Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points

As WLAN deployments expand, security, scalability, reliability, ease of deployment, and management become increasingly important. Cisco provides a comprehensive line of access points that deliver enterprise-class features for business-ready wireless LANs.

Executive Summary
Access points are critical elements of the Cisco® Unified Wireless Network. Cisco single- and dual-band access points are designed for offices and similar environments, challenging RF environments, and the outdoors. The devices are available in two versions: unified or autonomous. Unified access points operate with the Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP) and work in conjunction with Cisco wireless LAN controllers and the Wireless Control System (WCS). Autonomous access points are based on Cisco IOS® Software and may optionally operate with the CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE). Autonomous access points, along with the WLSE, deliver a core set of features and may be field-upgraded to take advantage of the full benefits of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network as requirements evolve.
To make the best choices for their particular applications, customers need to understand the features and benefits of the different Cisco Aironet® access points. This solution overview details the capabilities of each of the devices in the Cisco Aironet Family of wireless access points.

Management Paradigm
As wireless LANs become increasingly mission-critical and evolve in terms of scale and capabilities, the way the wireless deployment is managed must evolve as well. Because each customer and each deployment is unique, Cisco provides differing feature sets and differing management paradigms to address these customer-specific requirements.
Cisco provides a core feature set that includes autonomous access points and the CiscoWorks WLSE management appliance. The core feature set provides a base set of capabilities that are required for enterprise deployments. Core features include secure connectivity through support for 802.11i Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), fast and secure Layer 2 roaming, and interfaces to a variety of third-party applications and products. Most Cisco access points are available in versions designed for autonomous operation. These devices may be upgraded in the field to lightweight mode, thereby providing customers with a smooth path from core to unified features.
The Cisco unified feature set is delivered by lightweight access points, wireless LAN controllers, and the Wireless Control System (WCS) management solution. The unified feature set represents the most comprehensive set of capabilities in the industry, including guest access, wireless intrusion detection and intrusion prevention, scalable Layer 3 mobility, and location services. Most Cisco Aironet access points are available in versions designed for lightweight operation.

Deployment Environments
Wireless LANs are becoming commonplace in numerous environments, including offices, schools, factories, warehouses, and even the outdoors. At the same time, the wireless industry is evolving from lower-capacity, single-band devices to high-capacity, dual-band solutions. The Cisco Aironet Family of access points meets these various application requirements by providing:

• Single- and dual-band access points

• Devices designed for indoor and outdoor deployments

• A consistent hardware feature set and predictable RF performance for deployment across the enterprise
As WLAN deployment expands into more applications and installation scenarios, a diverse line of access points is required to meet the associated capacity, coverage, and environmental requirements. The Cisco product line includes access points designed for offices and similar facilities, such as hospitals and retail environments, challenging RF environments like factories and warehouses, and the outdoors. These devices can be installed on desktops, on walls, on ceilings, above ceilings, and on top of poles.
While application requirements may vary, Cisco understands that all enterprise customers require uncompromised network security, scalable manageability, and an evolving set of network services. That's why all Cisco Aironet access points support the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, a framework for wired and wireless integration that delivers the security, manageability, and services that enterprises have come to expect from Cisco on both wired and wireless networks.

Solution

Addressing Feature Requirements
As wireless LAN usage has evolved from basic transport for largely transactional applications, so have the feature expectations of wireless LAN users and administrators. This change has come about on a segment-by-segment, customer-by-customer basis. It is critical for Cisco to provide differing feature sets to best fit differing customer requirements. Given that customer requirements can evolve during the lifetime of a wireless LAN deployment, it is also necessary to provide a means of smoothly upgrading this feature set for the installed base of products, with minimal disruption to network operations.
Cisco's unified wireless LAN feature set offers the features required for most enterprise deployments. Some deployments may not yet require these advanced capabilities. To address these evolving requirements, customers can select lightweight access points, or they can upgrade autonomous access points in the field to lightweight operation. With Cisco, customers can choose the feature set that is right for them, at the time that it is right for them. Table 1 provides a summary of the operational capabilities of various Cisco Aironet access points.

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source :cisco.com