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Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers

Overview

What is Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers?

Cisco offers wireless LAN.

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AirOS WLC Review

8 out of 10
February 11, 2023
Incentivized
We use Cisco WLC as the main entry point to our network for our users, which are students and teachers, with employees as well.<br><br>The …
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Product Details

What is Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers?

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers : Cisco offers companies a comprehensive wireless portfolio to address the needs of networks, from small deployments all the way up to large enterprises. Optimized for 802.11ac Wave 2 and Wi-Fi 6performance, Cisco wireless LAN controllers are highly scalable, service-rich, and resilient platforms that provide centralized control, flexible management, and troubleshooting for large and small-scale deployments. Cisco aims to equip companies with the tools they need to help grow their network as their business grows with their wireless LAN controller portfolio.

Cisco promises to deliver key wireless innovations through custom-built access points that go beyond the Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) wireless standard to provide radio-frequency excellence for high-density environments.

Cisco now offers a two-question, two-minute interactive tool to identify the Cisco products and services that help solve up to five network challenges.

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Video

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Competitors

Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Technical Details

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Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Downloadables

Frequently Asked Questions

Cisco offers wireless LAN.

Fortinet Wireless LAN are common alternatives for Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 8.2.

The most common users of Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(129)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(51-66 of 66)
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Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We had used a pair of 5506 WLCs in the past and wanted to stick with using Cisco. We moved to the 5520 platform to support the APs that we already had. We found it easy to migrate and also a more robust platform supporting our campus expansion. We plan to keep expanding the use of this device.
  • Onboards new clients
  • Performs upgrades with ease
  • Allows ongoing diagnostics of WIFI
  • Adoption of new APs with software
  • User interface
  • Moving away from old Aironet
[They are well suited for] Most large campus networks.
Benjamin Story | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use the Cisco WLCs to provide wireless to all of our hospital campuses. They give us a centralized command and control over the wireless environment. They provide a reliable wireless platform for us to put our applications on. The Cisco WLCs have helped us to solve the issues mobility presents in a ever changing healthcare environment.
  • Management
  • Long refresh cycle
  • Reliable
  • Software QA is Lacking
For medium and large enterprises the WLC is well suited, smaller businesses would probably see more benefit from smaller solutions in terms of cost/benefit. Software QA has been a nagging issue so due diligence in the selection of software versions is key. The AireOS guide from the Technical Assistance Center is very helpful in this process.
Alejandro Araya | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Cisco wireless LAN Controllers to control many offices in our company. They help manage the ability to break down access and functionality of how the wireless experience works for groups, departments, employees and guest access. We use it to manage the remote office and corporate office APs. The use of mobile devices has increased, which is why there is also a need for a robust and secure wireless infrastructure, all of which I find with Cisco.
  • Ease of management.
  • Reliability.
  • Robustness.
  • Sometimes the CLI based technology has failed which lowers customer respect.
  • Wed page customization.
  • More analytics are always better.
The Cisco wireless solution is appropriate for where wireless connectivity is required and to perform some work on your system. The business segment, the corporate segment, SMEs and the access points of the education sector adapt well to Cisco's scenarios and equipment. Cisco Access Points adapt well to any scenario and are very reliable compared to other technological providers.
Michael Snider -  CCNP | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We are using Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers across our whole organization. It provides a central point of management and less administrative overhead. They also give us a good view of the wireless network, who our top talkers are, and any rogues out there. The Wireless LAN Controllers also tie in well with Cisco ISE.
  • Management - One centralized point of management makes troubleshooting and configuration very easy.
  • Integrates well with Cisco ISE.
  • Provides good information about rogue AP's and top talkers.
  • Bug fixes.
  • AP licensing.
  • Include wireless heat maps as a feature.
The Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers are well suited for environments where managing AP's autonomously is not practical. The central management that the Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers give makes troubleshooting and configuring much easier. The graphical user interface is also very nice and easy to work with. The Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers are also very useful for wireless security as they tie in well with Cisco ISE.
Ricardo Adams | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
It is being used by a department and addresses the business requirements for a borderless network. With the adoption of BYOD technologies, we can easily move with trends in the industry. This is most certainly though when you think of new wireless networks with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.
  • Cisco has multiple wireless controller products that can address different business needs.
  • Cisco Wireless Controllers are generally easy to use.
  • Extremely easy to manage.
  • Integration with legacy APs is a problem.
Cisco campus wireless controllers are most often not very well suited for optimal efficiency but it is important to note that the objective that you want to present might not fit every WLAN design scenario. A carefully considered design planning workshop can mitigate any concerns that might arise.
April 27, 2019

Cisco WLC

Mahesh Doshi | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
WLC is used regionally across the organization. We have used DIA for guest users to optimize traffic across WAN. This is a recent implementation. This has also helped cloud and SAAS implementation and usage across a particular business unit that is more inclined towards cloud implementation. New wireless technology will only enhance the user experience across the firm.
  • Regional implementation.
  • AP management is one feature of LWAPP that is a huge departure from previous ways of doing things.
  • WLC has a higher processing capability than an individual AP, which allows you to offer an even higher level of coordination among multiple WLCs.
  • LWAPP offers a separation between the existent LAN traffic and the "new" wireless traffic, it simplifies network planning and traffic handling.
  • Usage of HA SKU WLC and the way it is considered. More benefits should be given to customers.
  • Configuration options can be a bit confusing.
  • Web UI, performance management, and traffic management are not easy.
Suited for all kinds of implementation in organizations. Should be well designed to get most of it. A smaller institution could use a Meraki kind of solution. This needs to be managed properly across the organization.
Eric Stearns | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use a redundant pair of Cisco 5520 Wireless LAN Controllers for our main hospital campus. It allows us to create specific settings for the specialized medical equipment that is in use. Also having a redundant pair gives us very high uptime.
  • Supports all of the latest wireless technology and protocols
  • Huge flexibility
  • Works with several different access point models simultaneously
  • Cisco isn't inexpensive
  • Software upgrades give access to new features but you have to buy access points to match
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers are well suited for organizations that need very specific settings or have many different device groups with individualized requirements.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller
We have customers and our own internal IT running Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers to provide centralised management of multiple APs.
  • The wireless controller does well at providing central management of up to 6,000 APs
  • Unfortunately, the Aironet controller code over the last few years has become very tired and buggy
  • Would love to see more APIs built into the Aironet controllers. The newer generation Catalyst controllers have them
The 8540 Cisco Wireless LAN Controller is a good idea for anyone looking to support large numbers of access points and high wireless throughput.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller
We are using the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) to provide XaaS for Wireless. A redundant pair of WLCs are installed in our data centers. Customers who subscribe to our services have access points (APs) deployed at their site which register with the WLC and are then centrally managed and monitored.

Cisco WLC provides central management and monitoring of a large number of APs across multiple customer sites, as well as touchless deployment of APs with WLC discovery. Self-healing wireless continually monitors the RF environment and updates channel or power assignment based on interference, holes, etc.
  • Quick and easy AP deployment across multiple remote sites using DNS WLC discovery. Ship the AP to the site and plug in. Then it's centrally configured from WLC
  • Easy to use web UI - You can create and get a wireless LAN running very quickly
  • Basic guest functionality included - you don't need to buy separate infrastructure and servers to provide wireless guest web authentication
  • SSO HA - seamless failover for APs and clients
  • Too many configuration options - I'd like to hide options that are not generally required to be modified. Make best practice configuration the default
  • Web UI is looking a bit dated and needs an update
  • Ability to export client or AP lists or details from the web UI
Recommended for medium to large enterprises. Not recommended for small environments (unless for a remote site to a central WLC).
Edwin Sandys | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We currently use our Wireless LAN Controllers to manage AP's across multiple sites. We heavily rely on FlexConnect which is an awesome way to reduce our carbon presence within some of our sites, and the presence of Mobility Express opens up other opportunities.

The decision to transition down such a path, to begin with, was simple - we needed consolidated management of the entire wireless infrastructure from a single point. I have not regretted making this decision since we first deployed the solution.
  • Central Management - The central management console is actually very easy to use and facilitate.
  • Dashboard - Reporting has improved since they introduced the dashboard two years ago I believe, definitely a good move by Cisco.
  • Best Practice Auto-Config - This is probably the coolest thing ever. They have some best practice "one-click" configuration templates built into the new code which are easy and simple to use.
  • More analytics are always better.
  • Build integration and migration for Cisco DNA.
It is suited for all situations as long as people want to manage their wireless network with ease.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Wireless is our primary method of communication across our school for staff and student interaction. Our wireless LAN controller runs 205 access points across our campus with 3500+ users.
  • Centralized management is essential when you have 200 + access points. This is essential when changing policies or QoS.
  • Secure connectivity with 802.1x or Cisco Identity management.
  • Radius authentication pass-through for user authentication
  • Does an excellent job in managing wireless signals when you have a dense deployment of access points.
  • Cost of licenses and appliance.
  • Complexity around add-on integrations.
Cisco Wireless Controllers are ideal for education or an enterprise where you have more than 30 access points.

Cisco Wireless Controllers are not suitable for small business applications in my opinion. TCO may not add up for smaller business.
Dave King | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Cisco Wireless LAN controllers to control many offices in our company. It manages the ability to break out the access and functionality of how the Wireless experience works for Groups, Departments, employees and guest access. We use it for managing corporate office and remote office APs. It resolves the business problem of having to go to a remote office just to manage an AP; you can easily manage them remotely, configure them, and even power them on.
  • Ease of management
  • WEB interface
  • Remote management
  • Web Interface features
  • WEB page customization
In a corporate office where you have many visitors, you can provide secure isolated access for visitors keeping the corporate network secure. You can manage how it is connected, and monitor for any issues that may arise
July 02, 2018

The WLC works

Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I am using Cisco Wireless Lan Controllers as my enterprise controllers. This is a new installation that will grow control of up to 100 WAN locations. Our original solution consisted of several autonomous wireless systems, this created a support and maintenance nightmare for a two-man network team. I no longer have to log into every app and manually configure and troubleshoot.
  • Central Management
  • Fastlane capabilities for Apple devices
  • Simplified landing page configuration
  • Has had several vulnerabilities
  • The need for Cisco Prime for heatmapping and advanced features
  • Pretty expensive
The best scenario for the Cisco Wireless Lan controller is in a Hub and Spoke backhaul network environment. Since you are bringing all of the packets to a central location for Internet and application interaction anyway it is easy for the WLC to communicate with the APs and provide the control and management needed. I would not recommend the WLC if you connect to your remote locations via internet connectivity, that is more suited for a cloud-based management solution.
Mehmet Emin Yağcı | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
The rise of mobile devices has raised the need for robust and secure wireless infrastructure. At early stages, wireless equipment was labeled as "nice to have" devices but suddenly people have discovered it is a "must have" for most situations. It addresses the one basic problem, connectivity for non-cabled devices.
  • Robustness
  • Reliability
  • Support
  • Controller GUI can be more visually attractive
  • Some tries on CLI based technology has failed which lowers customer respect
Cisco Wireless solution is appropriate for where wireless connectivity is required and doing some work on it. Enterprise segment, corporate segment, SMBs and education sectors. Maybe cloud solution (Meraki) is more useful than a classic wireless solution in multisite dependent infrastructures.
January 26, 2018

Wirellesation

Nikos Karalis | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use two wireless controllers (5508) with ISE & Prime supporting about four hundred Access Points (1602). Three hundred of them are installed at our stores and the rest are installed at our premises. Most of the usage is by providing internet access (especially at stores). For now we have implemented a POC with CMX analytics at our stores and I hope to change the MDM platform from Mobile Iron to Meraki.
  • Nice signaling
  • Futures
  • Design
  • Easier configuration from Controller
  • Not three licenses at ISE
  • Better monitoring with Prime

Cisco Access Points are well suited with CMX scenarios because you can have more information about your customers to make a more strategic and more targeted campaigns in order to increase your company's recognition and profit.

I suggest to re-design the Meraki Access points in order to minimize the cost of those and make this platform more eligible.

Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Cisco Wireless controllers (2504) and lightweight WAPs globally. We primarily use Cisco wireless to provide guest access. We do occasionally use it for restricted corporate access as well.
  • The 2500-series controller is fairly easy to set up and configure, which helps get up and running quickly, value-add!
  • Upgrading the firmware and pushing updates out to the lightweight WAPs is easy, which helps speed system administration.
  • GUI is useful, compact, and self-explanatory, at least with standard settings - though if you move to more advanced features, it can get a little tricky.
  • The CLI is lacking. Does not work like standard IOS or NX-OS devices. Confusing combination of standard CLI commands vs. menu-like display.
  • When a lightweight WAP goes offline, it "disappears" from the GUI, which makes it difficult to determine down vs. doesn't exist. A "red x" would be great.
  • Lightweight WAPs are limited in that SNMP is not supported. Monitoring systems would have to inspect the WAPs via the controller.
Good for simple environments or with light IT staff. As expected, this is Cisco so you get TAC, well-designed WAPs, and stability. Not as useful when you need extremely customizable or advanced monitoring is required. Logs could be better.
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