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Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued) vs. Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)

    Score10 out of 10
    N/ACurrently supported by Cisco, but no longer sold, Cisco recommends migration to the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Family of Access Points, which offer greater performance and flexibility.N/A

    Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AThe Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points (EWC-AP) is a next-generation Wi-Fi solution, combining an advanced controller – the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers – with a Wi-Fi 6 access point – the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points – to create a wireless experience for evolving and growing organization.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller
    Small Businesses
    WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
    Score9.1 out of 10
    WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (30 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    9.2
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.6
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    As any Cisco Aironet Access Points, the 3800 model is more for power users than beginners. It is for sure very more complex to maintain and trouble shoot than solutions like Cisco Meraki APs.
    By the way, there are a lot of settings that can be customized and it is really interesting for difficult environments like industrial factories.
    The 3800 model is also robust so it should stay durable and reliable.
    But if you want to use the mesh mode or make a wireless bridge, this model is not appropriate as it is not supported for now.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    Overall I could see myself recommending these to others if they have the right set of circumstances at their place of business. Those would be like ours, if they had a location that couldnt be served by a WLC. Once setup they are easy to manage and self healing as in they wont go down when one is offline.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • Cisco APs are managed very easily from a Cisco WLC controller.
    • Cisco APs provide lots of enterprise-grade options such as rogue detection and automatic power configuration.
    • Cisco APs have many different mounting options, which makes them very versatile in a healthcare environment.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • Offers enterprise-class security that keeps the network protected
    • Cost-effective connectivity
    • Deploying WiFi 6 network without complexity or added expense
    • Controlling access points and clients
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • Outdoor capabilities. We have actually blown up a few outdoor units. Water got inside the outdoor units and had visible rust
    • Costs compared to other AP’s in the market. Ruckus and EnGenius work out a bit cheaper
    • Mounting options are limited
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • Some bugs in the interface.
    • Issues with licensing and Cisco DNA integration.
    • Frequent software patches needed,
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    We are all happy with Aironet and Prime.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Giving this rating as i have recommended and configured EWC for many customer where they don't needed much AP and on-prem controller was also not needed. most of features available on 9800 WLC is also available on EWC
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Discontinued Products
    The Cisco 3802 product performance is excellent. Not only for the speed and range of the wireless it provides, but also for the fact that - when deployed in a large scale environment - the performance does not fail. It provides the same network connectivity for users ranging from 1 to 30-plus concurrent connections.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    The usage scenario was different. I don't see this as a benefit versus harm comparison, necessarily. What happened was that, at a certain point, the implementation of the cisco solution was the winner of our public bidding process and with that, we implemented it and have used it ever since.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    Cisco EWC is better to all its competitor as it provide same robust solution which is available to its hardware based controller, Customer experiences are similar to what other 9800 hardware based devices provides.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Discontinued Products
    Contrary to a solution like the Cisco Meraki access points, the Aironet access points like the 3800 are linked to the Controler. And depending on the version of the controller, it will support only some models of access points.
    For big sites, it may be difficult to upgrade the controler to support new ap models like 3800 because we still have old access points.
    And it is also the same between new access points and old client devices so it is always a bit tricky.
    After that, if the access point model is supported by the controller, it is really simple to install a new one
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • Users are able to carry on with their work while moving, changing seats, rooms or having an ad-hoc Skype meeting on the way to lunch. It is always hard to justify the value of connectivity but be assured, when it is not working the business impact is immediate.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • Makes having remote sites less problematic when it comes to managing AP's
    • Saved money on managed AP's as they're found cheaper
    • Takes more time to manage additional controllers versus a WLC
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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