GHz transmission.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family APs are designed for more challenging radio frequency situations such as factories or above suspended ceilings which tend to call for adjustable protruding antennas and rugged metal enclosures. The Cisco Aironet 1240G family access point is designed for controlled locations that do not permit 5GHz operation.

Aironet 1500 family lightweight outside wireless mesh LAN access points provide an affordable, expandable, secure outdoor wireless solution for enterprise campuses and for public venues that need access for portable devices.

Legacy Cisco Wireless LAN Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges offer a high-speed and multi-featured technology for integrating multiple local area networks in a metro situation or public wireless network. Cisco bridges offer a versatile, easy-to-use solution that satisfies the protection demands of WAN specialists. They manage both P2P and point-to-multipoint deployments with excellent range and the ability to handle data rates up to 54 Mbps.

Cisco wireless LAN bridges deliver throughput dramatically faster than E1/T1 lines for much lower expense, eliminating the necessity of expensive leased lines when connecting different buildings. Since bridges require no periodic charges, the expenses saved on leased-line bills quickly pay for the initial equipment investment. Self-installed private lines and in some cases leased lines using copper or fiber-optic cable can require high up-front expenses in cases where they are separated by barriers such as highways, train tracks, or bodies of water. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges can be installed rapidly with a fast return on investment.

Aironet 1300 family outside wireless access points/bridges can be deployed as independent access points, wireless bridges, or wireless group bridges. These devices have a ruggedized enclosure and offer high-speed, economical wireless interfaces between multiple stationary or mobile environments and users.

Cisco Aironet 1400 bridges provide fast, reliable outdoor connections for line-of-sight applications. They include a ruggedized cover that is optimized for severe outdoor conditions and can operate in wide temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wireless Controllers provide single-point management of wireless LANs by simplifying the control of common technologies such as integrated IPS, real-time RF control, automatic deployment, and full N+1 redundancy. Cisco Wireless Network controllers operate with small access points to offer superior performance and high-end administration capabilities.

Cisco WLAN Controllers (WLCs) provide the control, scalability, protection, and reliability that network managers need to create secure, large-scale wireless environments, from branch offices to small companies to main campuses. Cisco's legacy Wireless Controllers can be clustered to offer accommodation for as many as 2400 wireless access points for each roaming domain.

The Cisco WLCM or WLCM-E Wireless LAN Controller Module for Integrated Services Routers provides small-to mid-size businesses and large corporations an affordable way to deploy and control protected WLANs at satellite offices. These products supervise up to twelve Cisco wireless access points and are supported on 2800/3800 IS Routers and 3700 IS Routers. (To find out about Progent's online and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting services.)

How Progent's Consultants Can Help Your Company with Cisco Wireless Products
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified consulting professional to help you to design, install, maintain and troubleshoot a converged wired/wireless infrastructure integrating a broad range of wireless technologies that offer the identical protection, expandability, and manageability you expect from your wired network. Progent can help you to manage legacy Wi-Fi solutions from Cisco or upgrade efficiently to current 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 technology. Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can show you how to build protection into your wireless network and into your business processes. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity planners can show you how to deploy the HA features incorporated into Cisco's wireless and wired products so your converged network delivers significant return on investment.

Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to design and deploy a state-of-the-art wireless network optimized for your environment, providing a wireless ecosystem that delivers seamless coverage, high speed and capacity, Quality of Service features to accommodate IP video, enterprise-class security and compliance, and simplified management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be delivered online to cut time and expense, or onsite to deal with more challenging situations.

For a further discussion of Progent's wireless consulting services, visit Progent's Wireless Network Support Services.

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

• Introduction to Cisco Engineering Services
• Fast and Affordable Remote Assistance from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower: Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Integration Expertise
• Cisco PIX Series Firewall Maintenance Support
• Cisco Routers Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Aironet APs Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points Deployment Expertise
• Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points Solution Design, Deployment and Troubleshooting Consulting
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Consultants
• Cisco Meraki Wireless APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Technical Support
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting Services and Cisco Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Cisco Meraki MS Switches Support and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Setup and Troubleshooting Help
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Infrastructure Optimization Services for Service Providers
• Centralized Management Solutions for Cisco Infrastructure