Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued) vs. Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
Currently 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 Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Score 9.4 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
Pricing
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
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 Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Considered Both Products
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)

No answer on this topic

Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Chose Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
The Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points are way better for implementation and supports more features that we can use for our customer.
Chose Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
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.
Chose Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Cisco access points have always provided us with the performance and flexibility we need so it was an easy decision to purchase the next release.
Chose Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
We selected the 9100 access points because the wi-fi 6 coverage and throughput that they delivery.
Chose Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Better antenna gain
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Small Businesses
Ubiquiti WLAN
Ubiquiti WLAN
Score 9.3 out of 10
Ubiquiti WLAN
Ubiquiti WLAN
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Score 9.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(28 ratings)
9.3
(52 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
6.6
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.9
(11 ratings)
9.5
(45 ratings)
Support Rating
6.8
(2 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(11 ratings)
8.5
(45 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.3
(1 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
5.5
(1 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points (discontinued)Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points
Likelihood to Recommend
Discontinued Products
Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points is very well suited for large enterprises and high-density environments. It is not well suited for high ceiling buildings like warehouses and storage places because of low antenna gain. In our main office, it is working very well. For around thirty or so wireless devices this access point works very well and after forty or so wireless devices it starts to suffer.
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Cisco
Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points are well suited for most applications as they scale very well and can be configured to work in a lot of different scenarios. However they are quite costly so they may not be suited for all business purposes. But they do perform and deliver and rarely cause issues.
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Pros
Discontinued Products
  • They are rock solid in terms of reliability (we rarely have to replace them).
  • They are easily managed from the controller. It's easy to push new settings out, like RF profiles, etc...
  • They are fairly easy to install using the included mounting brackets.
  • They seem to be compatible with pretty much everything, although occasionally we will have roaming issues with Apple devices.
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Cisco
  • It is a versatile, clean, balanced and secure access point.
  • Wifi 5 802.11ac wave 2 technology.
  • Client link and cleanair are functions to mitigate and improve user connection.
  • Reliable smartnet service for warranty and technical support.
  • Perfect for offices and indoor locations.
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Cons
Discontinued Products
  • CleanAir - Put this technology into all the APs.
  • GPS Tracker - I can't understand why only the Cisco 1570 has this option as well as larger Cisco 3800 APs. Why can't this be in all APs so they can be easily mapped in Google for positioning and later plotted for the coverage zone.
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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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Likelihood to Renew
Discontinued Products
Because until now I haven't had any issues or cases where I needed to create a ticket with Tac from Cisco related to their performance or availability. They have a small size that permits or allows you to install it in each place that you need to mount it, their design is small and appropriate for every kind of office.
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Usability
Discontinued Products
Lately we had less issues. Most probably because we reduced the number of Wireless LAN controllers. So less trouble for upgrades as well. We don't have any access point in stand alone mode. It's something I don't suggest, unless it's just for a small office and not for a larger company with different sites.
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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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Reliability and Availability
Discontinued Products
This access point does not usually randomly shut off. It can't happen but it's generally due to a power over ethernet failures which would could be considered a user error.
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Performance
Discontinued Products
Performance wise [Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points] are among of the best pieces of technology we have on premise. I don't say that lightly, we have a lot of cool tech. But if you consider how many users are connecting to these day in and day out without a single blip when they're downloading large files, roaming to new AP's or needing a boosted signal at a far end of the range then these are unmatched.
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Cisco
Cisco is providing the best in class access points. We would be focusing Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points to have the common platform. We are waiting for cloud implementation on DNA or cloud monitoring of 9800cl in Meraki dashboard. It's reliable, tagging gives a lot of flexibility. Virtualization finally works as expected.
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Support Rating
Discontinued Products
I believe that there is always room for improvement.
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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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Implementation Rating
Discontinued Products
Make sure to get a professional wireless assessment before purchasing AP's. That way you will only purchase what you need and know where the wiring infrastructure will need to be to streamline the installation and tuning process.
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Discontinued Products
D-Link Wireless network solution was being used previously in [a] few areas of our plant and it was working well with [a] low number of users but as the company grew, and user base started to grow we started seeing hanging, disconnection, and very low-performance issues in our wireless network. We replaced the entire network with Cisco Aironet Access Points and since then the issues have been resolved and [the] wireless network is working with great performance.
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Cisco
In testing, Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points outperformed all other APs in our testing. Performance was second to none in the testing lineup. Reliability has been proven over the many years we have used this product. The new 9100s have also not presented any hardware reliability issues for us so far. Some of the other vendors offer some nice to have features such as Bluetooth device diagnostics and very deep AI assurance.
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Scalability
Discontinued Products
When it comes to deploying the Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points in locations around the school district it has become easier as you get used to putting 4 screws in the mounting plate to the bracket and then slide the access point onto the bracket.
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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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Return on Investment
Discontinued Products
  • There are cost savings in buying a separate WLAN network controller because the 1850 Access Point already has this integrated feature.
  • It allows for remote management and saves time on administration.
  • The return on investment is achieved in a short period of time.
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Cisco
  • With a wide range of Wi-Fi and security options, as well as the ability to expand and scale easily, it’s an excellent solution.
  • It achieved a significant rise in the number of concurrent wireless network users with a low-cost solution that provided outstanding performance.
  • We invested in wireless networks in the long run, and as a result, we could connect more users without compromising performance.
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