General Information

Manufacturer

Cisco

Manufacturer Part Number

AIR-CT5508-25-K9

Product Name

Aironet 5508 Wireless LAN Controller for up to 25 Access Points

Overview

• RF visibility and protection
• The ability to simultaneously manage up to 500 access points
• Superior performance for reliable streaming video and toll- quality voice
• Sub-second stateful failover of all access points and clients from the primary to standby controller

Features
Optimized for high-performance wireless networking, the Cisco 5500 Series Controller offers improved mobility and prepares the business for the next wave of mobile devices and applications. The 5500 Series supports a higher density of clients and delivers more efficient roaming, with at least nine times the throughput of existing 802.11a/g networks.

The 5500 Series automates wireless configuration and management functions and allows network managers to have the visibility and control needed to cost-effectively manage, secure, and optimize the performance of their wireless networks. With integrated Cisco CleanAir®technology, the 5500 Series protects 802.11n performance by providing cross-network access to real-time and historic RF interference information for quick troubleshooting and resolution.

The Cisco 5508 Wireless Controller supports Cisco Application Visibility and Control(AVC), the technology that includes the Network-Based Application Recognition 2 (NBAR-2) engine, Cisco’s deep packet inspection (DPI) capability. The NBAR-2 engine can classify applications, applies quality of service (QoS) setting to either drop or mark the traffic, and prioritizes business-critical applications in the network. Cisco AVC uses NetFlow Version 9 to export the flows to Cisco Prime™ Infrastructure or a third-party NetFlow Collector. The 5508 also supports Bonjour Services Directory to enable Bonjour Services to be advertised and utilized in a separate Layer 3 network. Wireless Policy engine is a wireless profiler and policy feature on the Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller that enables profiling of wireless devices and enforcement of policies such as VLAN assignment, QoS, ACL and time-of-day-based access.

As a component of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, this controller provides real-time communications between Cisco Aironet® access points, the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS), and the Cisco Mobility Services Engine to deliver centralized security policies, wireless intrusion prevention system (IPS) capabilities, award-winning RF management, and QoS.

Software Licensing Flexibility
Base access point licensing offers flexibility to add up to 500 additional access points as business needs grow. The licensing structure supports a variety of business mobility needs as part of the basic feature set, including the Cisco OfficeExtend solution for secure, mobile teleworking and Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh, which allows access points to dynamically establish wireless connections in locations where it may be difficult or impossible to physically connect to the wired network.

Features

• Scalability
  • Supports 12, 25, 50,100, 250, or 500 access points for business-critical wireless services at locations of all sizes
• High Performance
  • Wired-network speed and nonblocking performance for 802.11n and 802.11ac networks.
• RF Management
  • Provides both real-time and historical information about RF interference impacting network performance across controllers, via systemwide Cisco CleanAir technology integration
• OfficeExtend
  • Supports corporate wireless service for mobile and remote workers with secure wired tunnels to the Cisco Aironet® 1130 or 1140 Series Access Points
  • Extends the corporate network to remote locations with minimal setup and maintenance requirements (zero-touch deployment)
  • Improves productivity and collaboration at remote site locations
  • Separate SSID tunnels allow both corporate and personal Internet access
  • Reduced CO2 emissions from decrease in commuting
  • Higher employee job satisfaction from ability to work at home
  • Improves business resiliency by providing continuous, secure connectivity in the event of disasters, pandemics, or inclement weather
• Comprehensive End-to-End Security
  • Offers control and provisioning of wireless access points (CAPWAP)-compliant DTLS encryption to help ensure full-line-rate encryption between access points and controllers across remote WAN/LAN links
• Enterprise Wireless Mesh
  • Allows access points to dynamically establish wireless connections without the need for a physical connection to the wired network
  • Available on select Cisco Aironet access points, Enterprise Wireless Mesh is ideal for warehouses, manufacturing floors, shopping centers and any other location where extending a wired connection may prove difficult or aesthetically unappealing
• High-Performance Video
  • Integrates Cisco VideoStream technology as part of the Cisco medianet framework to optimize the delivery of video applications across the WLAN
• End-to-End Voice
  • SupportsUnified Communications for improved collaboration through messaging, presence, and conferencing
  • Supports allCisco Unified IP Phones for cost-effective, real-time voice services
• High Availability
  • An optional redundant power supply that helps to ensure maximum availability
• Environmentally Responsible
  • Organizations may choose to turn off access point radios to reduce power consumption during off peak hours
• Mobility, Security and Management for IPv6 & Dual-Stack Clients
  • Secure, reliable wireless connectivity and consistent end-user experience
  • Increased network availability through proactive blocking of known threats
  • Equips administrators for IPv6 troubleshooting, planning, and client traceability from a common wired and wireless management system

Specifications