Sizing Wireless Controllers

(WLC)
Manuel Zambrano
Presales Engineer
Abril 2018
© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 1
How 802.11ac Wave 2 Works
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How 802.11ac Wave 2 Works

80% speed boost compared to Wave 1, thanks to:

Multi-User MIMO Wider RF Channels Four Spatial Streams

(MU-MIMO)
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How 802.11ac Wave 2 Works
Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)

Clients get on and off the network

quicker, allowing more
clients to be served.
© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 4
How 802.11ac Wave 2 Works
Four spatial
Ceiling
streams support
using single-user MIMO
abc

def
• Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO)
• Wider RF channels
• Four spatial streams ghi

Wi-Fi client receives

Object
“abcdefghijkl”

jkl
through four streams of data
Access point transmits
“abcdefghijkl”
Wall
to client
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Cisco Access Point & WLC
Portfolio

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Cisco Aironet Indoor Portfolio
The World’s Most Versatile Access Points
802.11ac
802.11ac Wave
Wave 2
2

NEW
NEW

3800
2800 • 802.11ac Wave 2: High-
Performance 5Gbps.

1850 • 802.11ac Wave 2: High- • 2.4, 5GHZ or Dual 5GHZ.

1830
Performance 5Gbps • 4x4:3SS 160MHz.
• 802.11ac Wave 2: • 2.4, 5GHZ or Dual 5GHZ. • MU-MIMO
Cost-effective, 1.7 • 4x4:3SS 160 MHz • 2 GE or 1 GE + 1 mGig
• 802.11ac Wave 2: Gbps
Most Cost-effective, • MU-MIMO (5G)
• 4x4:3SS 80Mhz. • Enhanced Location*
870 Mbps. • 2 GE Ports
• Spectrum Analysis* (External Antenna)
• 3x3:2SS 80MHz. • Enhanced Location*
• Tx Beam Forming (External Antenna) • CleanAir 160 MHz
• Spectrum Analysis*
• 2 GE Ports • CleanAir 160MHz • ClientLink 4.0
• Tx Beam Forming
• Mobility Express • ClientLink 4.0 • Smart Antenna
• 1 GE Port
Connector
• Mobility Express • Mobility Express*
• StadiumVision
• Modularity
• Mobility Express* *Post-FCS

Enterprise
Enterprise Class
Class Mission
Mission Critical
Critical Best
Best In
In Class
Class
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Multigigabit Technology
Use Cisco Catalyst Multigigabit Technology to Fully Leverage Wave 2

Standard Cat 5e/Cat6 Cables

Multigigatibig
2.5-5
Cisco

2.5-5
Cat 3850
Gigabit Port
Gigabit Port

Available on 3800
Supports
PoE Up to 60W

Delivers up to 5X Speeds in Enterprise Without

Replacing Cabling Infrastructure
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Cisco Aironet Outdoor Access Points
Industry’s Best 802.11n & 802.11ac Series

Best in Class
High-Functionality
1570
Base

1530 1550*

• Low Profile, Low Price

• Europe: Low Profile
• Emerging SP: Low Price
• Enterprise: Low profile & Price
• 11n, 2G: 3x3:3; 5G: 2x3:2
• In/External Antennas
• Multiple models & features • High-end Enterprise, MSO
• Enterprise, MSO • 11ac, 4x4:3
• DOCSIS3.0 8x4 • NG-Cable: 24x8
• 11n, 2x3:2 • In/External Antennas
• In/External Antennas • Modular: Future Proof

*NonEoSmodels are1552H, 1552S, and 1552WU © 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 9
WLAN Controller Portfolio in CY16
Large Campus and Service Provider
NEW
AireOS 5508 IOS 5760 AireOS 8510 AireOS 8540 NEW
AireOS WISM2 AireOS 5520 NEW
NEW

• 500 APs • 1000 APs • 1000 APs • 1500 APs • 6000 APs • 6000 APs
• 7000 clients • 12,000 clients • 15,000 clients • 20,000 clients • 64,000 clients • 64,000 clients
• 8 Gbps • 60 Gbps • 20 Gbps • 20 Gbps • 10 Gbps • 40 Gbps

Small Campus / Branch (Controller On-Premise) Branch (Controller in DC)

Doubled AP scale With 3.7 MR Scale With
Doubled AP scale With 3.7 MR Scale With
AireOS 8.2
8.2
MobilityExpres AireOS 2500 IOS Catalyst 3850 IOS Catalyst 4500-E SUP AireOS Virtual WLC AireOS Flex 7500
IOS Catalyst 3650
s
With 8.1 MR
With 8.1 MR

• 75 APs • • 100 APs per stack • ESXi & KVM • 6000 APs
50 APs per switch/stack • 100 APs per SUP
• 25 APs • 1000 clients Directly connected APs • 1.5K APs • 64,000 clients
Directly connected APs Indirectly connected APs
• 500 clients • 1 Gbps • • 2K clients per stack • 16K clients • 1 Gbps
1000 clients per stack • 2K clients per stack
• Flexconnect • • 40 Gbps per switch • 500 Mbps
40 Gbps per switch • 40 Gbps per switch

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Cisco Campus Architecture

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Unified Access
Prime
Cisco
Cisco Unified
Unified Access:
Access: One
One Architecture,
Architecture, Many
Many Deployment
Deployment Mode
Mode Options
Options
ISE

LAN
WAN

ISE

CENTRALIZED CONVERGED FLEX CONNECT MOBILITY EXPRESS

Large Campus Small Campus / Branch Branch Small Network

• Data center hosted • Simplified Campus/Branch • Premise-based controller • Small Autonomous
controller • Consistent Wired/Wireless • Traditional Overlay Model Networks
• Distributed enterprises • Highly Scalable • Low IT Footprints
• Controllers • Controllers • Controllers
• SP Hotspots
• 8540 / 8510 / 5520 / 5508 / • Integrated – 3850 / 3650 • 8540 / 8510 / vWLC / 5520 / • Mobility Express Functionality
WiSM2 / 2504 / vWLC • 5760 External MC 5508 / WiSM2 • 11ac: 1850
• Aironet Access Points Supported • Aironet Access Points Supported • Aironet Access Points Supported • Aironet Access Points Supported
• 11ac AP’s • 11ac AP’s • 11ac AP’s • 11ac AP’s
• Gen 2 11n AP’s • Gen 2 11n AP’s • Gen 2 11n AP’s • Gen 2 11n AP’s

Evolve
Evolve your
your network
network between
between deployment
deployment modes
modes without
without Network
Network Changes
Changes for:
for:
IPv6,
IPv6, VLAN, Best-in-Class L7 Visibility with NBAR, Flexible Mode Conversion, RF
VLAN, Best-in-Class L7 Visibility with NBAR, Flexible Mode Conversion, RF Excellence
Excellence
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Mobility Express

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Cisco Mobility Express
Cisco’s Enterprise Class Wi-Fi in a Simple, Affordable Solution

Same HW – Flexible
Deployment Modes
A Enterprise Class feature-rich
solution
Ideal for Small and mid- Setup in < 5 Minutes
sized business
Reduces deployment complexity
For customers who prefer With no Network configuration
on-prem managed solution changes

Affordable
Affordable Enterprise
Enterprise Simplicity
Simplicity with
withthe
thespeed,
speed, Simple,
Simple, Easy
Easy toto use
use
Class
Class Wi-Fi Solution
Wi-Fi Solution reliability
reliability of
ofan
anOn-Prem
On-Prem Interface
Interface allows
allows for
for
without
withoutfeature
feature Managed
Managed Wi-FiWi-FiSolution
Solution Over-the-air configuration
Over-the-air configuration
compromise
compromise

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Cisco Mobility Express Solution
Cisco Aironet 1700
Cisco Aironet 1850
802.11ac Wave 2 Access The Cisco
Point
1850/2800*/3800*
Cisco Aironet 2700
Access Point
provides virtual
controller function
that serves the
Cisco Aironet 3700 other Access Points

*Post FCS
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Introducing Mobility Express
Integrated WLC Capability on the Wave 2 Access Points

• Flexible AP: AP or AP+WLC Key Features Details

• Appliance-less Controller where the WLC runs on the AP Scalability 1-25 AP’s

• Based on next generation 802.11ac Max WLAN’s 16

Operating Modes FlexConnect
Wave 2 Access Points
RRM Yes
• Manage various Aironet AP’s in cluster in Roaming Yes - L2 Intra-Controller

addition to Wave 2 series (i.e. AP-1700, Rogue AP Detection Yes

2700, 3700, 1600, 2600, 3600, 700 series) Application Visibility Yes

• Simplified Configuration & S/W Image Guest Network Yes

Management Management WEBUI, PI
High Availability N+1
• Global Availability
Local Radius Server Yes

• No Additional License/Cost AAA, ACL Over-ride, QOS Over-ride, Rate-

Policies limiting, ACL, Voice CAC, Bi-directional rate-
limiting, Policy Classification Engine
© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 16
Market/Requirement Segments
Price

•• High
High Scale
Scale
•• Rich Capabilities 5500 or
Rich Capabilities
•• High
High Performance
Performance 8500
6000 AP

•• Low
Low Cost
Cost
•• Medium
Medium Scale
Scale 2504
•• Better
Better
75 AP
•• No
No Separate
Separate WLC
WLC Scale
•• Good Enough
Good Enough
•• No
No Cloud
Cloud Subscription
Subscription On-Prem Controller on AP
•• No
No Additional Cost
Additional Cost Mobility Express
10-25 AP
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