UPDATE TO ORIGINAL POST:The end-of-sale date for the Aironet products has been extended to October 31, 2022.

In this age of sequels, it's important to remember that endings are no longer sad.

Today Cisco announces the end-of-life for the following Aironet 802.11ac Wave 2 (Wi-Fi 5) Access Points: 1815i, 1815m, 1815t, 1815w, 1830, 1840, 1850, 2800, 3800, 4800, 1540 and Mobility Express.

But this isn't a bad thing.

We understand that the Aironet brand has been around for a long time and it might be tough to see it go, but cheer up! The good news is if you haven't upgraded to the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax) Access Points, now's a great opportunity to do so. The technology world has changed so much between the release of the two standards with more devices connecting to the network. This means you're going to need more bandwidth to keep up with demand. The Catalyst Access Points can help you do this.

The Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points are powered by Wi-Fi 6 technology and are ready for growing user expectations, IoT devices and next-generation cloud-driven applications. With the ability to handle the increased mobile traffic as well as support IoT at scale, Cisco's Wi-Fi 6 access points have superior RF innovations, they expand wireless access and provide an unplugged and uninterrupted network experience that is intelligent, reliable and secure.

If you haven't been keeping up with Wi-Fi 6E, here's a quick primer: Wi-Fi 6E is simply an extension of Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz spectrum. Since the spectrum is new and only accepts Wi-Fi 6E devices, it doesn't have any of the old issues currently clogging up current networks. It offers better capacity, higher network reliability and more security. And we've written a lot about it too.

A Family Affair
With a family of APs that run the gamut from small to large size deployments, as well as an outdoor solution, the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points are the next step in your network's evolution.

When it comes to migration, how do the Aironet and Catalyst Access Points stack up?

• If you deployed a Cisco Aironet 1800 AP upgrade to the Cisco Catalyst 9105 or 9115
• If you deployed a Cisco Aironet 2800 AP upgrade to the Cisco Catalyst 9120
• If you deployed a Cisco Aironet 3800 or 4800 AP upgrade to the Cisco Catalyst 9130 and 9136
• If you deployed a Cisco Aironet 1540 AP upgrade to the Cisco Catalyst 9124
• If you used Mobility Express upgrade to the Embedded Wireless Controller on a Catalyst AP

Wi-Fi 6 Features
All of these new Wi-Fi 6/6E enabled access points are packed with features and functions that will allow for data to travel on your network faster and with less bottlenecks. The APs include:

• Higher data rates: 1024 -QAM for up to 9.6GB/s per radio and single-antenna speeds of 1.2GB/s and enables next generation 4K/8K and AR/VR video.
• An increase in overall network capacity: three to four times more throughput than 802.11ac via OFDMA, up to four times the capacity gain in dense scenarios with BSS coloring. Muti-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) gains on all client types.
• Reduced latency and greater reliability: scheduled download or upload OFDMA for deterministic "cellular-like" latency, reliability and quality of service. Optimized for IoT scale with hundreds of devices per AP.
• Improved power efficiency: up to three times better battery life with Target Wake Time (TWT) and new coding structure and signaling for better TX/RZX efficiency.

UPDATE:The end-of-sale date for the Aironet products has been extended to October 31, 2022.

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