Can Cisco controllers control or manage Access Points from other brand

[Hannibal]

Hi dear Cisco Community Members

Please let me to open this issue about a question: ¿Can Huawei controllers control or manage Access Points from other brands or manufacturers?

If this is possible, could a click on an AP from the Grafic Interface of Huawei controller take me to the URL of that Access Point from another brand or manufacturer to manage other things that the Huawei controller could not do because the AP is from another manufacturer?

The idea is to click, from the graphical interface of the Huawei controller, on the AP of another manufacturer to go to its management URL and do things that could not be done directly from the Huawei Controller.

Does anyone have experience with this topic? I would greatly appreciate it.

With my best regards

Thanks in advance

Hann

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

Cisco WLC can only manage Cisco-branded APs.

[Hannibal]

Hi Leo

Thank you, I think the same but I read some comments that Cisco DNA could do it and if this were true then WLC could do it too.

Best regards

Hann

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

Because Meraki is owned by Cisco.

And the APs can be managed by Meraki Cloud (not DNAC).

[Rich R]

Hi @Hannibal I think you might be getting confused by the fact that the latest versions of Catalyst Center can SNMP manage 3rd party devices:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/networking-knowledge-base/faq-catalyst-center-third-party-device-visibility/ta-p/4910315

But that is completely different to controller functions for APs.  That is simply retrieving SNMP data and stats from SNMP MIBs on third party devices - just like any SNMP management tool - nothing to do with working as a controller.  Read through the FAQ at the link above and you will see that there is very limited functionality for third party devices on Catalyst Center.

[Hannibal]

Thank you my friend

Best regards

Hann

[Haydn Andrews]

DNA is able to manage some non DNAC supported devices via SNMP and ICMP poling. This is more to allow legacy Cisco switches to be monitored via DNAC.

There is a project called OpenNetworks that has the idea that certain vendors can sign up to it and have multi vendors in on control plane but Cisco is not part of it. It is also more focuesed around switching.

[Hannibal]

Hi

My question is about Cisco Controllers. Huawei cannot do it but I believe that with Cisco controllers it would be possible.

Best regards

Hann

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

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@Hannibal wrote:
I believe that with Cisco controllers it would be possible.

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No, it won't because that would be a silly decision.

[marce1000 · Accepted solution]

 - Not possible,

 M.

[MHM Cisco World · Accepted solution]

https://community.cisco.com/t5/wireless/can-wlan-controller-work-with-third-party-aps/td-p/691032#:~:text=No%2C%20Cisco%20WLC%20will%20not,lan%20controller%20to%20manage%20them.

Check cisco employer answer 

MHM