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Technical Specifications

• 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)

Curation Review

• ✔ 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

Compare Against

Select Comparison Hardware... Aruba AP-515 Aruba AP-535 Aruba (HPE) 7030 Aruba (HPE) AP-735 Aruba (HPE) Aruba AP-655 Aruba (HPE) Aruba AP-755 Aruba (HPE) Instant On AP33 Aruba (HPE) Instant On AP45 Cisco Catalyst 9120AX Cisco Catalyst 9136 Cisco Catalyst 9136I Cisco Catalyst 9164 (CW9164I) Cisco Catalyst 9166 Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series (CW9166) Cisco Catalyst 9176I (CW9176I) Cisco Catalyst 9176I (CW9176I-CFG) Cisco Catalyst 9178i Cisco Catalyst CW9164 Cisco Catalyst CW9166 Cisco Catalyst CW9166I Cisco Catalyst CW9171 Cisco Catalyst CW9172I Cisco Catalyst CW9174 Cisco Catalyst CW9176 Cisco Catalyst CW9176I Cisco Catalyst CW9178I Cisco Catalyst CW9179F Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9166I Cisco Cisco Wireless 9178I (CW9178I) Cisco CW9176 Fortinet FortiAP 231G Fortinet FortiAP 231K Fortinet FortiAP 241K Fortinet FortiAP 431G Fortinet FortiAP 441K Juniper Networks AP34 Juniper Networks AP36 Juniper Networks AP37 Juniper Networks AP45 Juniper Networks AP47 Juniper Networks AP66 Juniper Networks Mist AP33 Juniper Networks Mist AP37 Juniper Networks Mist AP43 Ubiquiti U6 Pro Ubiquiti U6-Enterprise Ubiquiti U6-Pro Ubiquiti U7 Pro Ubiquiti U7 Pro Max Ubiquiti U7 Pro Outdoor Ubiquiti UniFi Enterprise 7 Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro Max Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro Outdoor Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro Wall Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro XGS Ubiquiti UniFi6 Mesh (U6 Mesh)

Technical Specifications

• Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), tri-band; also supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac clients
• Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4:4 on each of the three Wi-Fi radios (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz); 12 spatial streams for MU-MIMO
• Aggregate Throughput: Up to 7.78 Gbps PHY (4x4 160 MHz on 6 GHz, 4x4 80 MHz on 5 GHz, 4x4 20 MHz on 2.4 GHz); Cisco does not publish a single aggregate figure
• Radios (bands): Five radios: 4x4 2.4 GHz; 4x4 5 GHz; 4x4 XOR radio assignable to 5 GHz or 6 GHz; tri-band CleanAir Pro scanning radio; 2.4 GHz BLE IoT radio (Bluetooth 5.1 LE)
• Uplink Port Speed: 1x Multigigabit Ethernet RJ-45 at 100M/1G/2.5G/5G (no 10G port); 1x USB 2.0 (4.5 W); console port
• Max Clients: Not stated in the Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series datasheet (not verified)
• PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (UPOE) 30.5 W for full operation; 802.3at 25.5 W; 802.3af 14.0 W for configuration staging only with radios off; DC 54 V power jack option
• Layer: Wireless access point (managed via Catalyst 9800 WLC or Meraki cloud SKU CW9166I-MR)
• Form Factor: Indoor, internal antennas; 241.3 x 241.3 x 56.9 mm (9.5 x 9.5 x 2.2 in); 1.60 kg (3.54 lb); operating temperature 0 to 50 C
• Datasheet Date: Cisco datasheet updated 1 Sep 2026 (per Cisco listing)

Curation Review

• ✔ Pros: Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E with three 4x4 radios and a dedicated XOR radio that can serve 5 GHz or 6 GHz; Dedicated CleanAir Pro scanning radio for RF monitoring and security; Integrated Bluetooth Low Energy 5.1 radio for IoT, location tracking and wayfinding; Multigigabit uplink up to 5 Gbps, which suits 2.5G/5G wired backhaul; Managed on-premises by Catalyst 9800 controllers or cloud-managed via the Meraki SKU; Single 802.3bt PoE connection with no separate power brick needed
• ✘ Cons: Needs 802.3bt UPOE (30.5 W) for full radio operation; 802.3at or lower limits functionality; Single multigigabit uplink caps wired throughput at 5 Gbps and offers no 10G option; Cisco does not publish a maximum client count in its datasheet; Indoor-only design; Higher cost than Wi-Fi 6 APs and than mid-range Wi-Fi 6E models, with pricing varying widely between resellers (about $1,110 to $3,300 list)
• Est. Price: $1,110 - $2,694