Cisco Certified Network Consulting

Cisco has developed a comprehensive line of wireless networking products and software tools intended to enable continual connections to information and resources and to promote collaboration among employees, associates, suppliers, and clients. Cisco's wireless offerings include Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points (APs), plus Cisco's Wireless Network Controller modules and standalone devices. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless experts can help organizations of any size to utilize Cisco wireless technology to support the current paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) computing by integrating their wired/wireless networks to benefit from easy deployment, consistently high performance, centralized management, enterprise-wide policy, high availability (HA), and across-the-board security.

Cisco's Unified Wireless solution can expand to up to 18,000 wireless access points with full Layer 3 mobility at local or offsite venues like enterprise headquarters, university auditoriums, branch offices, and home offices. Cisco's Wi-Fi wireless access points and wireless controllers are components of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to support the identical level of security, performance, and manageability for wireless networks that businesses expect in their wired infrastructure. Cisco's architecture includes integrated mobility services like VoIP, high-definition IP video, and safe guest access. Cisco's Unified Wireless architecture allows companies to build Wi-Fi ecosystems that streamline the way they work and improve productivity through a mobile and collaborative workforce.

Progent's Cisco CCIE network infrastructure consultants offers online or onsite support to assist you to plan, configure, maintain, expand, and repair converged wired/wireless network infrastructure of any size and for any environment. Also, Progent can provide economical online and on-premises Wi-Fi site surveys to help you to plan and deploy a wireless network with customized access point clusters optimized for your specific work area layout, building structure, and intended application.

Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst families of APs enable organizations to integrate wired/wireless infrastructure to provide the accessibility, capacity, throughput, security and manageability required to support practically any environment. These access points start at bare bones, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with throughput of 300 Mbps designed for small businesses or home offices to 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) access points capable of supporting hundreds of clients per AP and delivering sustained data rates of more than 5 Gigabits per second. Cisco's latest line of wireless access points can be clustered to provide the capacity to support sites crowded with clients and with a high incidence of HD video application software.

Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of APs
Cisco's Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Family of wireless access points are Linux-based devices intended as entry-level wireless APs for small offices. Many models in Cisco's Small Business family of access points work with Cisco's Single Point Setup technology, which allows you to configure, manage and repair a cluster of access points from a single AP through an intuitive web browser tool. All of the versions include Power over Ethernet and feature QoS, rogue access point awareness, and bridge mode for wirelessly connecting to a second network.

Cisco's Small Business WAP121 AP is a wall-mountable, single-band 2.4GHz device that can handle 16 active 802.11b/g/n wireless clients, includes a 10/100 Ethernet interface, permits up to four access pointss and 40 wireless clients per cluster, and can handle throughput of 300 Mbps. Cisco's WAP131 is a desktop dual-radio 802.11n access point that can handle 16 active clients on each radio for up to 32 clients, features 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 AP clustering. The Cisco WAP150 is a general-purpose Wave 1 dual-radio AC/n access point that includes a one Gbit Power over Ethernet (PoE) port and can support up to 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps throughput for AC clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. The Cisco WAP1501 allows four APs for each cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP321 AP is a wall-mountable selectable-band (2.4 or 5 GHz) 802.11n device that can handle up to 80 wireless clients sharing an 8-device cluster. The WAP321 includes a Gigabit Ethernet interface and can deliver throughput of 300 Mbps for the selected radio. Cisco's Small Business WAP351 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n wireless access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and can support 32 active clients per radio for a total of up to 64 clients, and support a data rate of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP351 does not allow clustering. Cisco's WAP361 is a dual-band 802.11ac Wave 1 access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet LAN switch, can support 32 clients per radio, and offers 867 Mbps throughput for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 allows 8 access points for each cluster. Cisco's wallmount WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-radio device that supports 802.11n as well as the latest 802.11ac wireless networking standard. The WAP371 includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, can handle 32 active wireless clients per radio, and eight APs per cluster.

Cisco's Small Business WAP561 Wireless-N Dual Radio Selectable Band AP includes one Gigabit Ethernet port and dual concurrent radios (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) that deliver 450 Mbps throughput per radio, can handle 64 devices per radio, and allow 16 access points for each cluster. Cisco's WAP551 is like the WAP 561 but has a single selectable band. The Cisco WAP571 and WAP571E (a weather-proof outdoor version) are dual-band Wireless-AC/N wireless access points incorporating two Gb Ethernet ports with link aggregation, 3x3 MIMO, and as high as 1.9 Gigabit/sec performance with 1300 Mbps over 11ac and 600 Mbps on 11n. Both APs can handle 32 clients on each radio and 16 wireless access points on each cluster.

Cisco's WAP581 Wireless-AC Wave 2 AP complies with the 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 standard and offers 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO technology to provide 2.8 Gbps data rates on the 5.0-Ghz radio and 0.6 Gbps on the 2.4-GHz radio for a total max throughput of 2.4 Gbps. The WAP581 has 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 as many as 200 connective users, a maximum of 50 active users per radio, 16 APs for each cluster, and 960 active client users per cluster.

For more information about Progent's consulting services for both current and older Cisco Small Business series of wireless access points, see Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi APs planning and support.

Cisco's Aironet Family of Access Points
The Aironet line of wireless access points has consistently been the market leading AP solution. Aironet APs run the gamut from value priced devices to enterprise-class units. Cisco's Aironet line span multiple generations of devices compliant with the continually improving 802.11x Wi-Fi standard. Cisco's current line of Aironet APs support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture and include 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, which delivers triple the throughput as well as greater range and user density in comparison to the prior generation of devices. The latest multi-frequency Aironet APs can support 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for clients that do not have 802.11ac radios.

The oldest Aironet access points are outdated devices that have reached end-of-life status and are not supported by Cisco. Progent still offers support for the entire Aironet line of access points and can help you to manage and troubleshoot your current Aironet Wi-Fi environment or upgrade cost effectively to the latest Aironet technology. To find out more about Progent's consulting services for both current and outdated Cisco Aironet access points, refer to Cisco Aironet access points consulting services.

Cisco's Meraki Access Points
Cisco's family of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor access points range from budget-friendly devices for general use to advanced units that offer as high as 5.9 Gbit/sec performance. Each Cisco Meraki indoor AP offers next-generation features such as plug-and-play installation, in-depth protection, Bring-Your-Own-Device support, built-in traffic analysis, automatic over-the-web firmware updates, and unified cloud-based management for multiple sites. Every Cisco Meraki indoor AP also includes dual powerful client-serving radios with boosted reception plus a separate radio that offers intrusion detection and prevention system (WIDS/WIPS) security for threat detection and deep packet inspection.

Meraki outdoor access points are IP67 certified, built to operate in harsh outdoor environments, and able to withstand dust, vibration and moisture. Meraki outdoor wireless access points include a Gigabit Ethernet port and deliver advanced features such as cloud-based management with network-wide visibility and control, 802.1X integration, built-in antivirus scan (NAC), 1-click guest access and guest isolation firewall, application-aware traffic shaping, plus self-configuring mesh with beamforming. For more information about Progent's support for Cisco's Meraki access points and management, refer to Meraki wireless access points planning and support.

Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax APs
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 family of Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax APs are designed for deployments ranging from telecommuter homes to high-density arenas. 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) standard. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Headline technologies supported by Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series access points include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for better dependability, Target Wake Time for reduced power usage in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power thresholds for better spectrum utilization, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 802.11ax APs can run Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC), handle as many as 200 client users per radio, and run on Cisco IOS XE Software. For details about Progent's support for Catalyst 9100 Line of 802.11ax APs, refer to 802.11ax APs solution planning, configuration, and debugging services.

Cisco 9800 Series Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Catalyst 9800 line of Wi-Fi 6-supported wireless LAN controllers help you manage advanced Wi-Fi networks that support 802.11ax Wi-Fi access points. The 802.11ax standard, also called Wi-Fi 6, builds on previous generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) appliances by delivering lower latency and more reliable performance, allowing higher client density, offering enhanced protection, saving energy for battery-dependent handheld devices, and allowing more flexibility for handling the latest types of Internet-of-Things (IoT) endpoints. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi controllers include high availability with transparent software upgrades, hot patching, and the ability to connect additional wireless APs without disruption of service. Enhanced cybersecurity technologies include Cisco Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), secure boot, and Cisco Software-Defined Access. Streaming telemetry allows you to monitor and analyze infrastructure and endpoint health.

All appliances in the Catalyst 9800 family are powered by Cisco's IOS XE Software and operate with Cisco's DNA Center (DNAC) or Cisco Prime Infrastructure management platforms. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 Series wireless LAN controllers can support Cisco Aironet 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 APs as well as Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points. For details about Progent's support for Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, see Cisco Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6 wireless LAN controllers solution design, deployment, and management services.

Cisco Wi-Fi 5 Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers enable fast communication, provisioning, administration, monitoring and troubleshooting for Cisco Wi-Fi appliances and software services. Cisco offers both physical and software-based wireless controllers for unified management of WiFi networks, but networks with many wireless APs are better served by hardware-based Wi-Fi controllers. New wireless controller appliances from Cisco offer significant advantages in comparison to Wave 1 and older products such as greater performance, concurrent support for both 1G and 10G Ethernet, improved application visibility and control, and hardened, integrated security.

Cisco's 3504 Wireless Controller is an entry-level device with a desktop body and designed for small and medium-sized businesses. You can install the 3504 model in a centralized network environment such as in lean branch and home-based offices managed over the wide-area network via Cisco FlexConnect, or in mesh deployments where Ethernet cabling is limited. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller can handle as many as 150 APs and 3,000 client users, offers 4 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 controller features a Cisco Multigigabit interface and four 1-GB Ethernet ports. APs can be connected to the WiFi controller via two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller offers fast failover for access points and users, which allows uninterrupted availability for applications. Like other Wave 2 wireless controllers available from Cisco, the 3504 model has the integrated capability to work with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WiFi controllers.

The Cisco 5520 WiFi Controller, available in a 1 rack unit enclosure, is designed for midsize to large organizations and campus environments and can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 wireless controller can handle as many as 1,500 Wi-Fi access points and 20,000 clients, delivers 20 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 WiFi controller features two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates SSD storage, redundant fans, optional backup power supplies, and rapid failover for high availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, available in a 2RU form factor, is a top-of-the-line wireless controller intended to support large enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 Wireless controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and supports up to 6,000 APs and 64,000 users. The 8540 WiFi controller can deliver data rates as high as 40 Gbps and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 8540 controller includes four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features solid-state storage, backup power supplies, backup fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi LAN Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers cut the time and cost required to deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of critical tasks such as provisioning access points, enforcing single-point policies throughout converged LANs, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service (QoS) for IP voice and video, monitoring and troubleshooting system health, activating security tools to defend against cyber break-ins and DDoS threats, and handling IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has developed wireless network controllers for businesses of any size and can provide desktop or rackmount controllers, modular add-on controllers for Cisco routers and switches, and Catalyst switches with built-in wireless network controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi network controllers incorporate Cisco CleanAir technology to minimize signal interference and create self-healing wireless LANs for top 802.11n and 802.11ac throughput and protection. Built-in Bonjour Gateways allow discovery and policy throughout the enterprise for Apple applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless controllers support wireless access point and client stateful switchover by permitting a standby high-availability wireless controller to synchronize with a primary controller for access point license tabulation, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and access point CAPWAP state. If the primary wireless controller goes down, thousands of access points and wireless clients can failover at subsecond speeds to the secondary wireless LAN controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E provides basic 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for Cisco 2900 and 3900 Series routers used by smaller businesses and satellite offices. This value-priced and scalable solution can support from five to 200 wireless access points and up to 6000 wireless clients. (To learn concerning Progent's online and onsite consulting and troubleshooting support services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting support.)

Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches intended for SMBs and satellite offices and come with a built-in wireless LAN controller with the capability to support 40 Gb of wireless capacity for each switch and up to 25 wireless access points and 1000 wireless clients per switch. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches intended for midsize and large organizations and feature a built-in wireless network controller supporting 40 Gb of wireless capacity on each switch and the ability to handle 50 APs and up to 2000 clients. The WiSM2 is a plug-in blade for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches with a built-in wireless controller intended for mid-to-large size businesses and capable of 20 Gbps throughput and with support for up to 1000 access points and as many as 15,000 clients. (To learn about Progent's consulting services for Catalyst switches, see Cisco switches configuration and management consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop units that streamline the provisioning and management of wireless networks for small and midsize businesses and branches. The 2500 Series wireless LAN controller can manage 5 to 75 access points and up to 1000 wireless clients and offers throughput of 1 Gbps.

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

The Cisco Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is intended to enable centralized management of massive collections of wireless branches from one datacenter, eliminating the requirement for a wireless controller at every remote site. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 appliance allows you to build a private cloud to deploy, monitor, manage, and repair as many as 6000 access points and 64,000 clients while supporting 1 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance engineered to manage wireless networks for large campuses or for service providers and can be expanded to support up to 6000 APs and up to 64,000 clients while delivering 10 Gbps throughput.

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

Legacy Cisco Wireless Access Points, LAN Bridges and Wi-Fi Controllers Supported by Progent
The 802.11ac specification for wireless connectivity virtually made obsolete all previous generations of Wi-Fi devices for environments that support high densities of clients and high incidence of video-intensive software applications. Even for organizations who do not currently need the bandwidth efficiency of 802.11ac, many of Cisco wireless products have reached end-of-sale or end-of-support status, which can present serious service and compliance issues. Progent's Cisco-certified consulting experts provide online and onsite support services for a wide range of older-generation wireless products from Cisco. Progent can in addition help organizations to assess the financial justification for upgrading legacy wireless technology and can assist in designing and executing affordable, seamless migrations. Below are a few of Cisco legacy wireless products that Progent's consulting experts still support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1000 or 1130AG family wireless access points are ideal for offices and other locations which have little environmental instability. These access points include integrated antennas that offer dependable omnidirectional range profiles. The Aironet 1130G Series product is offered for controlled locations that do not permit 5GHz operation.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family wireless access points are ideal for more difficult RF environments such as factories or above suspended ceilings which tend to call for flexible protruding antennas and durable cases. The Cisco Aironet 1240G family wireless access point is available for regulatory domains that do not permit 802.11a transmission.

Aironet 1500 family lightweight outside wireless mesh access points deliver a cost-effective, scalable, secure outdoor wireless solution for enterprise campuses and for public sites that need access for portable devices.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges offer a high-speed and multi-featured solution for integrating numerous LANs in a metro situation or public access network. Cisco wireless bridges provide a flexible, manageable solution that meets the security needs of public networking specialists. These devices support both point-to-point and PMP deployments with good coverage and support for traffic rates as high as 54 Mbps.

Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges deliver throughput dramatically faster than E1/T1 connections for far less cost, avoiding the requirement for expensive leased lines when connecting different offices. Since wireless bridges carry no ongoing costs, savings on leased-line services rapidly cover the initial equipment costs. Self-installed private lines and in some cases leased lines made of metal or optical cable can require very expensive initial costs in cases where they are separated by barriers such as highways, railroads, or bodies of water. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges can be deployed rapidly an offer a fast ROI.

Cisco 1300 Series outdoor wireless access points/bridges can be implemented as independent access points, bridges, or wireless group bridges. These appliances have a ruggedized cover and offer high-speed, economical wireless interfaces between numerous fixed or mobile networks and users.

Cisco 1400 family bridges offer fast, dependable outdoor connections for line-of-sight (LOS) applications. These devices include an all-weather cover that can withstand severe outdoor conditions and function in wide temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco WLAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers centralize the management of wireless networks by simplifying the handling of key functions including integrated IPS, fast RF control, automatic configuration, and N+1 redundancy. Cisco Wireless Network controllers operate with small access points to offer enhanced throughput and advanced administration capabilities.

WLAN Controllers offer the manageability, scalability, security, and dependability that IT managers require to create secure, enterprise-scale wireless networks, from satellite locations to small companies to headquarter campuses. Cisco's legacy Wireless Network Controllers can be configured together to offer support for as many as 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 (SMBs) and large corporations an economical way to implement and control secure wireless networks at satellite locations. These wireless LAN controllers supervise as many as 12 Aironet access points and are installable in 2800/3800 Series IS Routers and 3700 Series IS Routers. (To find out concerning Progent's online and onsite consulting support for Cisco routers, see Cisco router configuration and troubleshooting support.)

How Progent's Engineers Can Assist Your Business with Cisco Wireless Products
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consulting professional to help your business to plan, deploy, maintain and troubleshoot a converged wired/wireless environment integrating a wide array of wireless technologies that offer the identical security, extensibility, and ease of management you demand from your wired network. Progent can help you to support early-generation wireless products from Cisco or migrate seamlessly to the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 technology. Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can advise you about how to design security into your WLAN and into your business operations. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity consultants can assist you to configure the high availability (HA) technology incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless products so your converged network delivers continuing business value.

Progent’s Wireless Site Survey helps you to design and implement a robust WLAN customized for your facilities, offering a Wi-Fi ecosystem that provides seamless coverage, high performance and density, QoS to support IP video, advanced security and compliance, and streamlined management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be performed remotely to cut time and expense, or onsite for more challenging facilities.

For a further discussion of Progent's wireless consulting services, see Progent's Wireless Consulting.

For more information about Progent's consulting support for Cisco solutions, select a topic:

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