Cisco offers an extensive line of wireless networking products and technologies that enable continual connections to data and other resources and to facilitate collaboration among employees, associates, vendors, and customers. Cisco's wireless products include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki series of access points, plus Cisco's Wireless LAN Controller modules and appliances. Progent's certified wireless consulting experts can enable businesses of any size to utilize Cisco wireless technology to support the current paradigm of BYOD networks by converging their wired/wireless networks to achieve easy deployment, consistently high throughput, centralized management, enterprise-wide policy enforcement, fault tolerance, and across-the-board protection.

The Cisco Unified Wireless architecture can expand to up to 18,000 APs with Layer 3 connectivity across local or remote locations like enterprise headquarters, college auditoriums, branch offices, and home offices. Cisco's Wi-Fi APs and wireless controllers are components of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to support the same degree of protection, performance, and ease of management for wireless networks that companies demand in their wired ecosystem. Cisco's technology incorporates built-in mobile services such as Voice over IP, IP video, and secure guest access. Cisco's Unified Wireless Network technology allows organizations to create Wi-Fi environments that streamline the way they do business and improve output via a dynamic and collaborative employee base.
Progent's Cisco CCIE network consultants can provide remote or on-premises support to assist you to design, configure, maintain, expand, and repair converged wired/wireless networks of any size and for any environment. Also, Progent can provide value-priced online and onsite wireless site surveys to help your company to design and deploy a Wi-Fi network with custom-designed AP clusters optimized for your individual office layout, building structure, and application workloads.
Cisco Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst families of access points allow you to converge wired and wireless networks to deliver the accessibility, capacity, performance, security and manageability required to support practically any scenario. These access points range from entry-level, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with throughput of 300 Mb intended for very small companies or telecommuters to Wi-Fi 6 APs suitable for handling hundreds of clients per access point and delivering sustained data rates in excess of 5 Gigabits per second. Cisco's latest line of wireless access points can be clustered to deliver the capacity to support environments crowded with clients and with high usage rates of video-intense apps.
Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of access points are Linux-powered devices intended as entry-level wireless APs for small offices. Most versions in the Cisco Small Business portfolio of wireless access points work with Cisco's Single Point Setup system, which allows you to configure, control and repair a group of access points from a single AP via a simple web browser interface. All of the models include POE and provide QoS, rogue AP awareness, and bridge mode for wirelessly connecting to another Ethernet LAN.
The Cisco Small Business WAP121 Wireless-N Access Point is a wall-mountable, single-radio 2.4GHz device that can support 16 802.11b/g/n clients, includes a Fast Ethernet port, permits up to four AP devices and 40 wireless clients in a cluster, and supports sustained 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 wireless clients per radio for up to 32 clients, features a Gigabit Ethernet LAN interface, and can support sustained data rates of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP131 does not allow clustering. The Cisco WAP150 is an entry-level dual-radio AC/n AP that features a 1xGE Power over Ethernet (PoE) port and can handle 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps performance for AC clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. The Cisco Small Business WAP150 allows 4 access points per cluster.
The Cisco Small Business WAP321 Access Point is a wallmount single-band (2.4 or 5 GHz) 802.11n device with support for up to 80 active wireless clients sharing an 8-device cluster. The WAP321 includes a Gigabit Ethernet port and can support 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 wireless access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet interface and can handle 32 wireless clients per radio for a total of up to 64 active clients, and deliver a sustained data rate of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP351 access point does not allow clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 is a dual-radio 802.11ac Wave 1 wireless access point that includes a 5 x Gb Ethernet LAN switch, can support 32 active WLAN clients per radio, and offers 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac devices and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n devices. Cisco's WAP361 allows 8 WAP361 access points per cluster. Cisco's wallmount WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-radio AP that works with 802.11n and the latest 802.11ac wireless networking specification. The WAP371 includes a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, can support as many as 32 active wireless clients per radio, and eight access points per cluster.
Cisco's Small Business WAP561 802.11n Dual Radio wireless access point features a Gigabit Ethernet interface and two concurrent radios (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) that offer 450 Mbps performance per radio, can handle 64 clients per radio, and allow up to 16 access points for each cluster. The Cisco WAP551 is similar to the WAP 561 but has a single radio selectable band. The Cisco WAP571 and WAP571E (a weather-proof outdoor version) are dual-radio 802.11ac APs incorporating two Gb Ethernet interfaces with link aggregation, and as high as 1.9 Gigabit/sec performance with 1300 Mbps on 11ac and 600 Mbps over 802.11n. Both units support 32 clients on each radio and 16 wireless access points per cluster.

Cisco's WAP581 Wireless-AC Wave 2 Access Point supports the 802.11ac specification and offers 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO to deliver 2.8 Gbps data rates at 5 GHz and 0.6 Gbps at 2.4 GHz for an aggregate top data rate of 2.4 Gbps. The Small Business WAP581 has an integrated 2.5G Ethernet LAN interface and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port with 802.3at Power over Ethernet. Cisco's WAP581 Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 access point supports up to 200 connective users, a maximum of 50 active users for each radio, 16 access points for each cluster, and 960 active users for each cluster.
To find out more about Progent's support for current and older Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 series of WiFi APs, see Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi access points consulting services.
Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points

Cisco's Aironet family of indoor and outdoor wireless APs has consistently been the top-selling AP solution. Aironet wireless access points run the gamut from entry-level devices to advanced units. Cisco's Aironet family span multiple generations of models compliant with the continually improving Wi-Fi standard. Cisco's latest line of Aironet APs support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network software and incorporate 802.11ac support, which offers triple the throughput as well as superior range and density compared to the prior generation of devices. The current multi-frequency Aironet access points can handle 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for client devices without 802.11ac capability.
The earliest Aironet APs are now legacy units that have come to end-of-life status and are no longer fully supported by Cisco. Progent still offers support for the entire Aironet line of wireless access points and can assist you to maintain your existing Aironet Wi-Fi environment or move smoothly to the latest Aironet technology. For details about Progent's support for current and outdated Cisco Aironet access points, refer to Aironet APs consulting services.
Meraki Wireless Access Points
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Cisco's portfolio of Meraki dual-band indoor APs range from budget-friendly devices for general use to advanced units supporting up to 5.9 Gbit/sec performance. Each Meraki indoor access point offers next-generation capabilities like plug-and-play deployment, in-depth protection, Bring-Your-Own-Device support, built-in analytics, automatic over-the-web firmware updates, and unified cloud-based management via an intuitive dashboard. Each Cisco Meraki indoor AP also incorporates dual high-power client-serving radios with enhanced reception plus a dedicated radio that offers (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection at line rate.
Meraki outdoor wireless access points are IP67 rated, designed to withstand rugged outdoor conditions, and tested to resist dust particles, shock and humidity. Cisco's Meraki outdoor APs include a 1 x Gbit Ethernet port and offer advanced capabilities that include cloud management with network-wide control, 802.1X and native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan, single-click guest access and guest isolation firewall, application-aware traffic shaping, plus self-configuring mesh with MIMO and beamforming. For details about Progent's consulting services for Cisco's Meraki APs and cloud management, refer to Meraki access points consulting services.
Catalyst 9100 Family of Wi-Fi 6 and W-Fi 6E Access Points

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series 802.11ax wireless access points are designed for deployments ranging from telecommuter homes to high-density enterprise campuses. Catalyst 9100 access points are based on the 802.11ax specification, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, which in turn builds on the previous 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. Unlike 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is designed to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz bands. Important technologies incorporated in Catalyst 9100 Series APs include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for better dependability, Target Wake Time for reduced power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for more efficient spectrum utilization, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. Catalyst 9100 802.11ax APs can run Cisco's EWC, handle as many as 400 clients per radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.
Cisco's Catalyst 916x Series Wi-Fi 6E access points are the first Cisco APs to offer the flexibility of being managed on-premises via Cisco DNA Center or via the cloud by using Meraki management tools. This enables organizations to move to cloud-based or hybrid management environments at their own pace. All Catalyst 916x access points comply with the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E wireless specifications and support the 6-GHz band. Each AP includes 5 radios and allows up to 400 clients per radio. Every AP model also contains a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for reducing interference, includes a USB 2.0 port, and offers Bluetooth Low Energy. Cisco's entry-level Catalyst 9162 Series AP is intended for small businesses, has three 2x2 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet connectivity.
The Catalyst 9163E Wi-Fi 6E AP is built to withstand harsh outside venues such as campuses or stadiums. The 9163E includes three client serving 2x2 radios, one IoT radio, and a tri-band scanning radio. Interfaces include 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet (RJ-45), a management console port (RJ-45), 4x N-Type Wi-Fi antenna connectors, and an RP-SMA active GPS/GNSS antenna connector. The 9163E supports Omnidirectional Dipole Self-Identifying Antennas. Cisco's Catalyst 9164 Series AP is intended for small and mid-size enterprises, incorporates one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet. The Catalyst 9166 Series Wi-Fi access point is meant for large and medium-sized enterprises, has three 4x4 radios, and features 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet support. The 9166 also includes environmental sensors that track air quality, temperature, and humidity. For details about Progent's support for Catalyst 9100 Family of 802.11ax Access Points, see Wi-Fi 6/6E 802.11ax APs solution planning, configuration, and troubleshooting services.
Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6-supported wireless LAN controllers allow you to manage advanced Wi-Fi environments that incorporate 802.11ax Wi-Fi access points. The 802.11ax standard, also called Wi-Fi 6, builds on prior generation 802.11ac (referred to as Wi-Fi 5) devices by delivering less latency and more reliable performance, allowing higher client density, providing enhanced protection, conserving energy for battery-dependent mobile devices, and allowing more flexibility for handling the latest types of Internet-of-Things endpoints. Catalyst 9800 line Wi-Fi controllers feature high availability with seamless software updates, hot patching, and the ability to add APs without disruption of service. Advanced cybersecurity features include Cisco Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), image signing, and Software-Defined Access. Streaming telemetry allows you to monitor and analyze network and client health.
All devices in the Catalyst 9800 line are based on Cisco's IOS XE Software and operate with Cisco's DNA Center (DNAC) or with Prime Infrastructure management tools. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 wireless LAN controllers can support Cisco Aironet 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points concurrently with Cisco Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 APs. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Cisco 9800 line of 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, see Cisco Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6 wireless controllers solution design, deployment, and troubleshooting services.
Cisco Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers allow realtime communication, provisioning, control, monitoring and troubleshooting for Cisco Wi-Fi devices and services. Cisco offers both physical and software-based Wi-Fi controllers for unified administration of wireless networks, but networks with a large number of wireless APs typically require physical Wi-Fi controllers. Wave 2 Wi-Fi controller devices from Cisco offer major benefits in comparison to Wave 1 and earlier models such as greater throughput, simultaneous support for both 1G and 10G Ethernet, improved application visibility and control, and advanced, built-in protection.
The Cisco 3504 WiFi Controller is a value-priced device with a desktop enclosure and designed for smaller businesses. You can use the 3504 model in a centralized WLAN architecture such as in small branch and home-based offices managed across the wide-area network with Cisco FlexConnect, or in bridge installations where wiring is limited. The 3504 wireless controller supports as many as 150 WiFi access points and 3,000 clients, delivers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 WiFi controller features a Cisco Multigigabit port and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Access points can be connected directly to the WiFi controller through two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller features fast failover for access points and users, which allows high availability for apps. Like other current Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated 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 1 rack unit enclosure, is intended for larger enterprises and campus networks and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 Wi-Fi controller supports up to 1,500 access points and 20,000 clients, offers 20 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 WiFi controller includes two 10 GE interfaces and features solid-state storage, redundant fans, optional backup power supplies, and rapid failover for high availability.
The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, available in a 2 rack unit package, is a top-of-the-line WiFi controller designed to support enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 WiFi controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and supports as many as 6,000 access points and 64,000 users. The 8540 Wireless controller offers data rates as high as 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8540 controller includes four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features SSD storage, backup power supplies, redundant fans, and subsecond failover.
Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless controllers cut the time and cost needed to deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of tasks such as setting up access points, applying consistent policies across wired/wireless LANs, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service (QoS) for IP voice and HD video, tracking and troubleshooting system health, activating security tools to guard against unauthorized access and DDoS attacks, and handling IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has developed wireless LAN controllers for businesses of all sizes and can provide desktop or rackmount appliances, modular add-on controllers for Cisco routers and switches, and switches with integrated wireless LAN controllers.
Cisco's Wave 1 wireless controllers include Cisco CleanAir tools to avoid RF interference and produce self-healing and self-optimizing wireless LANs for maximum 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and protection. Integrated Bonjour Gateways permit discovery throughout WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple-based applications. For high availability (HA), Cisco wireless LAN controllers allow wireless access point and client stateful switchover by enabling 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 controller goes down, thousands of APs and clients can switchover immediately to the backup wireless controller.
Cisco's Wireless Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E provides entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for 2900 and 3900 routers deployed by smaller organizations and branch offices. This affordable and scalable solution can handle from five to 200 wireless access points and as many as 6000 clients. (To learn concerning Progent's online and on-premises consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and troubleshooting services.)
Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches intended for SMBs and satellite offices and features a built-in wireless LAN controller with the capability to support 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and 25 access points and 1000 wireless clients per switch. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches intended for mid-size businesses and large enterprises and feature a built-in wireless network controller with 40 Gb of wireless throughput on each switch and the ability to handle 50 wireless access points and up to 2000 clients. The Wireless Services Module2 is a plug-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches with an integrated wireless network controller designed for mid-to-large size businesses and capable of 20 Gbps throughput and able to handle 1000 APs and up to 15,000 clients. (To learn concerning Progent's consulting services for Cisco switches, see Catalyst switches deployment and management support.)
Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are value-priced desktop units that simplify the deployment and operation of Wi-Fi LANs for SMBs and branches. The 2500 Series wireless LAN controller can handle 5 to 75 APs and 1000 wireless clients and offers sustained performance of up to 1 Gbps.
The Cisco 5500 Wireless Controller is an expandable 1RU unit designed for medium-sized to large organizations and campus environments and can manage 500 access points and 7,000 clients while providing 8 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU device designed for mid-to-large campuses with the ability to manage up to 1000 wireless access points and 12,000 clients and delivering performance of 60 Gbps to accommodate high client densities and high usage of media-rich applications.
Cisco's Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is designed to enable centralized management of massive collections of wireless remote sites from one location, eliminating the costs of a wireless controller at every branch. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 appliance allows you to build a private cloud to configure, monitor, manage, and troubleshoot as many as 6000 APs and up to 64,000 clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. The Cisco 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU rackmount appliance designed to manage wireless environments for large campuses or service providers and can scale to support up to 6000 wireless points and up to 64,000 clients while offering 10 Gbps throughput.
To learn more about Cisco WiFi controllers, see Cisco wireless controllers consulting and integration.
Legacy Cisco Wireless Access Points, Bridges and Wi-Fi Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the 802.11ac standard for wireless connectivity effectively made obsolete all prior generations of Wi-Fi products for many venues that support high numbers of clients and high usage of HD video applications. Even for organizations who do not require the bandwidth efficiency of 802.11ac, a large number of Cisco wireless products have reached end-of-sale or end-of-support status, which can pose serious maintenance and regulatory compliance issues. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants offer online and on-premises support for a broad array of earlier-generation wireless products from Cisco. Progent can in addition help organizations to evaluate the potential ROI for updating up-of-date wireless infrastructure and can help in designing and carrying out cost-effective, seamless migrations. Below are a few of Cisco older-generation Wi-Fi products that Progent's consultants continue to support.
Legacy Cisco Aironet APs
Cisco Aironet 1000/1130AG family wireless access points are intended for offices and similar sites which have little environmental instability. These products have built-in antennas that offer dependable radio coverage patterns. The Cisco Aironet 1130G family device is available for restricted locations that do not permit 802.11a operation.
Aironet 1230AG/1240AG Series access points are ideal for more challenging radio frequency environments like factories and warehouses or above suspended ceilings which tend to call for adjustable external antennas and durable cases. The Cisco Aironet 1240G family access point is designed for restricted domains that do not allow 802.11a/5GHz operation.
Aironet 1500 family lightweight outdoor mesh APs provide an economical, expandable, protected outdoor wireless network mechanism for enterprise campuses and for public venues that require connectivity for portable devices.
Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Bridges
Cisco wireless LAN bridges provide a high-performance and feature-rich solution for integrating numerous LANs in a metropolitan situation or public access environment. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges provide a flexible, easy-to-use solution that satisfies the security requirements of wide-area networking specialists. They handle both PTP and P2MP deployments with good range and support for data throughput as high as 54 Mbps.
Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges deliver throughput several times higher than E1/T1 links for far less cost, avoiding the necessity of costly leased lines when connecting separate buildings. Since bridges have no ongoing costs, savings on connection services rapidly cover the initial equipment costs. Private lines and in some cases leased lines using copper or fiber-optic cable often result in high startup costs when they are impeded by obstacles like highways, train tracks, or lakes and rivers. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges can be deployed quickly with a fast ROI.
Cisco 1300 outdoor access points/bridges can be implemented as independent access points, wireless bridges, or wireless group bridges. These products have a ruggedized enclosure and provide fast, affordable wireless interfaces between numerous fixed or mobile environments and users.
Aironet 1400 wireless bridges offer high-speed, dependable outdoor wireless bridging for line-of-sight applications. These devices include a durable cover that is optimized for severe outdoor environments and can function within broad temperature ranges.
Legacy Cisco Wireless Controllers
Cisco Wireless Network Controllers centralize the management of WLANs by simplifying the handling of key technologies such as integrated IPS, fast RF management, zero touch deployment, and N+1 redundancy. Cisco Wireless Network controllers operate with lightweight wireless access points to deliver enhanced performance and advanced control capabilities.
Cisco WLAN Controllers (WLCs) offer the manageability, expandability, protection, and reliability that IT managers require to build secure, enterprise-scale wireless environments, from satellite offices to small businesses to main campuses. Cisco's first-generation WLCs can be clustered to provide support for as many as 2400 WAPs for each roaming domain.
The Cisco WLCM or WLCM-E Module for IS Routers offers small-to medium businesses (SMBs) and enterprises a cost effective way to deploy and control protected wireless LANs at branch locations. These wireless controllers supervise up to a dozen Aironet wireless access points and are supported on 2800/3800 Series Routers and Cisco 3700 Series Routers. (For information concerning Progent's remote and onsite consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and management support.)
How Progent's Consultants Can Help Your Business with Cisco Wireless Devices
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consulting professional to assist you to design, install, maintain and repair a converged wired/wireless ecosystem incorporating a wide range of wireless devices that provide the identical protection, scalability, and ease of management you demand from your wired network. Progent can assist you to support legacy Wi-Fi products from Cisco or migrate seamlessly to the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 technology. Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security professionals can advise you about how to build security into your WLAN and into your company's processes. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity consultants can help you to deploy the high availability features incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged infrastructure provides non-stop 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, offering a Wi-Fi ecosystem that delivers seamless coverage, high performance and density, Quality of Service to handle IP voice and video, enterprise-class security, and easy management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be delivered remotely to cut time and expense, or on premises for more difficult situations.
For a further look at Progent's wireless consulting services, visit Progent's Wireless Support.
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