Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series (CW9166) vs Cisco Catalyst CW9171: Specs & Price Comparison

Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series (CW9166)

★ 4.2 Value Score

Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E, 6 GHz capable); also 802.11a/b/g/n/ac backward compatible
Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4:4 on each of the three client radios (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz); MU-MIMO and OFDMA supported
Aggregate Throughput: Up to 7.78 Gbps tri-radio aggregate (maximum over-the-air PHY/chipset frame rate, not per-client throughput)
Radios (bands): Tri-radio 4x4:4: 2.4 GHz client radio, 5 GHz client radio, 6 GHz client radio; plus tri-band scanning radio (2.4/5/6 GHz) for security/RF analytics and a 2.4 GHz Bluetooth Low Energy radio
Uplink Port Speed: 1x multigigabit RJ45 (100 Mbps / 1 Gbps / 2.5 Gbps / 5 Gbps BASE-T); also 1 USB 2.0 Type-A port
Max Clients: Not published in the sources reviewed
PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (UPOE) 30.5 W for full functionality including USB; 802.3at (PoE+) 25 W supported with reduced functionality and no USB; 802.3af not supported; 54 V DC option available
Form Factor: Indoor ceiling/wall-mount access point; omnidirectional (CW9166I) or directional (CW9166D1) antenna variants
Dimensions: 241.3 x 241.3 x 56.9 mm (CW9166I) / 57.9 mm height (CW9166D1); approx. 1.6 kg
Management: Catalyst 9800 wireless controllers (IOS-XE) or Meraki cloud (CW9166I-MR / CW9166D1-MR SKUs)

✔ Pros: Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E with 4x4:4 on every client radio for high-density capacity; dedicated tri-band scanning radio for WIPS, spectrum analysis, and location analytics; multigigabit 5 Gbps uplink on a single RJ45 port; Bluetooth Low Energy radio for beacons and asset tracking; supports both Catalyst 9800 controller and Meraki cloud management; full functionality on 802.3bt PoE with USB output
✘ Cons: Full feature set requires 802.3bt (UPOE) power, and 802.3at operation reduces functionality; only one uplink port, so no link aggregation or redundancy; premium price compared with many Wi-Fi 6E APs; maximum client count is not published in available sources; Catalyst (CW9166I-B/-E) and Meraki (CW9166I-MR) SKUs are the same hardware under different management licences, which can confuse purchasing; end-of-sale/end-of-life status is unconfirmed and should be checked with Cisco
Est. Price: $1,136 - $3,317

Cisco Catalyst CW9171

★ 3.3 Value Score

Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E), 802.11ac, 802.11n v2.0, with 802.11a/b/g support
Spatial Streams (MIMO): 2x2:2 on each radio (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz or 6 GHz)
Aggregate Throughput: 6120 Mbps aggregate data rate (PHY rates up to 6.0 Gbps on 6 GHz, 2x2, 320 MHz channels)
Radios (bands): Dual-radio, tri-band: 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz or 6 GHz, plus dedicated scanning/aux radio and IoT radio (802.15.4), plus BLE radio
Uplink Port Speed: 1x multigigabit RJ-45 at 100M/1G/2.5G (Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6A)
Max Clients: 256 per radio (per Cisco deployment guide; not stated on the datasheet)
PoE Requirement: 802.3at (PoE+) for full functionality; 802.3af (PoE) supports only a reduced 1x1 2.4 GHz radio with 1G link; 54V DC input also supported (max power 30W)
Power Consumption: 9.8W idle, 11.4W typical on 802.3at (dual radio)
Bluetooth / IoT: BLE radio (datasheet lists BLE 5.3 in features and BLE 6 upgrade path in specs); IoT radio supports 802.15.4
Form Factor: Indoor AP, 20 x 20 x 5.3 cm, 874 g; mounts with AIR-AP-BRACKET-1 or -2
Antennas: Internal omnidirectional; peak gain 4 dBi (2.4 GHz), 5.5 dBi (5 GHz), 6 dBi (6 GHz), 2 dBi (IoT)
Management: Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2+ with Catalyst 9800 controllers or Catalyst 9000 EWC; Meraki MR 32.1.5+ cloud management (CW9171I-RTG); requires Cisco Networking Subscription (Wireless Essentials or Advantage)

✔ Pros: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 6 GHz support and 320 MHz channels; 6120 Mbps aggregate rate; 2.5G multigigabit uplink for a single PoE+ cable; dedicated scanning radio for security and RF monitoring; integrated BLE and 802.15.4 IoT radios; low power draw (about 11.4W typical); flexible management via Catalyst 9800 or Meraki cloud
✘ Cons: Only one uplink port, with no secondary Ethernet for redundancy or link aggregation; 2x2 radios trail 4x4 or 6x6 Wi-Fi 7 APs in high-density environments; full functionality requires 802.3at PoE+ (802.3af gives only a reduced 1x1 2.4 GHz radio); requires a paid Cisco Networking Subscription; max client count not published on the datasheet; BLE version is stated inconsistently across Cisco's pages
Est. Price: $502 - $918

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