wireless deployment guide

Wireless Deployment is depending on the requirement of an organization. Some organizations want coverage for small are while other needed coverage for a large area. Cisco offers deployment both for small and large organizations.

Small Wireless Deployment

For small wireless deployment requirements, Cisco offers autonomous AP solutions. The different types of autonomous APs are the following:

• Cisco WAP4410N AP– This AP is ideal for a small organization supporting a small group of users. The AP can be powered up from POE or AC directly using AD to DC adopter. The configuration interface is GUI.
• Cisco WAP121 and WAP321 APs– WAP 121 and WAP 321 APs are perfect for small organizations want to install multiple APs on their wireless deployment. The APs are used as medium level business APs. These APs are also supporting clustering with a single point of setup. We can power up AP either from AC or from POE.
• Cisco AP541N AP– AP541N is suitable for small- to mid-sized networks. The APs are a strong cluster and can be easily managed. It can be configured using its GUI interface. It is a controller-less clustering technology. The AC and PoE both option are available for power input.

The WAP121, WAP321, and AP541N APs support the clustering to provide a single point of administration without a controller. The administrator can easily view and manage the deployment of APs as a single wireless network. The clustering facility makes configuration and setup of these devices very easy. The easy administration help to grow the wireless network. A single configuration can be put into multiple APs within the cluster.

The management of the network is easy just like a single system without worrying about interference between APs, and without the configuration of each AP. The WAP121 and WAP321 have the feature Single Point Setup (SPS). The SPS AP wireless deployment very easy and the administrator can configure and deploy the network very fast

We can scale the using the SPS. It supports up to four WAP121 and up to eight WAP321. It provides broader coverage and we can add additional users according to the organization requirement. The Cisco AP541N AP can bunch up to 10 APs together and can support multiple clusters. The setting for clustering between two APs is the following:

• Enabled cluster mode on the APs.
• The APs radio mode must be the same.
• The same Cluster Name must be used for all devices want to join the cluster.
• All APs must be are connected to the same network segment.

Large Wireless Deployment Solutions

For larger organizations, Cisco provides control-based APs solutions. The controller-based APs are a better, reliable, and scalable option for a larger network. It supports many APs, including the Cisco Meraki Cloud Managed Architecture and the Cisco Unified Wireless Network Architecture.

Cisco Meraki Cloud Managed Architecture

The Cisco Meraki cloud architecture simplifies the wireless deployment. In the system, all APs are managed from a centralized controller in the cloud which provides control and visibility without the cost and difficulty. It also reduces management costs. We can centrally update firmware; configure security settings, wireless network, and SSIDs of all APs from a central location

The Meraki cloud infrastructure only allows flowing management data through the Meraki’s infrastructure and never allow user traffic. The Cisco Meraki cloud architecture requires the following:

• Cisco MR Cloud Managed Wireless APs
• Meraki Cloud Controller (MCC)
• Web-based Dashboard

Different types of APs are available for wireless deployment which manageable from a centralized location. That is possible using MCC. The MCC is a cloud-based service that frequently monitors, optimizes, and reports the performance of the network. All configuration and diagnostics are done from the web-based dashboard.

Cisco Unified Wireless Network Architecture

It s used a split MAC design, controls APs using a WLAN controller also known as WLC. The components of this architecture are lightweight APs and Controllers. The lightweight APs communicate with the WLAN controller using the LWAPP. LWAPP is a special protocol for lightweight APs. The light Weight APs only process the incoming packet. The control has the power of the decision of where to communicate.

Cisco Aironet 1600, 2600, or 3600 wireless APs models provide the best wireless connectivity for hosts and Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers provide small branch or single-site enterprise WLAN deployments with entry-level wireless for data communication. For greater capacity, the Cisco 5760 Wireless Controller and the Cisco 8500 Series Controller are perfect.