Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points Data Sheet
The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
Save up to 25% with a Cisco DNA Starter Kit. Bundle a Cisco DNA Center appliance with eligible access devices.
Available Languages
Download Options
Table of Contents
The Cisco ® Aironet ® 2800 Series Wi-Fi access points are highly versatile and deliver the most functionality in the industry.
For organizations paving the way for the new 802.11ac Wave 2 standard, the Cisco Aironet 2800 Series is the perfect solution. The access points go beyond getting ready for the new standard, providing the ultimate in flexibility and versatility.
For large enterprise organizations that rely on Wi-Fi to engage with customers, the 2800 Series is a hands-off product that’s intelligent enough to make decisions based on end-device activities and usage. This automation allows you to devote time to other pressing matters, secure in the knowledge that your Wi-Fi network is performing to its utmost potential.
The Aironet 2800 Series is packed with the features and capabilities that have made Cisco the industry leader, at a price point that is ideal for managing wireless growth, capacity, and coverage gaps in dense indoor environments.
With the 2800 Series, you can secure remote workers or the micro-office. Any Cisco Aironet or Catalyst access point can function as an OfficeExtend Access Point (OEAP). With an OEAP, an employee at home or in a temporary micro-office will have access to the corporate SSID and the corporate network without the need to set up a VPN or have any advanced technical know-how.
Cisco User Defined Network, a feature available in Cisco DNA Center, allows IT to give end users control of their very own wireless network partition on a shared network. End users can then remotely and securely deploy their devices on this network. Perfect for university dormitories or extended hospital stays, Cisco User Defined Network grants both device security and control, allowing each user to choose who can connect to their network. (Available second half of calendar year 2020.)
The Wi-Fi 6 readiness dashboard is a new dashboard in the Assurance menu of Cisco DNA Center. It will look through the inventory of all devices on the network and verify device, software, and client compatibility with the new Wi-Fi 6 standard. After upgrading, advanced wireless analytics will indicate performance and capacity gains as a result of the Wi-Fi 6 deployment. This is an incredible tool that will help your team define where and how the wireless network should be upgraded. It will also give you insights into the access point distribution by protocol (802.11 ac/n/abg), wireless airtime efficiency by protocol, and granular performance metrics.
802.11ac Wave 2 support
Provides a theoretical connection rate of up to 2.6 Gbps per radio—roughly double the rates offered by today’s high-end 802.11ac access points.
High Density Experience (HDX)
Best-in-class RF architecture, which provides high-performance coverage for a high density of client devices, giving the end user a seamless wireless experience. HDX includes features such as custom hardware in 802.11ac Wave 2 radios, Cisco CleanAir ® , ClientLink 4.0, cross-access point noise reduction, and an optimized client roaming experience.
Multiuser Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU‑MIMO) technology
Supporting three spatial streams, MU-MIMO enables access points to split spatial streams between client devices, to maximize throughput.
Flexible Radio Assignment
Allows the access points to intelligently determine the operating mode of serving radios based on the RF environment. The access points can operate in the following modes:
● 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz mode: One radio will serve clients in 2.4-GHz mode, while the other serves clients in 5-GHz mode.
● Dual 5-GHz mode: Both radios inside the access point operate on the 5-GHz band, maximizing the benefits of 802.11ac Wave 2 and increasing client device capacity.
● Security Monitoring and 5-GHz mode, One radio will serve 5-GHz clients, while the other is scanning the full spectrum for wIPS attackers, CleanAir interferers, and rogue devices.
Dual 5-GHz radio support
Enables both radios to operate in 5-GHz client serving mode, allowing an industry-leading 5.2 Gbps (2 x 2.6 Gbps) over-the-air speeds while increasing client capacity.
Smart antenna connector
An intelligent second physical antenna connector is included on 2800 Series models with an external antenna. This connector provides advanced network design flexibility for high-density and large open-area environments such as auditoriums, convention centers, libraries, cafeterias, and arenas/stadiums, allowing two sets of antennas to be connected and active on a single access point.
160-MHz channel support
Supporting channels up to 160 MHz wide, Dynamic Bandwidth Selection allows the access point to dynamically switch between 20-, 40-, 80-, and 160-MHz channels, depending on the RF channel conditions, providing the industry’s best-performing wireless network.
Optimized access point roaming
Helps ensure that client devices associate with the access point in their coverage range that offers the fastest data rate available.
Zero-impact Application Visibility and Control *
Uses dedicated hardware acceleration to improve the performance of line-speed applications such as Application Visibility and Control.
Auto Link Aggregation (LAG) support
802.3ad (LACP) compliant, allowing both Gigabit Ethernet interfaces to automatically LAG, increasing overall throughput to the access point.
Cisco ClientLink 4.0 technology to improve downlink performance to all mobile devices, including one-, two-, and three-spatial-stream devices on 802.11a/b/g/n/ac while improving battery life on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Cisco CleanAir technology, enhanced with 160-MHz channel support, provides proactive, high-speed spectrum intelligence across 20-, 40-, 80-, or 160-MHz-wide channels to combat performance problems due to wireless interference.
Cisco Mobility Express
Flexible deployment mode through the Cisco Mobility Express Solution is ideal for medium-sized deployments and can support up to 100 access points. Easy setup allows the 2800 Series Access Points to be deployed on networks without a physical controller.
The Aironet 2800 Series extends 802.11ac speed and features to a new generation of smartphones, tablets, and high-performance laptops, providing a greater end-user experience. Whether your project involves wholesale changes to your current wireless network or upgrading your legacy Wi-Fi deployments (802.11a/b/g/n/ac wave 1 deployments), the 2800 Series can handle the job.
The 2800 Series supports 802.11ac Wave 2, providing a theoretical connection rate of up to 5.2 Gbps—that’s roughly 4x the rates offered by today’s high-end 802.11ac access points. The boost helps you stay ahead of the performance and bandwidth expectations of today’s mobile worker, who usually uses multiple Wi-Fi devices instead of just one. As such, users are adding proportionally larger traffic loads to the wireless LAN, which has outpaced Ethernet as the default enterprise access network.
Pairing the 2800 Series access points with the Cisco Digital Network Architecture (Cisco DNA) allows for a total network transformation. Cisco DNA allows you to truly understand your network with real-time analytics, quickly detect and contain security threats, and easily provide networkwide consistency through automation and virtualization. By decoupling network functions from the hardware, you can build and manage your entire wired and wireless network from a single user interface.
Working together, the 2800 Series and Cisco DNA offer such features as:
● Flexible Radio Assignment
● Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences
● Cisco High Density Experience
● Cisco Identity Services Engine
The result? Your network stays relevant, becomes digital-ready, and is the lifeblood of your organization.
Building on the Cisco Aironet heritage of RF excellence, the 2800 Series access points run on a purpose-built, innovative chipset with a best-in-class RF architecture. This chipset provides a high-density experience for enterprise networks designed for mission-critical, high-performance applications.
The 2800 Series is a component of Cisco’s portfolio of flagship, 802.11ac-enabled access points, and delivers a robust mobility experience based on the following product features:
● 802.11ac Wave 2 with 4×4 Multiuser Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) technology supporting three spatial streams. MU-MIMO enables access points to split spatial streams between client devices to maximize throughput.
With two radios built into each access point, the 2800 Series is more versatile than any access point currently on the market. These radios are outfitted with Flexible Radio Assignment, which means that the access points automatically self-optimize to better serve the environment. For example, one of the radios broadcasts its signal on the 5-GHz channel and the other sends out a 2.4-GHz signal. The access point understands the wireless environment and will automatically switch the 2.4-GHz signal to a 5-GHz signal, increasing the reliability of your Wi-Fi use. This setting automatically works in reverse too, the access point recognizes that the RF environment has changed as reverts changes back to its original configuration.
The access point also dynamically changes the radio settings based on the wireless environment. The 2800 Series Wave 2 access point will allow one of the radios to operate in Wireless Security Monitoring mode. Allowing you to detect wireless security threats, interference, and combat rogue access. This valuable information can be culled in an easy-to-understand matrix to inform you about your customers.
● Optimized access point roaming to ensure that client devices associate with the access point in their coverage range that offers the fastest data rate available.
● Cisco ClientLink 4.0 technology to improve downlink performance to all mobile devices, including one-, two-, and three-spatial-stream devices on 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. At the same time, the technology improves battery life on mobile devices.
● Cisco CleanAir technology enhanced with 160-MHz channel support. CleanAir delivers proactive, high-speed spectrum intelligence across 20-, 40-, and 80-, and 160-MHz * wide channels to combat performance problems due to wireless interference.
● MIMO equalization capabilities, which optimize uplink performance and reliability by reducing the impact of signal fade.
Cisco Aironet 2800i Access Point: Indoor environments, with internal antennas