WiFi 6E for High Density

[thewifidude]

I am deploying the Cisco 9136 AP for 6E in our new office building at high density. What has been the recommended power on this AP in office settings? I typically deploy from 8dBm to 14dBm but curious what others have done with this new AP over 6Ghz

[Dustin Anderson]

Designer told me to do 2dBm higher than your 5GHz setting. not sure if that is exact, but seems to work for us.

[Leo Laohoo]

Get a WiFi AP placement design done correctly.

Another important thing:  Get quotes from vendors/suppliers for the 9136 and 9178. 

There should not be any "price creep" between the two models. 

[thewifidude]

Thanks Leo, I'm working on the design that's why I asked. I cannot get a passive done because of construction and timetable. I did see the WiFI 7 was just finally released. I will definitely go that route if the price is doable. What channel width are you seeing deployed for high density office space on 6Ghz?

[Rich R]

Leo I'm seeing 9178 looking a little bit more expensive for AP + same license term but it may be worth the extra.
The hardware cost is identical but the Unified License costs more than the DNA license - that's where the creep is <smile> possibly because it seems to include Spaces Venues by default now (supposedly at zero cost) but DNA now adds on extra if you want Spaces Venues.  So it's difficult to precisely compare like for like.

@thewifidude get the quotes and you might be able to persuade them to give you a bit of extra discount on the 9178 to match the 9136 total price.

[Leo Laohoo]

Of course.  Cisco is using Licensing as an excuse to raise the cost (just like raised the cost of e-License and blamed it on "chip shortage").

Same reason why Cisco introduced the DNAC license upon purchase of anything with Cisco branding.  The additional license for Cisco Spaces will help drive the marketing folks when people see the BOM. 

Mandatory license for DNAC, mandatory license for DNA Spaces.  I call that a double "taxation".  

I think Cisco is on the roll here.  Pretty soon this is going to be trend to raise much needed recurring revenue.  

[jagan.chowdam]

Another unknown at this time is the lack of clarity on what will happen to the existing investment in DNA licensing when transitioning to Wi-Fi 7. The last update I received indicated that Cisco is working on a migration path from DNA to Unified Licensing. Anyone knows such migration path?

Therefore, if already invested in DNA licensing, I would recommend holding off on purchasing Wi-Fi 7 until Cisco provides clarity on the license migration path.

Jagan Chowdam

[Leo Laohoo]

DNAC will be the keystone/capstone for the next few years.  Too many "sacrifices" have been made to get DNAC to where it is now.  It is foolish to get rid of it.  

Cisco's present direction is "subscription coupled with over-the-top products to do one simple thing" to generate much-needed recurring revenues.  

For instance, during Cisco Live Melbourne 2024, one of the sessions talk about troubleshooting using DNAC.  Next slides talking about DNAC sending troubleshooting data up to a "Catalyst Cloud".  

When I started in networking, I was teamed up with this veteran who knew a lot and a lot of vendors.  One of the subjects he touched is how Cisco does things.  He pointed to a single Nortel server and said that this server runs off a Pentium 100 and services the entire campus VoIP needs.  He then said that Cisco would need, at a minimum, two beefy servers to do this Nortel server's job.  

[jagan.chowdam]

• Cell Size: At 6 GHz, the coverage area (cell size) is smaller compared to 5 GHz, even at the same power level.
• Absorption and Reflectance: Signals at 6 GHz experience greater attenuation when passing through walls or other surfaces compared to 5 GHz.
• Noise Floor: The noise floor at 6 GHz is significantly lower than at 5 GHz, at least for the foreseeable future.
• AP Antenna Patterns: The antenna patterns for access points at 6 GHz are similar to those at 5 GHz.
• AP Coverage: Coverage at 6 GHz is comparable to 5 GHz in open spaces, but it requires more than a 3 dB increase in power for equivalent performance.

The screenshot below, taken from a Cisco Live presentation, highlights key design considerations

Wi-Fi 7 consideration points:

• PoE capabilities- 802.3bt for full operation
• Cabling - At least Cat 6
• Firmware version - IOS-XE : 17.15.2 or later
• Licensing - Unified Licensing

Jagan Chowdam

/**Pls rate useful responses**/