Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Updated July 22, 2025

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers

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

Modules Used

  • Cisco Catalyst 9800-CL Wireless Controller

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers

It controls all our access points for easy and uniform configuration access all sites. Working before the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, there was a lot more manual configuration, and there were bugs in the config because, as much as you might try, you are never going to perfectly replicate the config every time it is deployed.

Pros

  • Different tags for different sites
  • Creation/deployment of WLANs
  • Client management information can be a life saver

Cons

  • Licensing restrictions on the hardware can be a frustration
  • Not always straight forward when implementing with other technologies
  • Personally not a fan of the multiple config pages when editing something
  • Huge time savings when deploying new APs
  • Huge time savings when creating a new location
  • Fantastic for client monitoring
Everything works together seamlessly. The setup is zero touch and super simple with the access points, and the ISE integration took some learning and troubleshooting, however I don't believe there to be a way around that when all networks are so different there is no way to fully streamline such a process. Once setup though there have been no issues.
Everything just works. I don't know how else to put it. Things work together and work well.
I can only think of a very limited number of times where anything went wrong, and generally when it does it is the fault of something outside of the WLC. If it is maintained and setup properly, everything just works all the time.
I don't think it could be easier. The ability to just apply tags and have all the relevant WLANs and policies applied it is hard to beat. In all our time using it, I don't believe it has been down more than a total of 1hr.

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?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers again?

Yes

I think in any decent sized environment with Cisco APs it is a must. In a smaller deployment it may not be as necessary as it may be difficult to justify that kind of cost.

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers Feature Ratings

Wireless LAN
9.4
Zero-Touch Provisioning
10
WLAN Performance Monitoring
10
Topology Maps
7
Power over Ethernet Support
10
Wireless Security
10

Using Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers

2 - Only our 2 network admins are hands on with the controller, it does however server wireless to 500 cisco access points as well as over 13000 users and more than 25000 devices. It allows easy configuration of wlans, policies, and provides great client identification and information. It is a single pane of glass that gives incredible visibility on the entirety of our wireless network and makes configuration simple without sacrificing options, customizability, or depth of possibilities.
2 - Only network administrators make changes or support the WLC. Both are Cisco certified and knowledgeable. While the controller supports a great graphical interface for ease of use, it does also require background knowledge to make full use of the possibilities within. It also supports, as all Cisco products do, a command line interface which can be extremely useful for quick changes or a full configuration overhaul. It may require more knowledge but the efficiency and power it offers make it all well worth learning.
  • Serving corporate devices wireless internet one appropriate VLAN
  • Serving BYOD devices internet on appropriate VLAN
  • Integrating with ISE for full visibility
  • ISE integration is better/more powerful than expected
  • Great change management and location segregation
  • Tags make adding new locations and/or devices extremely quick and easy. new devices can be onboarded in seconds.
  • Looking to integrate with umbrella for greater network visibility
  • I believe we have only scratched the surface of the power of Tags
  • Looking to leverage ACLs in a more meaningful way beyond just ISE use.
It works all the time. We do not experience downtime, any potential bugs are always documented, stable releases have been stable. It has served our needs perfectly from the start. Combine all that with the other Cisco products in our environment and there is simply nothing that can match it. Nothing can plug in and work in harmony with everything we have in the same way.

Comments

More Reviews of Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers

  1. Home
  2. Wireless LAN Tools
  3. Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers Reviews
  4. User Review of Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers