Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points vs. D-Link Wireless Access Points

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
D-Link Wireless Access Points
Score 4.7 out of 10
N/A
D-Link offers wireless access points. Designed for versatile deployment, their enterprise products supports indoor, outdoor, and wall-mounted installations to meet diverse coverage and environmental needs.
$120.99
one-time fee
Pricing
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsD-Link Wireless Access Points
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
D-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 Access Point (DAP-X2810)
$120.99
one-time fee
D-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 Outdoor Access Point for Business (DAP-X3060OU)
$239.99
one-time fee
D-Link BE9500 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Smart Router (R95)
$249.99
one-time fee
D-Link Nuclias Cloud-Managed AX3600 Access Point - (DBA-X2830P)
$349.99
one-time fee
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsD-Link Wireless Access Points
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAvailable through D-Link's shop or through third-party resellers.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsD-Link Wireless Access Points
Best Alternatives
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsD-Link Wireless Access Points
Small Businesses
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 9.1 out of 10
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
WatchGuard Secure Wi-Fi Cloud
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Access Points
Cisco Meraki MR Wireless Access Points
Score 9.2 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsD-Link Wireless Access Points
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(70 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(63 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(63 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access PointsD-Link Wireless Access Points
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points are well suited for dense Client solutions. We have used these in areas where we have a large number of guests that need top-notch connectivity without ever losing connection. The one area where we do have difficulty is in outdoor deployment, where large areas need to be covered, but we do not have physical connectivity in order to get the access points connected. This is not an access point issue but more of a physical connectivity limitation.
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D-Link
Best in small networks & appropriate in industrial areas. AP works fine in any temperature & location (in remote locations office or remote location). Open area wireless connectivity is good with good range. Simple VLAN management and management are good. Backup and restoration is very good. Small home offices using wireless network work awesome.
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Pros
Cisco
  • So this product actually helps in healthcare facilities where we have a wireless, we call this WOW monitors. It's Wireless On Wheels. So we use those monitors to the patient's room to room. So in that case, rather than connecting it to wire, so it really helps us to connect through the WIFI and access the patients whenever we be needed.
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D-Link
  • Due to multiple switches in a single network environment, communication issues are common; therefore, productivity is effected. After installing D-Link Wireless, we resolved these kind of issues in our network.
  • One windows solution make management easy via D-Link Wireless.
  • Logs and troubleshooting is now easily handled. Pictorial form help in configuration and users management.
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Cons
Cisco
  • They could definitely download their code faster. When we first get them out of the box and join them on the network, it takes probably 20, 30 minutes per access point to download the new code from the wireless controller and then reboot itself and then come back online.
  • When you're configuring it on the controller, if you want to switch access point groups, we have them broken out per site. Every time you add it to one of those groups, it also has to reboot. That's like downtime for us. That could be improved, I think.
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D-Link
  • Hanging issues are common in large scale networks. Even wireless controller is hanged in peak hours.
  • Issues in VLAN configuration and port configurations.
  • Cost is high in front of other brands.
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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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D-Link
No answers on this topic
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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D-Link
No answers on this topic
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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D-Link
No answers on this topic
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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D-Link
We studied and selected D-Link due to usage in a limited area, and it is a very cost effective solution; therefore, D-Link Wireless AP and D-Link Wireless Controller [were] selected for our organization. We also [researched] Cisco, but Cisco was an expensive product and not appropriate in our required area or task; therefore, we selected D-Link.
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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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D-Link
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • problem with delivery time for the product - 12 months
  • we extended our WiFi network - is easy with Cisco AP
  • Connection new area\sites with AP is easy, we have got same location with only WiFi access - no wired cables
  • increase secutity
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D-Link
  • Organizational needs are fulfilled [which] means return on investment.
  • Smooth connectivity increases productivity. Yes, we are satisfied in this area.
  • Management and troubleshooting are core features & very quick in production area.
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ScreenShots

Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points Screenshots

Screenshot of C9117AXI-B Catalyst 9117AX Access PointScreenshot of C9117AXI-B Catalyst 9117AX Access PointScreenshot of C9117AXI-B Catalyst 9117AX Access PointScreenshot of C9117AXI-B Catalyst 9117AX Access Point