Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) with 6GHz support
Spatial Streams (MIMO): 4x4:4 per band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz)
Aggregate Throughput: 11.0 Gbps
Radios (bands): Triple-band: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Uplink Port Speed: 10 Gigabit Ethernet
Max Clients: 512+
PoE Requirement: 90W PoE+ (802.3bt Type 3)
Antenna Type: Internal antenna arrays
Form Factor: Ceiling mount / Wall mount
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Wi-Fi 6E tri-band for future-proofing; 10GbE uplink minimizes backhaul bottlenecks; Excellent for dense deployments (512+ clients); Integrated security with Catalyst 9800 controller; High throughput (11 Gbps) for bandwidth-intensive applications; Support for advanced features like Wi-Fi 6 OFDMA and MU-MIMO
✘ Cons:High power consumption (90W) requires robust PoE infrastructure; Expensive compared to Wi-Fi 5 APs; 6GHz band adoption still emerging in many regions; Requires compatible Cisco Catalyst 9800 controller for full management features; Complex configuration for enterprise deployments; Limited compatibility with non-Cisco ecosystem tools
Est. Price:
$2,800 - $3,800
Compare Against
Cisco Catalyst 9178i
★ 4.3 Value Score
Technical Specifications
Switching Capacity: 204.8 Tbps (full chassis)
Forwarding Rate: 204.8 Tbps
Ports: Up to 288 u00d7 10/25/40/100 Gbps (via modular line cards)
Layer: L2/L3
Stacking Support: Yes (up to 9 units via Stacking Cables)
Chassis Type: 3-slot modular chassis
PoE Budget: Up to 5.6 kW per module (optional PoE+ modules)
Max Power Consumption: 10.2 kW (full chassis)
Backplane Bandwidth: 204.8 Tbps
Throughput per Port: Up to 100 Gbps per port
Cooling: Redundant, variable-speed fans
Uplinks: Multiple 100 Gbps QSFP28 capable
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Industry-leading 204.8 Tbps switching fabric supports next-generation high-density deployments; Modular architecture allows flexible line-card configurations for different port densities and speeds; Full redundancy support (PSU, fan, uplinks) ensures carrier-grade reliability; Native support for Cisco DNA Center and SD-Access intent-based networking; Excellent in-service upgrade capabilities with no traffic disruption
✘ Cons:Significantly higher capital cost compared to fixed-configuration switches; Requires skilled technical staff for modular line-card installation and configuration; Power and cooling infrastructure overhead for large deployments; Complexity of managing modular chassis in smaller networks may be overkill; Limited flexibility in port mix compared to disaggregated options
