Adding wireless to UC 500

[JackWhelanUSA]

Hi Marcos & Team,

Our UC520 supports a few PCs, 79XX phones and integrated WLAN, also two analog dial-tone door bell speakers.  Now we'd like to install 4 7925G Unified Wireless IP phones for a bit more convenience and maybe install a couple of SPA525G Wireless IP phones.

The current integrated WLAN Access Point in the UC 500 in the basement works fine, but I'm wondering if we'd get better WLAN coverage by installing a stand-alone AP541N Access Point up stairs closer to offices.  Can you give me your 'unofficial' opinion about this?  Does this make sense or can you suggest an alternative solution.

I sure appreciate this short-cut to get a few answers concerning the UC 500.  I think one of the best compliments and evidence that this is a great little product is ever since we installed it a couole of years ago (without much hand holding) it has worked flawlessly. Gee, I'm going to have to learn a new version of Cisco Configuration Assistant; I like the latest version.  We plan to upgrade to CCA 2.2. Thanks for your help and

Best regards,

Jack

[Marcos Hernandez · Accepted solution]

Wireless voice using the AP541N is actually fully supported. The wireless Voice deployment guide covers all supported scenarios. Here is the direct URL to the actual PDF and some details from the documentation:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/sbcs/deployment_guides/voice_over_wireless/sbcs_20_vowifi_deployment_guide.pdf

Release 2.0 of the Cisco Smart Business Communications System (SBCS), with its enhanced wireless capabilities, provides a fully integrated voice-over-wireless (Wi-Fi) solution that is simple to use, combines wired and wireless voice and data, and is delivered through trusted local partners.

This deployment guide discusses:

• SBCS 2.0 voice over Wi-Fi solution components and features

• Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series platforms (all models and SKUs).

• Wireless Access Points (APs). Cisco UC 520W and UC 540W platforms with integrated wireless capability or Cisco Small Business Pro AP541N Dual-band Single-radio access points.

• Wireless IP Phones. Cisco SPA 525G IP phones operating in Wireless- G mode or Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone Models 7921G and 7925G.

• Supported reference designs for SBCS voice-over-wireless deployments, including target customers, features and benefits, components, design characteristics, limitations, and caveats.

• Steps required for initial installation and configuration using Cisco Configuration Assistant (CCA) Release 2.2 and later.

• Administrative tasks that may be required after initial installation.

I hope this helps,

Marcos

[Steven DiStefano · Accepted solution]

And in summary, voice roaming from the Integrated Wifi of UC520W or UC540 is not supported with AP541.

So you use only AP541s for Voice if the radio of the UC5xx is not enough.