Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
The Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points includes the 9115 and 9117, and designed to meet high demand network access.N/A
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Cisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.N/A
Pricing
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsCisco Catalyst Switches
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsCisco Catalyst Switches
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
Community Pulse
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsCisco Catalyst Switches
Considered Both Products
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Chose Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
We selected the 9100 access points because the wi-fi 6 coverage and throughput that they delivery.
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Chose Cisco Catalyst Switches
Its functionality of Stacking the multiple switches into one unit.
Chose Cisco Catalyst Switches
Cisco WLC's integrate seamlessly with the switches to provide a simple setup and end to end solution.
Chose Cisco Catalyst Switches
I believe that Cisco Catalyst Switches are an excellent choice for data traffic management, which is one of the reasons why we chose them, since it is one of the main needs of the company. In addition to the fact that we use a large number of other devices of the brand and it …
Chose Cisco Catalyst Switches
The cisco switches has a better MTBF, more stable software and better support but are alot pricier
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsCisco Catalyst Switches
Small Businesses
Ubiquiti WLAN
Ubiquiti WLAN
Score 9.0 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Extreme Networks Wired Access - Switches
Extreme Networks Wired Access - Switches
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Score 9.3 out of 10
Cisco Nexus Series Switches
Cisco Nexus Series Switches
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsCisco Catalyst Switches
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(64 ratings)
9.2
(634 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(37 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.4
(39 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(14 ratings)
Performance
8.9
(57 ratings)
9.3
(14 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.2
(37 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(5 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(11 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(10 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(9 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.5
(57 ratings)
9.4
(14 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.3
(1 ratings)
8.2
(34 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
8.3
(35 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsCisco Catalyst Switches
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Well suited in the sense that we use wireless on wheels devices a lot, having devices to monitor the patient's room to room. So this is a very useful, actually, it helps us to transmit the data through the wireless infrastructure. And I don't see, it's less because the WIFI is everywhere, it's very vital part of our life, so I can't say any shortcoming, so it's less useful
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Cisco
Our access infrastructure. If you want to bring many devices into your infrastructure and you don't want to bring the devices direct on the core routers, something like that. Or to the routers, the catalyst switches are perfectly suited for that or for top of direct switches.
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Pros
Cisco
  • It's good for high density deployments that we have. In areas where they have a lot of users and they all want to be on WIFI, so people could have two phones, their laptop and they all want to be in a congregated area, it's really good for handling that traffic compared to our older APs.
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Cisco
  • I think particularly for the 2960-Xs, these are quite sturdy. I believe they don't get, even if there's a power outage out at Cole's, we usually do some electricity work just to do the electricity redundancy. We just power off the, let's say, the transformers and then see if the mains can handle the power supply. So these 2960, these switches are quite sturdy, I believe, and they don't die on us, but I've seen with the 9200s and the other switches, they don't come back usually when there's a power outage or something like that. So we have to replace the power supply units and all those things to get them working again.
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Cons
Cisco
  • Firmware distribution between access points
  • Replace web auth certificate without reloading WLC controllers
  • The issue with expired MIC certificate - but this is not an issue with 9100
  • New AP with new hardware revision works only with the new WLC firmware
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Cisco
  • The Cisco Catalyst Switches 9k line is fairly high. A lower cost option like a 9200X would be an improvement.
  • The Cisco Catalyst Switches 9k line lacks a higher port density fanless switch.
  • More blade combinations for the Cisco Catalyst Switches 9k chassis switches are needed.
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
They are consistently reliable and this switch in particular is a very affordable solution. We can place the Cisco Catalyst 1000 Series Switches gear in areas that we normally would not place a switch because it is affordable enough to make it justifiable. And because it is a reliable solution, we are confident it will continue to provide service over the long haul.
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Usability
Cisco
The Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points have been a solid deployment for me. Using their interface is a mix of new and old. They run IOS, so if you know the CLI, you can easily navigate around them. You can join them to an older controller if it supports a certain version, you can join it to a new 9800 controller--very straight forward--and you can run the embedded wireless controller on them directly. I've found this to be very useful at smaller sites. The Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points are not limited to feature sets like the older generations' mobility express platform.
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Cisco
Cisco by and far does a great job with the Catalyst line. From a layer 2 dumb switch all the way up to ISP carrier grade switching within the Catalyst portfolio. The best part about it is command parity among the various tiers of product. The only differences are going to lie in what features are available per switch.
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Reliability and Availability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
As per our experience, the turn around time for switches after PO is raised varies from 1 - 3 months.
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Performance
Cisco
Using Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points you can expect good performance, if not excellent. Coupled with other tools and managment systems you can easily gain good insight and ease of management. Flexible deployment variations help you adopt the equipment to work for most any required scenario you could think of. It's a well designed and evolved product.
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Cisco
No, the packets flow. Sometimes you will see collisions and broadcast storms can happen which will slow performance but that can be fixed and the packets will flow.
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Support Rating
Cisco
Cisco has been very good at correcting early issues with their code. Their TAC support has been fantastic when I would open a case with issues I was facing. Even though the hardware was new, they were very familiar with the interfaces and issues I was having. In the past I've been concerned about adopting a new product right away because of support issues. That was not the case here. Once I had the deployment up and running, they have had a good run of reliability.
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Cisco
We rarely have issues with the product. I have only had to contact support one time since we put it in and that was to see if another vendor was giving me accurate information on an issue I was having.
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In-Person Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
Cisco Networking Academy partners with many local Colleges and High Schools to provide great hands-on training. You do need to drive to learn the topic. The in-class session only go so far. You really need to apply this to the real world. Cisco makes it easy for business to connect via CLC or Cisco Learning Credits.
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Online Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
My own personal research to get the information I want is very handy and helped me many times
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
The implementation of the Cisco Catalyst 1000 Series Switches is fairly seamless, especially if you are familiar with Cisco products. We have had Brocade switch gear in place too, and the differences between the manufacturers [are] not a major issue.
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Alternatives Considered
Cisco
We are migrating from Aironet platform to Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points. That's more flexible, and we do it to sync switching, SDWAN, and wifi under one family.
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Cisco
I use some Aruba switches as well and some Huawei products as well. That's the reference, honestly, that's really all the products that are quite good are mostly copying what Cisco does. And when it does not copy, it's not as good. The only other competitor that does the same kind of project, but differently in a good way is Juniper. For me it works quite as well, but that's the only vendor that I would say is really different from Cisco and in a good way. I mean both are good but not the same way.
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Scalability
Cisco
These access points offer flexibility in deployment scenarios, supporting both standalone and controller-based architectures. Organisations can choose the model that best suits their current needs and scale as their requirements grow. Cisco Aironet Access Points are compatible with Cisco's Wireless LAN controllers, allowing for centralized management and monitoring of a large number of access points across the network. With the recent changes, it will even support cloud base controllers.
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Cisco
We are exclusive Cisco at our organization. In truth part of the reason is, with one type of switch and one manufacturer, it is easier to support. It is also easier to give consistent training to our staff in our tech department
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Cisco was able to provide a product that met specific business requirements because they have offered a wide range of devices with various feature sets.
  • 9100s have a 3rd radio that allows for a lot of additional security features
  • 9100s have the same level of reliability and performance as the previous generation and continue to impress.
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Cisco
  • energy costs dropped by around 11 per cent on the access layer
  • management has become easier with DNA Center
  • ISSU software upgrades and fabric deployments have significantly reduced "planned" down times
  • network speed has increased, latency is at an all-time best within our own LAN
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ScreenShots

Cisco Catalyst Switches Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Catalyst 9200 SeriesScreenshot of Catalyst 9300 SeriesScreenshot of Catalyst 9400 SeriesScreenshot of Catalyst 9400 Series Additional ViewScreenshot of Catalyst 9500 Series