Primary Device
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
Compare Against
Cisco Catalyst 9178i
★ 4.3 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
- Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4 MU-MIMO per client-serving radio (4 spatial streams per radio)
- Aggregate Throughput: 24 Gbps aggregate (concurrent 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz radios)
- Radios (bands): 4 client-serving radios: tri-band 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz with a 4th radio (quad-radio design)
- Uplink Port Speed: 2x 10 Gbps mGig ports (multi-gigabit Ethernet)
- Max Clients: 1200 (400 per radio)
- PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (PoE++) required for full operation; 802.3at/af supports reduced functionality; draws approx. 30-52 W
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Wi-Fi 7 with tri-band 2.4/5/6 GHz and 4x4 MU-MIMO on every radio; 24 Gbps aggregate throughput for high-density environments; dual 10 Gbps mGig uplinks avoid a 1 Gbps bottleneck; rated for up to 1200 clients; supports 802.3bt PoE on the mGig ports with at/af fallback; manageable from Catalyst 9800 WLC/Catalyst Center or Meraki cloud depending on SKU
- ✘ Cons: Requires 802.3bt PoE for full functionality, which raises switch and injector cost; needs Catalyst 9800 controller running IOS XE 17.15.2 or later for the Catalyst SKU; Wi-Fi 7 benefits need Wi-Fi 7 clients to be realized; list pricing varies widely by reseller and SKU (CFG vs Global vs RTG), and reseller spec figures differ in places; cloud-managed (Meraki) deployment requires separate licensing; premium cost compared with Wi-Fi 6E alternatives
- Est. Price: $1,681 - $2,996