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9120 is a solid access point that is built to last
October 31, 2020

9120 is a solid access point that is built to last

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

Modules Used

  • Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points

I am using the Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points at all of my manufacturing facilities in the US. We have anywhere from 120 to 150 deployed per facility. We are a heavy manufacturer, so we need rugged devices that can last in harsh environment. We are using these access points all over in both the factory floor and the office. We use them for connecting wireless VOIP phones, mobile tablets (Windows, Android, and IOS) and IOT devices like cranes. The feature set in the Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Point has been very help to keep our clients connected. We do use 9800 controllers (hardware and the embedded controllers that are built into the 9120), these new controllers have been redesigned, so the way you use them with the Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Point is different than the prior wireless LAN controllers.
  • Works well in high-client-density environments.
  • Built strong to run for long periods in harsh environments.
  • Antenna selection makes them usable in all kinds of designs.
  • Excellent features and ability to be tuned.
  • The Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Point is very different from traditional AireOS devices so there is a higher learning curve.
  • Bugs in some of the codes.
  • Getting it to join a legacy Wireless LAN Controller is harder.

Do you think Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points again?

Yes

  • Their reliability is great and really high. Once you get these setup and deployed, you know they can run for a very long time without issues.
  • The support that Cisco brings to their products ensures you can do what you want with them.
  • They handle voice grade roaming better than any other vendor I've used.
  • They integrate with many of their other products so you can get great visibility into what is going on on the wireless networks.
This is the next generation Wi-Fi 6 access point by Cisco, which is in the middle of the product lineup, so you get all the good radios and durability but might lack some of the expansion devices you can get. They are built just as well as the older generation access points but might weigh a little less. You are able to use the same exact antennas as you did with the 2800 and similar models. This is great if you are looking to do an upgrade. You don't have to resurvey or look at guides to find which antennas to swap out.
These Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points are very well thought out. They do use IOS, which is very different but is the next generation in Cisco's wireless. They can be customized for all kinds of environments, which makes them great for a mixed deployments like office, research sites, and manufacturing floors. The various antennas you can get allows you to place them just about anywhere.

Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points Support

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.

Using Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points

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.