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If you are looking for a centralized Wireless LAN controller, Cisco 3504 is the solution
October 01, 2019

If you are looking for a centralized Wireless LAN controller, Cisco 3504 is the solution

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller

We started to globally deploy Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller (WLC) when 2504 went end of life. With a WLC it's possible to centrally manage all the access points of one or more sites. This makes management more convenient. So instead of configuring each single AP, it's possible to modify everything in just one place, such as firmware upgrades and that means fewer costs for maintenance.
  • Central management
  • High availability
  • CLI
  • Sometimes with the GUI it's not easy for a new deployment, so we often use CLI
  • Every new firmware changes the order of the CLI configuration making upload of a template impossible
  • They could make a similar code of IOS, in order to unify commands
  • Fewer hours spent in upgrades
  • Less downtime for wireless
  • Less maintenance
In my previous company, I evaluated Aerohive Wireless. The big advantage is that every access point has his own "brain", so they can work also independently in case the orchestrator goes down. In my present company, we use Cisco ISE, and 90% of the network is Cisco and having just one vendor makes the entire environment more scalable and easier to manage.

Do you think Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller again?

Yes

Best use for a 3504 WLAN Controller is in a data center or in general in central and strategic sites, to control all the local and branch access points. I suggest creating a proper design considering that the maximum number of access points is 150. Avoid installing too many WLC or too few, otherwise, it would mean a waste of money.

Cisco 3504 WLAN Controller Support

This can open an entire chapter, since it's related to the Cisco TAC. It really depends who is taking charge of the ticket, but in general my experience is not that good since it's not easy to find a good engineer for wireless support. More often I found more skilled people while I was handling ISE issues.