CIsco 3850 as a Wireless Controller (instead of a CT-2504)

[aalbert69]

I have done 40-50 deployments using CT-2504s and 6-15 access points, mainly in high end residential environments.  I now have a commercial job, that will have 18 APs ( 17x 2800 series, and 1x 1560 Outdoor).. The client is very concerned about wireless performance, and I am afraid that the CT-2504 will be a limiting factor in having high speed connections between client devices and the corporate network (1 gig on the uplink, and no link aggregation).. With that in mind, the 3850 ( WS-C3850-24XUW-S ) seems attractive, as it will give full link speed between the APs, etc.

We are deploying this as part of an Audio/Video install.. There will be a standard data VLAN for most of the wireless clients in the building, an AV VLan that needs to allow for discovery of AppleTVs/Sonos/etc. via multicast on that VLAN, Phone, and Guest... I need to make sure that I will be able to configuring the switch to behave with AppleTVs etc (normally I enable multicast to 239.0.0.0 on CT-2504s), and that there won't be any major limitations by using the 3850 as the controller.

Also in terms of licensing I want to confirm what base using I would need, to support the 18 PoE+ devices (500+ Watts), along with associated client licenses, etc.

So in summary, are there any gotchas with the 3850 that I should be aware of in an Audio/Video environment, and what part numbers do I need specify for the switch and at least 20 APs worth of licensing.

Thanks.

[Rasika Nayanajith]

3850 as WLC is an alternative option for deploying wireless. But you have to learn how it works prior to deploy it as WLC and maintain.

Unless you spend time in learning, this will become a more problematic maintain/troubleshoot/etc. Here is some basic guidelines how to get it working as WLC

https://mrncciew.com/2013/09/29/getting-started-with-3850/

https://mrncciew.com/2013/12/04/wlan-config-in-3850-part-1/

When you ordering this you can include "LIC-CTIOS-1A" license for the quantity you want.

HTH

Rasika

*** Pls rate all useful responses ***

[aalbert69]

I have a few months before the project is going live, so if it can be done, I can figure out how to do it... However, does the 3850 as a WLC have all of the features that I am used to on the 2504?

i.e. a) ability to do broadcast forwarding and tuning for AppleTV/Sonos etc via Multicast

 b ) Passive mode so that VMware clients on Macs can obtain an IP

 c) select 40/80mhz etc for the 5ghz radios

 d) support for the 2800 series APs

I want to performance improvements that the 3850 solution offers, but need to make sure that my core applications / uses aren't affected.

Thanks.