Overview of Cisco's Catalyst Family of Wi-Fi 6/6E APs
Cisco's Catalyst line of 802.11ax (called Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E) wireless access points build on prior version 802.11ac (aka Wi-Fi 5) access points by delivering less latency and more predictable operation, supporting higher client density, providing greater cybersecurity, saving power for battery-based mobile devices, and offering more configurability for supporting new kinds of IoT endpoints. Cisco's Wi-Fi 6E products include support for the 6-GHz spectrum, offering an additional 1200 MHz of bandwidth for over double the Wi-Fi bandwidth compared to the 5-GHz spectrum.

Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified Wi-Fi network infrastructure experts can provide online or on-premises configuration and debugging services to assist you to plan, configure, update, optimize, administer and troubleshoot Catalyst Wi-Fi access point environments of any scale or architecture. Progent's Cisco wireless controller experts can also help you to combine your wireless ecosystem with your wired network and cloud-hosted resources to build a seamless enterprise-wide connectivity solution that is easy to administer and expand. Progent also offers affordable wireless site surveys to assist you to determine the most appropriate selection, placement and configuration of Aironet Wi-Fi access points to work with your unique workplace design, construction, and anticipated network traffic.

Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax APs Experts

Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Family of Wireless access points deliver the throughput and scale of the 802.11ax standard

The Catalyst 9100 family of Wi-Fi 6 access points are designed for deployments ranging from telecommuter homes to crowded arenas. Catalyst 9100 APs are compliant with the 802.11ax specification, known as Wi-Fi 6, which is an evolution of the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. As an improvement to 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is designed to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz radio bands. Important technologies supported by Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series APs include MU-MIMO support for uplink traffic, dual NAVs for improved reliability, Target Wake Time for reduced power usage in battery-dependent endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for better spectrum use, and extended guard intervals for improved outdoor performance. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series 802.11ax access points can run Cisco's EWC, accommodate up to 200 client users per Wi-Fi radio, and are powered by Cisco IOS XE Software.

Catalyst 9105i Wireless AP Solution Design ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXi Series wireless AP is a low-profile Wi-Fi 6 AP intended for use by at-home workers or in small to medium size organizations. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/acW2/ax and includes dual 2.4/5 GH radios as well as an IoT radio supporting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 and Zigbee. Cisco's Catalyst 9105AXi AP features 2x2:2 MU/SU-MIMO spatial streams and delivers a combined max speed of 1.2 Gbps. The 9105AXi AP includes a 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet uplink port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console port, and two built-in antennas. Channel width for the 2.4 GHz radio is 20 MHz and 20/40/80 MHz for the 5 GHz radio. With Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) installed, the Catalyst 9105AXi allows you to manage up to 50 access points and 1,000 clients.

Catalyst 9105AXw Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9105AXw Series wireless AP is a wall-mount device and is targeted at hospitality, dormitories, and other high-occupancy living spaces. The 9105AXw's capability is like the Cisco 9105AXi Wi-Fi access point but has special antenna profiles and includes a variety of ports not offered on the 9105AXi device. These include a 100/1000/2500 Base-T (Ethernet) port, three 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet downlink interfaces, a USB 2.0 port, and one passthru port. A Ethernet downlink port has 10.5W PSE Power Budget.

Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Wireless APs Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9115AX Series Wi-Fi 6-compliant wireless AP is designed for small to medium size networks. Cisco's 9115AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and incorporates three Wi-Fi radios as well as an Internet-of-Things radio that supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The 9115AX features 4x4:4 + 4x4:4 spatial streams and delivers a combined combined data rate of 5 Gbps. The Catalyst 9115AX comes with one 100/1000/2500 Ethernet (RJ-45) port with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management console port, a USB 2.0 port, built-in antennas, plus extra-cost external antennas. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image activated, the Cisco 9115AX can manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Wireless Access Points Solution Design ExpertsThe Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Series Wi-Fi access point is designed for small to medium size businesses. The Wi-Fi 6 appliance complies with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax standards and includes three Wi-Fi radios as well as an IoT radio covering Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0. The Catalyst 9117AX Series AP features 8x8 MIMO with eight spatial streams for the 5-GHz radio and 4x4:4 MIMO. Top aggregate data rate is 5 Gbps. Cisco's Catalyst 9117AX comes with one 100/1000/2500/5000 Ethernet (RJ-45) uplink interface with PoE 802.3at, an RJ-45 management interface, a USB 2.0 interface, and built-in internal antennas. RAM includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With EWC installed, the Catalyst 9117AX can manage up to 50 APs and 1,000 clients.

Catalyst 9120 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified access point is designed for for mid-size to large networks. The Cisco Catalyst 9120AX supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax and includes four radios. Flexible Radio Assignment technology allows radios to work either in 2.4-GHz/5-GHz mode or in Dual 5-GHz mode. An Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio supports (BLE) 5.0. The 9120AX features 4x4:4 MU-MIMO and delivers a combined max throughput of 5.2 Gbps when both Wi-Fi radios run in 5-GHz mode. The Catalyst 9120AX Series AP includes 100/1000/2500 Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45). The access point also works with PoE 802.3at and includes an RJ-45 management interface, a USB 2.0 port, and integrated internal antennas. External antennas are optional. System memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With the EWC image installed, the 9120AX Series AP can manage up to 100 access points and 2,000 clients.

Cisco Catalyst 9130AX Wi-Fi 6 APs Planning and Deployment ConsultantsCisco's Catalyst 9130AX Series Wi-Fi 6-certified AP is designed for mid-size to large networks and dense public venues like convention centers and stadiums. The Catalyst 9130AX complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 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 radio supports (BLE) 5.0. Cisco's Catalyst 9130AX features a fixed 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet uplink interface and delivers an aggregate maximum throughput of 5.38 Gbps. The access point also supports PoE 802.3at and includes an RJ-45 management port, a USB 2.0 interface, and integrated internal antennas. Cisco's 9130AX AP includes an intelligent physical antenna connector that gives you the flexibility to configure an external antenna to handle special environments. Memory includes 2048 MB DRAM and 1024 MB flash. With Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) installed, the 9130AX can manage 100 access points and 2,000 client users.

Cisco Catalyst 9136 Wi-Fi 6E Access Points Planning and Deployment ExpertsCisco's Catalyst 9136 Series is a breakthrough family of access points designed for enterprises who need the increased performance, capacity, and security brought about by the 6-GHz spectrum expansion introduced with the Wi-Fi 6E specification. By adding 1.2 GHz of contiguous and clean spectrum in the 6 GHz band, the Wi-Fi 6E technology supported by Catalyst 9136 Series APs delivers over twice the bandwidth that can be used by earlier model Wi-Fi client devices. Catalyst 9136 APs support older generation 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi client devices operating in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands in addition to the newer generation of 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices. MU-MIMO spatial streams support up to 8x8:8 at 5 GHz and 4x4:4 at 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz. Aggregate max 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 allow 2.4 GHz, 5-GHz, and 6 GHz operation. Catalyst 9136 APs come with two integrated 5 Gbps Multigigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) Ethernet interfaces with redundant powering. Channel width is 20 MHz at 2.4 GHz and 20/40/80/160 MHz at 5/6 GHz. System memory consists of 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 916x Series Wi-Fi 6E APs are the first Cisco access points with the option of being monitored and managed on-prem via Cisco DNA Center platform or via the cloud by deploying Meraki Dashboard management tools. This enables organizations to move to cloud-based or hybrid deployments on their own timetable. All Catalyst 916x access points comply with the a/b/g/n/ac/ax and 6E Wi-Fi specifications and support the 6-GHz band. Each AP has 5 radios and supports up to 400 clients per radio. Each AP model also contains a dedicated radio for Cisco CleanAir Pro for reducing wireless interference, comes with a USB 2.0 port, and supports Bluetooth Low Energy. The entry-level Catalyst 9162 Series access point is intended for small businesses, has three 2x2 radios, and includes 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet connectivity.

Cisco Catalyst Access Points System Design and TroubleshootingThe Catalyst 9163E Wi-Fi 6E access point is intended to withstand tough outdoor deployments like 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, a management console port (RJ-45), 4x N-Type Wi-Fi antenna connectors, and a GPS/GNSS antenna connector. The 9163E supports Omnidirectional Dipole Self-Identifying Antennas. Cisco's Catalyst 9164 Series access point is intended for small and mid-size organizations, has one 2x2 radio and two 4x4 radios, and features 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G mGig Ethernet support. The Catalyst 9166 Series Wi-Fi access point is suited for large and mid-sized organizations, incorporates three 4x4 radios, and offers 1x 100M/1000M/2.5G/5G mGig Ethernet connectivity. The 9166 also comes with environmental sensors that detect air quality, temperature, and moisture.

Cisco's EWC on Catalyst 9100 Wireless APs
Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller is a software image running on Cisco IOS XE and available for most Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 access points. EWC supports the majority of functions, but not the scale, of Cisco's Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi controller devices. Access points running EWC can simultaneously support Wi-Fi client users. (Cisco Catalyst 9105AXW APs can be part of an EWC LAN and service client users but are not able to run EWC functions.) Cisco's Embedded Wireless Controller can be managed using Cisco DNA Center (DNAC) for multi-site deployments, or by means of a web browser or mobile app for single-site environments. All Cisco DNA Center Automation and Assurance features are available. Embedded Wireless Controller features include always-on with active and standby controllers, software maintenance updates for live patching, automatic configuration, Application Visibility and Control (AVC), and Site Survey.

How Progent Can Help Your Business with Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax APs
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified expert to help your business to design, configure, manage and troubleshoot a wireless environment that includes Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs. Progent can help you to support early-generation Wi-Fi APs from Cisco or upgrade seamlessly to the latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Progent's Cisco Wi-Fi controller solutions consultants can assist you to determine whether your wireless network should incorporate Cisco Wi-Fi controller appliances or can be managed using Cisco's virtual appliances and utilities such as the Embedded Wireless Controller.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security professionals can show you how to design protection into your WLAN and your business operations. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity consultants can assist you to configure the high availability features built into Cisco's wireless and wired technologies so your converged network provides non-stop return on investment.

Progent's Wireless Site Survey assists you to design and deploy a robust WLAN optimized for your facilities, providing a Wi-Fi ecosystem that delivers comprehensive coverage, high performance and capacity, Quality of Service features to support IP voice and video, enterprise-class security, and easy management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be performed remotely to reduce time and expense, or onsite to deal with more complex facilities.

For more details concerning Progent's consulting help for Cisco technology, select a subject: Contact Progent for Expertise with Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E APs
To learn more about Progent's consulting services for designing, configuring, managing and debugging a Wi-Fi solution incorporating Cisco Catalyst WiFi 5 and WiFi 6/6E APs, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.