PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Catalyst 9164 (CW9164I)
Cisco Catalyst 9164 (CW9164I)
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 6E (IEEE 802.11ax)
  • Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4 on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz; 6 GHz listed as 2x2 by one reseller and 4x4 in the Japanese Cisco datasheet (conflicting, verify against the English datasheet)
  • Aggregate Throughput: 7.49 Gbps theoretical PHY rate (vendor-listed, not measured)
  • Radios (bands): 3 radios: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz (tri-band)
  • Uplink Port Speed: 1x 2.5GbE RJ-45 (100M/1G/2.5G)
  • Max Clients: Not confirmed in sources reviewed
  • PoE Requirement: PoE powered device (PD) on the 2.5GbE port; exact 802.3 class not confirmed in sources reviewed
  • Management: On-premises with Catalyst 9800 WLCs (IOS XE 17.9.1+ per one listing) or cloud-managed via Meraki (CW9164I-MR SKU)
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.1
  • Antenna: Internal antennas
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM, 1 GB flash

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E with dedicated 6 GHz band for less congested, high-capacity clients; 4x4 MIMO radios on 2.4 and 5 GHz; Single-cable PoE deployment with 2.5GbE uplink; Flexible management: on-prem with Catalyst 9800 controllers or cloud-managed via Meraki SKU; Internal antennas give a low-profile ceiling-mount form factor; Bluetooth 5.1 for IoT and asset-tracking use cases
  • ✘ Cons: Single 2.5GbE uplink caps wired throughput well below the 7.49 Gbps radio rate; Quoted throughput is a theoretical PHY rate, with no independent measured aggregate results found; Price varies widely by seller and SKU (-B, -ROW, -E, -MR), and many listings are refurbished; Spatial stream and PoE class details conflict or are unconfirmed across sources; Requires IOS XE 17.9.1 or later for some configurations, and needs a Catalyst 9800 controller or Meraki license for full management
  • Est. Price: $1,100 - $1,900

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