The Cisco Aironet 1815i delivers industry-leading wireless performance with support for the latest Wi-Fi standard, IEEE's 802.11ac Wave 2 (Figure 1). It also meets the growing requirements of wireless networks by delivering a better user experience.

The 1815i extends support to a new generation of Wi-Fi clients, such as smartphones, tablets, and highperformance laptops that have integrated 802.11ac Wave 1 or Wave 2 support.

Features and benefits

By adhering to the 802.11ac Wave 2 standard, the 1815i offers a data rate of up to 867 Mbps on the 5-GHz radio. This exceeds the data rates offered by access points that support the 802.11n standard. It also enables a total aggregate dual-radio data rate of up to 1 Gbps. This provides the necessary foundation for enterprise and service provider networks to stay ahead of the performance expectations and needs of their wireless users.

Due to its convenience, in recent years corporate users have increasingly preferred wireless access as the form of network connectivity. Along with this shift, there is an expectation that wireless should not slow down users' day-to-day work, but should enable a high-performance experience while allowing users to move freely. The 1815i delivers industry-leading performance for highly secure and reliable wireless connections and provides a robust mobility end-user experience.

With the 1815i, you can secure remote workers or the micro-office. Any Cisco Aironet or Catalyst access point can function as an Office Extend 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 (802.11ac/n/abg), wireless airtime efficiency by protocol, and granular performance metrics.