Migrating Mobility Express (1815i) to Embedded Wireless Controller

stoteda — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 17:50:13 GMT

With Cisco's End-of-Life for Mobility Express and the 1815i access points, I began to look for upgrade options and decided on the Cisco Catalyst 9105axi. These are End-of-Sale I believe, but great deal on Amazon for a NEW Cisco -ax capable AP.

Here is my successful migration from Mobility Express to the Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) platform, keeping my existing four 1815i APs while adding WiFi 6 capability and true HA redundancy.

I wanted to share this experience with the community that has helped me so many times over the years.

We were running: 4x Cisco AIR-AP1815I access points, Mobility Express controller (embedded in the 1815i APs), RV345P router with PoE.

With Mobility Express reaching end-of-life* and no path forward for the 1815i APs in that ecosystem, I faced a decision:

- Replace everything with Ubiquiti or some cloud service APs (with ladder work climbing around changing APs, costly, likely subscription-based)
- Deploy a 9800-CL virtual controller (requires VM infrastructure and DNA licenses)
- Buy a 9800-L hardware controller (expensive for small office use)
- Migrate to EWC with new 9105AXI access points (The hidden gem from Cisco!)

Once I learned that the 1815i APs can join an EWC as CapWap, even though they can't run EWC themselves, I chose this path. The EWC is based on the same IOS-XE codebase as the Catalyst 9800 controllers, so it manages the 1815i APs just like a full controller would.

What I Purchased:

2x Cisco Catalyst C9105AXI-B access points (~$250 each on Amazon, New)
That's it...

What I ended up getting (far more than I expected, really)

- Full IOS-XE 17.12.6 wireless controller functionality
- WiFi 6 (802.11ax) in key locations
- True HA redundancy with active/standby controller failover
- Continued use of all four 1815i APs
- Access to Cisco TAC support (through the 9105AXI SmartNet)
- Ongoing firmware updates for the entire infrastructure
- 50% increase in AP density (4 APs → 6 APs)
- No recurring license fees for basic operation

Anthropic's Claude helped me create a simple diagram, but Cisco's posting tool removed it ; )

The migration process was not so intuitive. A huge thank you for the author of 0x2142 Blog. You need to read to the end before you start or you will waste time like I did before I figured out that the EWC always needs an external TFTP server when upgrading or adding APs, since it does not have enough storage...coming from an 1815i ME network, this was not intuitive. Once that was sorted, this is all I needed:

- TFTP server software (I used Tftpd64 on Windows)
- Console cable for initial 9105AXI setup (I bought a nice new USB-C cable)
- Download EWC firmware bundle from Cisco.com (I started with an older release and then upgraded)
- Static IP addresses planned for new APs (I have no idea if this is needed or not, but it made it easy for me)

Note that I kept the existing Mobility Express network running during this phase.

Download firmware from Cisco.com:
Search for "C9105AXI"
Download the EWC AP bundle (you need the bundle)
Extract to your TFTP server directory

Configure TFTP server:
Install Tftpd64 or similar
Point server directory to extracted firmware
Note your laptop's IP address

Initial 9105AXI setup via console:
Console into the 9105axi
Upgrade the AP
Configure the IP of the controller
reload to restart the AP

From there, I just used the EWC web interface, which is quite nice.

Configure EWC via web GUI:
Access https://<ewc-ip>
Run through initial setup wizard
Configure WLANs, VLANs, policy profiles
Don't point the 1815i APs here yet.

Add second 9105AXI for HA:
Same TFTP conversion process
AP will auto-discover and join the EWC
HA pair forms automatically

Set preferred master:
For some reason I couldn't figure this out in the GUI, so:
configure terminal
wireless ewc-ap preferred-master "Cisco EWC AP"
end
write memory

Phase 2 was migrate the 1815i APs:

The second phase was to migrate the 1815i APs, but they need firmware compatible with the EWC. The EWC will push the correct firmware via CAPWAP, but the 1815i must first be able to discover and join the controller and must all be in CapWap mode. I was able to use the "convert all" command on the ME WLC to convert the APs to CapWap.

Once this was done, I change the EWC IP address to the one I had statically assigned for the ME WLC. I had a stubborn AP that needed to be updated manually (this one might have been a surviving WLC "master"):

capwap ap primary-base <ewc-management-ip>

The EWC is quite capable, and leaning heavily on this forum I was able to sort out the complex tagging required, but once sorted I found it quite easy to add multiple SSIDs, include one for Apple's fastlane, a guest network, main network, etc... I re-did all the VLANS in the router while upgrading the APs.

What worked very well:

Parallel deployment: Keeping the old network running until the new one was ready eliminated downtime
TFTP for firmware: Essential for EWC image distribution - the EWC controller has limited flash
HA failover: Tested seamlessly with zero client impact!
1815i compatibility: They join and operate perfectly under EWC management

Things to watch for:

- MAC address format: EWC requires lowercase, no separators (e.g., aabbccddeeff not AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF)
Controller EWC and AP: The EWC controller and AP are the same, but not really the same. read the documentation!
- Wired backup: Always have wired connectivity to the router during firmware upgrades - WiFi goes down when APs reboot
- CLI vs GUI: Commands differ between ME and IOS-XE - don't assume syntax is the same...my CLI memory is rusty

The results far exceeded my expectations. I have regularly clocked 350mbps+ on a newer iPhone without even trying to find a place with the best performance, and coverage is great everywhere (I read somewhere that max speed would be ~940mbps). The devices connecting to the 1815i's will max out a WiFi 5 speeds, so consider where you want the best performance, or just spring to replace all the APs (which would have made my migration easy!).

The best part is that I stay within the Cisco ecosystem and this community for a modest investment.

These resources were invaluable during my migration:

0x2142 Blog - "How To: Convert Catalyst 9100 AP to Embedded WLC": @https://0x2142.com/how-to-convert-catalyst-9100-ap-to-embedded-wlc/

(Excellent walkthrough of the TFTP conversion process)

Cisco EWC Configuration Guide

Cisco EWC FAQ

Cisco Community (this community!). Countless threads helped me understand the nuances.

If you have 1815i APs running Mobility Express and are wondering about your upgrade path, consider the EWC option. For under $500, you can:

- Keep your existing 1815i investment
- Add WiFi 6 capability
- Get enterprise-grade HA redundancy
- Maintain Cisco TAC support
- Avoid recurring license fees
- Run the same IOS-XE platform as enterprise 9800 controllers

The EWC is a hidden gem that's a legit enterprise-grade solution that's perfect for small offices, big homes and anyone who wants Cisco quality without a costly upgrade.

Thanks to everyone in this community who helped me learn over the years...I've been on here since 2009. Hopefully this helps someone else facing the same Mobility Express end-of-life decision.

NOTE (added): As @Mark Elsen pointed out, it's important to note that the EWC is End of Sale (Nov '24), with last maintenance releases Mar '27, and security patches Jul '28 (see link below). The Catalyst 9105axi APs are still in production and can be added to a Cisco contract (which I am doing). Cisco is great, plain and simple!

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/embedded-wireless-controller-catalyst-access-points/wireless-ewc-access-point-eol.html

Re: Migrating Mobility Express (1815i) to Embedded Wireless Controller

Mark Elsen — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 07:43:44 GMT

- @stoteda But the EWC is also EOL : https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/embedded-wireless-controller-catalyst-access-points/wireless-ewc-access-point-eol.html

Re: Migrating Mobility Express (1815i) to Embedded Wireless Controller

stoteda — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 17:55:20 GMT

Thanks @Mark Elsen, I added a note to my post to make that clear. Since the download is free on Cisco.com, the critical dates are end of maintenance support and end of security patches. More important is the support contract for the HW...just in case I need to call TAC! Thanks for all your great posts you've made for this community. You and the other active members of this community are a tremendous asset for Cisco.

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Migrating Mobility Express (1815i) to Embedded Wireless Controller

Re: Migrating Mobility Express (1815i) to Embedded Wireless Controller

Re: Migrating Mobility Express (1815i) to Embedded Wireless Controller