Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be); backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4 MIMO with 4 spatial streams per data radio (4x4:4)
Aggregate Throughput: Up to 28.8 Gbps (reseller/marketing aggregate). Per-band rates: 11,528 Mbps (6 GHz), 5,764 Mbps (5 GHz), 1,376 Mbps (2.4 GHz). Sources do not reconcile these figures
Radios (bands): Three 802.11be data radios (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, operating simultaneously) plus one dedicated fourth scanning radio for RRM, security and analytics. 320 MHz channels on 6 GHz; 4K QAM
Uplink Port Speed: 2 x Ethernet inputs, both must be in the same VLAN; Mist documentation lists dual 10GbE multigigabit ports. A reseller lists 1 x 5/10GBASE-T. Official datasheet does not state speeds
Max Clients: Not published in the sources reviewed
PoE Requirement: 802.3bt (Class 6) for full functionality; 802.3at is supported with reduced radio functionality. Dual-source PoE gives hitless failover
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with 4x4 MIMO on three data radios; Dedicated fourth scanning radio for RRM, security and analytics; 320 MHz channel support on 6 GHz with 4K QAM; Integrated vBLE antenna array, 802.15.4 radios, GNSS and UWB for location services; Dual multigigabit uplinks with hitless PoE redundancy when fed from two sources; Backward compatible with legacy 802.11 standards; Managed through Juniper Mist cloud
✘ Cons:Maximum client count is not published by Juniper in the sources reviewed; Full functionality requires 802.3bt PoE, and 802.3at forces reduced radio operation; Uplink speed and aggregate throughput figures differ across sources; Reseller prices of roughly $2,200 to $3,600 USD before subscription, which is a high cost per unit; Cloud licensing subscription is typically bundled and required for Mist management; Wi-Fi 7 requires WPA3 or OWE on WLANs in bands where it is enabled
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
✔ 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