Cisco has developed an extensive catalog of wireless networking products and software tools engineered to enable anywhere, anytime access to data and other resources and to promote teamwork among workers, partners, suppliers, and clients. Cisco's wireless offerings include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points (APs), as well as Cisco's Wireless LAN Controller plug-ins and appliances. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless experts can help businesses of any size to utilize Cisco wireless technology to support the new model of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) networks by converging their wired and wireless networks to benefit from simplified configuration, consistent and fast throughput, centralized management, enterprise-wide policy enforcement, high availability (HA), and across-the-board security.
The Cisco Unified Wireless solution can scale to up to 18,000 APs with Layer 3 connectivity across local or offsite locations such as enterprise headquarters, university auditoriums, branches, and home offices. Cisco's Wi-Fi access points and controllers are components of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to deliver the identical degree of protection, performance, and manageability for WLANs that companies demand in their wired infrastructure. Cisco's technology includes built-in mobility services such as VoIP, high-definition IP video, and safe guest access. Cisco's Unified Wireless technology allows companies to create Wi-Fi environments that streamline the way they work and enhance productivity via a dynamic and collaborative workforce.
Progent's Cisco-certified network consulting services offers online or onsite expertise to help your organization to plan, configure, maintain, expand, and troubleshoot converged wired and wireless networks of all sizes and for any venue. In addition, Progent can provide value-priced remote and onsite wireless site surveys to help your company to design and install a Wi-Fi network with custom-designed wireless access point clusters optimized for your specific work area layout, building structure, and application workloads.
Small Business, Aironet and Meraki Access Points (APs)
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of wireless access points enable you to converge wired/wireless infrastructure to provide the coverage, density, performance, protection and manageability required for virtually any environment. Cisco's APs range from bare bones, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with data rates of 300 Mbps for very small businesses or home offices to dual-radio 802.11a/b/g/n/ac APs suitable for handling 200 or more clients per AP and delivering sustained throughput of up to 1.9 Gbps. Cisco's latest line of APs can be clustered to deliver the scale to support environments with high client density and with a high incidence of video-intense apps.
Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of APs
Cisco's Small Business Family of APs are Linux-powered units intended as entry-level Wi-Fi APs for light workloads. Most models in Cisco's Small Business line of access points work with Cisco's Single Point Setup system, which allows you to configure, manage and troubleshoot a cluster of wireless access points from one AP via an intuitive web browser interface. All models support Power over Ethernet and feature Quality of Service (QoS), rogue access point awareness, and bridge mode for wirelessly connecting to a second network.
Cisco's Small Business WAP121 AP is a wallmount, single-band 2.4GHz unit that can handle 16 active 802.11n clients, includes a 10/100 Ethernet port, permits up to 4 AP devices and 40 wireless clients per cluster, and can handle throughput of 300 Mbps. Cisco's Small Business WAP131 is a desktop dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n access point that can support 16 active clients on each radio for a total of up to 32 clients, features a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, and can support sustained data rates of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP131 does not allow AP clustering. The Cisco Small Business WAP150 is a general-purpose dual-radio 802.11ac/n wireless access point that includes a 1xGE Poe port and can support up to 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps throughput for AC devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. The Cisco Small Business WAP150 supports four access points for each cluster.
Cisco's Small Business WAP321 Wireless-N model is a wallmount single-band (either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) 802.11n unit that can handle up to 80 active clients sharing an 8-device cluster. The Cisco WAP321 features a GE interface and can support throughput of 300 Mbps for the activated radio. The Cisco Small Business WAP351 is a dual-radio 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet interface and can handle 32 active clients per radio for a total of up to 64 active clients, and deliver sustained throughput of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP351 access point does not allow clustering. Cisco's WAP361 is a dual-band 802.11ac wireless access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet LAN switch, can support 32 clients on each radio, and delivers 867 Mbps performance for wireless AC devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n devices. The Cisco Small Business WAP361 allows 8 WAP361 access points per cluster. Cisco's wallmount WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band device that works with 802.11n and the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi specification. The WAP371 includes a GE interface, can handle as many as 32 active clients per radio, and eight access points for each cluster.
Cisco's WAP561 Wireless-N Dual Radio access point includes one GE port and dual radios (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) that offer 450 Mbps throughput for each radio, can handle 64 devices for each radio, and allow up to 16 access points per cluster. The Cisco WAP551 is like the WAP 561 but features a single radio selectable band. The Cisco Small Business WAP571 and WAP571E (the weather-proof outdoor version) are dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wireless-AC/N APs that feature 2 x GE ports with link aggregation, 3x3 MIMO, and up to 1.9 Gbps throughput with 1300 Mbps on 802.11ac and 600 Mbps on 802.11n. Both wireless access points support 32 clients on each radio and 16 WAP371 APs per cluster.
To find out more about Progent's support for current and legacy Cisco Small Business series of WiFi APs, refer to Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 wireless APs consulting.
Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
The Aironet family of indoor and outdoor wireless APs has for years been the top-selling AP product. Aironet access points range from value priced devices to enterprise-class APs. Cisco's Aironet family span several generations of models supporting the continually improving Wi-Fi standard. Cisco's current portfolio of Aironet access points work with Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture and incorporate 802.11ac technology, which delivers three times the performance plus greater distance and density in comparison to the prior generation of APs. Cisco's current dual-band Aironet APs can handle 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for client devices that lack 802.11ac radios.
The oldest Aironet access points are outdated devices that have reached end-of-sale status and are not supported by Cisco. Progent still offers support for the complete Aironet line of wireless access points and can help your company to maintain your existing Aironet wireless system or move cost effectively to the latest Aironet technology. To find out more about Progent's support for both current and legacy Aironet access points, see Aironet APs planning and support.
Meraki Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki dual-band indoor APs range from budget-friendly devices for general use to enterprise-class products supporting as high as 2.5 Gigabit per second throughput. Each Cisco Meraki indoor AP provides next-generation features like self-configuring plug-and-play deployment, advanced protection, BYOD support, built-in analytics, zero-touch web-based firmware updates, and consolidated cloud management via an intuitive dashboard. Each Meraki indoor access point also includes dual powerful client-serving radios with enhanced receive sensitivity as well as a dedicated radio that offers (WIDS/WIPS) security for threat detection and deep packet inspection.
Cisco's Meraki outdoor APs are IP67 certified, built to withstand rugged outdoor environments, and able to resist dust particles, shock and moisture. Cisco's Meraki outdoor access points include a 1 x Gbit Ethernet port and offer advanced features such as 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, Layer 7 traffic shaping, plus auto-configuring mesh with beamforming. For more information about Progent's support for Cisco's Meraki access points and cloud management, refer to Meraki access points system design and troubleshooting.
Cisco Wave 2 802.11ac Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers allow fast communication, provisioning, management, monitoring and troubleshooting for Cisco wireless devices and services. Cisco has developed both physical and virtual wireless controllers for centralized management of WiFi networks, but WLANs with a large number of wireless access points typically require hardware-based wireless controllers. Wave 2 Wi-Fi controller appliances from Cisco deliver major benefits over Wave 1 and earlier models including higher throughput, concurrent support for both 1G and 10G interfaces, enhanced application visibility and control, and hardened, built-in security.
The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is a value-priced appliance available in a desktop enclosure and designed for small and medium-sized organizations. You can use the 3504 model in a centralized network environment such as in lean branch and remote offices administered over the WAN via FlexConnect, or in bridge installations where Ethernet cabling is limited. The 3504 wireless controller can handle up to 150 WiFi access points and 3,000 clients, offers 4 Gbps performance, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. Cisco's 3504 WiFi controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet interface (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet connections. Access points can be connected to the controller through two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller offers fast failover for access points and clients, which provides uninterrupted availability for applications. Like other Wave 2 wireless controllers available from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated ability to communicate with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services Engine, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLAN controllers.
The Cisco 5520 WiFi Controller, offered in a 1RU form factor, is designed to support larger organizations and campus environments and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 Wi-Fi controller can handle as many as 1,500 wireless APs and 20,000 clients, delivers 20 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 WiFi controller includes two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates SSD storage, redundant fans, optional redundant power supplies, and subsecond failover for high availability.
Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2RU form factor, is a top-of-the-line WiFi controller intended to support large enterprises, service providers, and large campuses. The 8540 Wireless controller can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and can handle as many as 6,000 wireless APs and 64,000 client users. The 8540 WiFi 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, redundant power supplies, redundant fans, and rapid failover.
Wave 1 Cisco WiFi Network Controllers
Cisco wireless controllers reduce the time and cost needed to deploy, monitor, and operate Wi-Fi networks by offering single-point control of critical tasks like setting up wireless access points, applying single-point policies across converged networks, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for IP voice and video, tracking and optimizing system health, activating intrusion prevention tools to defend against unauthorized access and DDoS attacks, and managing IPv6 clients. Cisco has designed wireless LAN controllers for businesses of any size and can provide desktop or rackmount appliances, modular add-on wireless controllers for Cisco ISR routers and switches, and switches with integrated wireless network controllers.
Cisco's Wave 1 wireless LAN controllers include Cisco CleanAir technology to minimize RF interference and produce self-healing and self-optimizing wireless LANs for top 802.11n and 802.11ac performance and protection. Built-in Apple Bonjour Gateways allow discovery, advertisement and policy across the enterprise for Apple applications. For fault tolerance, Cisco wireless controllers support wireless access point and client stateful switchover by permitting a backup high-availability wireless controller to synchronize with a primary wireless controller for access point license tabulation, CAPWAP keys, and access point CAPWAP state. If the main controller fails, thousands of APs and wireless clients can switchover at subsecond speeds to the secondary wireless network controller.
Cisco's Wireless Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E provides basic 802.11n and 802.11ac capability for Cisco 2900 and 3900 routers deployed by small to medium-sized organizations and satellite offices. This value-priced and scalable solution can handle from five to 200 access points and up to 6000 wireless clients. (To learn about Progent's online and onsite consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco routers, see Cisco router deployment and management support.)
Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches intended for SMBs and branches and have an integrated wireless controller with the capability to support up to 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and 25 APs and 1000 clients on each switch. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches intended for midsize businesses and large enterprises and feature an integrated wireless LAN controller supporting 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and support for up to 50 APs and 2000 clients. The WiSM2 is a plug-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches with a built-in wireless network controller designed for mid-to-large size businesses and able to deliver 20 Gbps throughput and with support for 1000 APs and 15,000 clients. (To learn about Progent's consulting services for Cisco Catalyst switches, refer to Cisco Catalyst switches deployment and management services.)
Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop units that simplify the provisioning and operation of Wi-Fi LANs for small and midsize businesses and satellite offices. The 2500 Series wireless network controller can handle 5 to 75 access points and up to 1000 clients and offers throughput of 1 Gbps.
The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is an expandable 1RU unit intended for mid-to-large sized enterprises and campus environments and can manage 500 wireless access points and 7,000 clients while providing 8 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance intended for mid-to-large campuses with the ability to manage 1000 access points and 12,000 clients and delivering performance of 60 Gbps to accommodate high client densities and high amounts of video-intensive mobile applications.
Cisco's Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is intended to enable centralized management of massive collections of wireless branches from one datacenter, eliminating the need for a Wi-Fi controller at each branch. The 1RU Flex 7500 lets you create a private cloud to configure, monitor, manage, and troubleshoot up to 6000 wireless access points and 64,000 wireless clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. The Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU device designed to monitor and manage Wi-Fi networks for very large campuses or service providers and can be expanded to handle 6000 wireless points and 64,000 clients while offering 10 Gbps throughput.
To learn more about Cisco WiFi controllers, go to Cisco Wi-Fi controllers consulting services.
Legacy Cisco APs, Bridges and Wireless Controllers Supported by Progent
The 802.11ac specification for wireless connectivity virtually made obsolete all earlier releases of Wi-Fi devices for many environments that have high numbers of wireless clients and high usage of HD video applications. Even for organizations who do not require the performance of 802.11ac Wi-Fi, many of Cisco wireless products have reached end-of-sale or end-of-support status, which can pose significant service and regulatory compliance problems. Progent's Cisco-certified consulting experts provide remote and onsite support for a wide range of older-generation wireless products from Cisco. Progent can also assist companies to assess the potential ROI for upgrading up-of-date wireless technology and can assist in designing and executing cost-effective, seamless migrations. Below are a few of Cisco older-generation Wi-Fi products that Progent's consulting experts still support.
Legacy Cisco Aironet APs
Cisco Aironet 1000/1130AG family wireless access points are intended for conventional workplaces and similar sites which have little environmental variability. These products have integrated antennas that provide dependable radio range patterns. The Aironet 1130G family WAP is offered for controlled locations that do not permit 802.11a/5GHz operation.
Cisco Aironet 1230AG or 1240AG family access points are designed for more challenging RF situations like factories or above ceiling structures which commonly call for adjustable external antennas and rugged metal cases. The Cisco 1240G family access point is intended for controlled domains that do not permit 802.11a operation.
Aironet 1500 family lightweight outdoor mesh APs provide an economical, expandable, secure outdoor wireless technology for campus areas and for public sites that require access for mobile devices.
Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges offer a high-performance and multi-featured technology for connecting multiple LANs in a metro area or public wireless network. Cisco wireless bridges offer a versatile, easy-to-use technology that meets the security needs of WAN professionals. These bridges handle both P2P and PTMP implementations with excellent coverage and support for data throughput up to 54 Mbps.
Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges offer throughput substantially faster than E1/T1 links for much lower expense, eliminating the need for costly leased lines when connecting different offices. Since wireless bridges have no periodic costs, the expenses saved on leased-line bills rapidly pay for the startup equipment costs. Self-installed private lines and in some cases leased lines using metal or optical cable can require high up-front costs in cases where they are separated by obstacles like freeways, train tracks, or bodies of water. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges can be deployed quickly an offer a fast ROI.
Aironet 1300 family outside access points/bridges can be deployed as stand-alone wireless access points, bridges, or wireless group bridges. These products have a ruggedized enclosure and provide high-speed, affordable wireless interfaces between multiple fixed or mobile networks and users.
Cisco 1400 wireless bridges provide fast, reliable outside bridging for line-of-sight (LOS) environments. These devices are housed in a ruggedized enclosure that is optimized for severe outside conditions and function within broad temperature ranges.
Legacy Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco WLAN Controllers centralize the management of wireless LANs by streamlining the control of key functions including integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS), real-time RF management, automatic deployment, and full N+1 redundancy. Cisco Wireless controllers operate with small access points to offer enhanced throughput and advanced administration capabilities.
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers offer the manageability, expandability, protection, and reliability that network managers need to build safe, large-scale wireless solutions, from branch offices to small businesses to headquarter campuses. Cisco's first-generation WLCs can be configured together to provide support for as many as 2400 WAPs for each roaming domain.
Cisco's WLCM or WLCM-E Controller Module for Integrated Services (IS) Routers offers small-to medium businesses (SMBs) and large corporations an affordable solution to implement and control secure WLANs at satellite offices. These devices manage up to a dozen Cisco Aironet APs and are supported on 2800/3800 Integrated Services Routers and 3700 Routers. (To learn concerning Progent's remote and on-premises consulting support for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and management consulting.)
How Progent's Consultants Can Help Your Business with Cisco Wireless Solutions
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consulting professional to assist you to plan, deploy, manage and troubleshoot a converged wired and wireless ecosystem incorporating a broad range of wireless products that offer the identical security, scalability, and ease of management you expect from your wired network. Progent can assist you to support early-generation wireless solutions from Cisco or upgrade seamlessly to the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology. Progent's CISA and ISSAP security specialists can show you how to design security into your wireless network and your business operations. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity planning consultants can help you to set up the high availability features incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless products so your converged infrastructure delivers significant return on investment.
Progent’s Wireless Site Survey helps you to design and implement a state-of-the-art wireless network optimized for your environment, offering a Wi-Fi ecosystem that provides comprehensive coverage, high speed and density, QoS to support IP video, enterprise-class security, and streamlined management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be performed remotely to reduce time and costs, or onsite for more complex environments.
For a more in-depth look at Progent's wireless consulting capabilities, see Progent's Wireless Expertise.
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