Overview of Cisco's Catalyst Family of Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points
Cisco's Catalyst line of 802.11ax (referred to as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E) wireless access points build on prior generation 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) APs by delivering less delay and more predictable operation, allowing increased client user density, providing tighter cybersecurity, conserving energy for battery-dependent handheld client devices, and providing more flexibility for supporting new types of Internet-of-Things endpoints. Cisco's Wi-Fi 6E products include compatibility with the 6-GHz spectrum, delivering an additional 1200 MHz of bandwidth to provide more than twice as much Wi-Fi bandwidth as the 5-GHz band.

Progent's Cisco CCIE wireless network infrastructure experts can provide online or on-premises integration and troubleshooting services to assist your organization to design, configure, update, optimize, manage and debug Catalyst wireless access point deployments of any size or topology. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also help you to integrate your wireless environment with your wired network and cloud-hosted resources to build a seamless enterprise-wide connectivity solution that is simple to administer and expand. Progent also can provide affordable Wi-Fi site surveys to help you to decide the most appropriate selection, placement and configuration of Aironet Wi-Fi APs to accommodate your unique workplace design, construction, and anticipated workloads.

Catalyst Wireless Access Points Consultants

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of Wi-Fi 6/6E 802.11ax APs deliver the performance and scale of the 802.11ax standard

The Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax access points are intended for environments ranging from telecommuter homes to crowded stadiums. Cisco Catalyst 9100 APs are based on the 802.11ax standard, known as Wi-Fi 6, which is an evolution of 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. Headline enhancements supported by Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series access points include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for improved reliability, TWT for reduced power consumption in battery-powered endpoints, adaptive power thresholds for better spectrum utilization, and extended guard intervals for improved outdoor performance. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6 access points support Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC), handle up to 200 clients per radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.

Catalyst 9105i Wireless Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series wireless access point is a low-profile Wi-Fi 6 access point intended for operation in home offices or in small to medium size organizations. The Catalyst 9105AXi AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and includes dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios as well as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supporting (BLE) 5.0 and Zigbee. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi device supports 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO and delivers an aggregate maximum data rate of 1.2 Gbps. The Catalyst 9105AXi comes with a 10/100/1000 Base-T uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console interface, and two internal antennas. Channel width for the 2.4 GHz radio is 20 MHz and 20/40/80 MHz for the 5 GHz radio. With EWC installed, the 9105AXi AP allows you to manage 50 access points and 1,000 client users.

Catalyst 9105w Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXw Series Wi-Fi AP is designed specially as a wall-mount device and is intended for hospitality, dormitories, and other high-occupancy dwellings. The 9105AXw's performance is similar to Cisco's 9105AXi AP but has different antenna options and features a variety of ports not available on the 9105AXi unit. These include a 100/1000/2500 Base-T (Ethernet) uplink port, three 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet downlink ports, a USB 2.0 port, and one passthru interface. A downlink port has 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsThe Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-supported wireless AP is intended for small to midsize businesses. The 9115AX Series AP supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and includes three Wi-Fi radios as well as an IoT radio that supports (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's 9115AX features 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and supports an aggregate max data speed of 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9115AX comes with a fixed 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management port, a USB 2.0 interface, integrated internal antennas, and optional external antennas. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image activated, the 9115AX lets you manage up to 50 access points and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9117AX Series LAN AP is designed for small to midsize enterprises. The Wi-Fi 6 device complies with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax specifications and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios plus an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's Catalyst 9117AX features 8x8 MIMO with eight spatial streams for the 5-GHz band and 4x4 MIMO with four spatial streams for the 2.4-GHz {radio. Top aggregate performance is 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9117AX includes a 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet (RJ-45) interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console interface, a USB 2.0 interface, and integrated internal antennas. RAM includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image activated, the Catalyst 9117AX Series AP can manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9120AX Wireless Access Points Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified AP is intended for for mid-size to large enterprises. The Catalyst 9120AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and incorporates four radios. Flexible Radio Assignment technology allows radios to run either in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz mode. An IoT radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0. The 9120AX Series AP features 4x4:4 MU-MIMO spatial streams and delivers an aggregate top data rate of 5.2 Gbps when both Wi-Fi radios operate in 5-GHz client serving mode. The Cisco Catalyst 9120AX Series AP includes 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45). The device also supports PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 port, and integrated internal antennas. External antennas are optional. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash memory. With the EWC image installed, the 9120AX Series AP can manage up to 100 APs and 2,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9130 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified AP is intended for medium to large enterprises and dense public venues such as auditoriums and arenas. The Catalyst 9130AX complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi and features 8x8:8 MU-MIMO spatial streams. External antennas on Cisco's 9130AX access point can be split into two 4x4 Wi-Fi radios. An Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The Catalyst 9130AX includes a 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet uplink port and delivers a combined top data rate of 5.38 Gbps. The device also supports PoE 802.3at and comes with an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 port, and integrated internal antennas. The 9130AX access point includes an intelligent physical antenna connector that offers you the versatility to set up an external antenna to handle challenging venues. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image installed, the 9130AX Series AP can manage up to 100 access points and 2,000 client users.

Catalyst 9136 Wi-Fi 6E APs Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9136 Series is an innovative family of access points designed for enterprises who want the increased speed, client density, and cybersecurity enabled by the 6-GHz spectrum addition introduced with the Wi-Fi 6E specification. By adding 1.2 GHz of uninterrupted and interference-free spectrum in the 6 GHz band, the Wi-Fi 6E standard implemented in Cisco Catalyst 9136 Series access points more than doubles the bandwidth available to earlier model Wi-Fi clients. Catalyst 9136 access points work with older generation 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi devices designed for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands in addition to the newer generation of 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices. MU-MIMO operation support up to 8x8:8 at 5 GHz and 4x4:4 at 2.4/6 GHz. Combined top performance rate is 10.2 Gbps. Also featured are a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 radio for IoT plus a scan radio. Built-in omnidirectional antennas support 2.4 GHz, 5-GHz, and 6 GHz operation. Catalyst 9136 access points come with two integrated 5 Gbps Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) Ethernet interfaces with redundant powering. Channel width is 20 MHz for the 2.4 GHz band and 20/40/80/160 MHz at 5/6 GHz. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. Power options include PoE, PoE+, and UPoE.

Cisco Catalyst 9166 Wi-Fi 6E Access Point ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9160 Series Wi-Fi 6E APs are the first Cisco APs to feature the flexibility to be monitored and managed on-site via Cisco DNA Center platform or from the cloud using Meraki Dashboard management utilities. This enables businesses to move to cloud-based or hybrid management environments on their own timetable. All Cisco's Catalyst 916x access points meet the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E Wi-Fi specifications and include support for the new 6-GHz band. Each AP includes 5 radios and supports as many as 400 clients on each radio. Each AP model also comes with a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for mitigating interference, includes a USB 2.0 port, and offers Bluetooth Low Energy. The value-priced Catalyst 9162 Series AP is designed for small businesses, has three 2x2 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet support.

Catalyst Access Points ExpertsThe Catalyst 9163E Wi-Fi 6E AP is designed for harsh outdoor venues such as campus environments or stadiums. The 9163E comes with three client serving 2x2 radios, one IoT radio, and a tri-band scanning radio. Interfaces include 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G Multigigabit 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 AP supports Omnidirectional Dipole Self-Identifying Antennas. The Catalyst 9164 Series access point is intended for small and mid-size organizations, has one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and offers 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet. The Catalyst 9166 Series access point is suited for large and mid-sized organizations, includes three 4x4 radios, and provides 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet support. The 9166 also includes environmental sensors to detect air quality, temperature, and humidity.

Cisco's EWC on Catalyst 9100 Series Wireless Access Points
Cisco's EWC is a software image powered by Cisco IOS XE and offered on most Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 access points. Cisco's EWC includes the majority of management functions, but not the scale, of Catalyst 9800 Series Wi-Fi controller appliances. APs running EWC can simultaneously service Wi-Fi client users. (Cisco Catalyst 9105AXW access points can be members of an EWC network and support clients but are not able to run EWC management functions.) The Embedded Wireless Controller can be managed using Cisco DNA Center for multi-site deployments, or by means of a browser or mobile app for single-site environments. All Cisco DNA Center Automation and Assurance use cases are available. EWC features include high availability by deploying active and standby controllers, software maintenance updates (SMUs) for live patching, auto configuration, Application Visibility and Control (AVC), and Flexible Radio Assignment.

How Progent's Engineers Can Help You with Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified consultant to assist your business to design, install, manage and troubleshoot a wireless solution that incorporates Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 access points. Progent can help you to manage early-generation wireless APs from Cisco or migrate seamlessly to current 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller solutions consultants can assist you to determine whether your Wi-Fi environment should incorporate Cisco wireless controller appliances or can be managed using Cisco's software-based management tools like Cisco's EWC.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security specialists can show you how to build security into your WLAN and your company's 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 technologies so your converged infrastructure provides significant return on investment.

Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey helps you to plan and deploy a robust wireless network optimized for your environment, providing a wireless ecosystem that provides seamless coverage, high speed and capacity, QoS to support IP voice and video, advanced security, and simplified management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be delivered remotely to reduce time and expense, or on premises for more challenging facilities.

To learn additional details concerning Progent's engineering support for Cisco networking products, pick a topic: Contact Progent for Help with Cisco Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E Access Points
To find out more about Progent's support for designing, configuring, maintaining and debugging a wireless solution incorporating Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E access points, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.