Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controllers
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Our legacy Cisco Enterprise Wireless Network was ready for a refresh, and we looked at various configurations with different features. Ultimately, we wanted to have a platform that would allow us to begin to offer our end users a WiFi 6 network once their laptops have that capability. Next, we had to have a platform that continued to provide us [with] the top-notch security that everyone was already getting. Operational aspects were also very important to us. These new controllers really checked all the boxes that we were most concerned about.
Pros
- Security
- Support for WiFi 6 and 6E
- Support DNA Spaces
- Integration to our Cisco ISE environment
Cons
- Cost always seems like an issue but consider your TCO
- Figuring out what APs at what software version work with everything is confusing
Do you think Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers's feature set?
Yes
Did Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers go as expected?
I wasn't involved with the implementation phase
Would you buy Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers again?
Yes
- The biggest positive impact will be a year or two down the road when WiFi 6 will be more widely available by our end users. Switch refreshes will be substantially less because users will connect wirelessly by default, so [that] we won't need as many physical switch ports. This will more than pay for the wireless infrastructure.
- Checks the box on users wanting to not hassle with a physical plug when they are in [the] office and allow them to easily move from a desk to conference room while staying connected to the network.
The Cisco Catalyst 9120 access points are an integral part of the overall wireless infrastructure as they are what allows our end-users to connect to the wireless controllers. Without these, we would be limited to older WiFi standards like AC11. These new wireless access points provide the WiFi 6 network access to our end-user community.
This is an area that Cisco really shines brightly. For example, we have a single guest network deployed across our footprint. When we want to update the password, we make one simple two-minute change, and the entire company has a new guest password. We basically manage all the hundreds of access points as easily as if they were just one. This was one of the main reasons we wanted to go with this platform because we knew that ongoing management would be easier.
Ubiquiti has plenty of great features, and I would even recommend them for small sites. However, I don't think they don't scale as well when you start talking about enterprise scale. You would need to hire a couple of people and keep them on staff just to manage the same size or smaller Cisco deployments. Going with Cisco was a no-brainer for me.
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