Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points (discontinued) vs. Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller

These Cisco 3802 models are very well suited for interior deployments, whether small medium or large. The range and speed make for a very nice compliment to any wired LAN design. Compliment that with the management functionality that comes with a Cisco controller, and overall the 3802 is a perfect addition to any network.

Incentivized

Overall I could see myself recommending these to others if they have the right set of circumstances at their place of business. Those would be like ours, if they had a location that couldnt be served by a WLC. Once setup they are easy to manage and self healing as in they wont go down when one is offline.

Incentivized

• Cisco APs are managed very easily from a Cisco WLC controller.
• Cisco APs provide lots of enterprise-grade options such as rogue detection and automatic power configuration.
• Cisco APs have many different mounting options, which makes them very versatile in a healthcare environment.

Incentivized

• They seem solid and well built, hardly ever fail
• Once you get a hand of the setup they're easy to add/remove
• Automatic failover is seamless and super helpful

Incentivized

• Outdoor capabilities. We have actually blown up a few outdoor units. Water got inside the outdoor units and had visible rust
• Costs compared to other AP’s in the market. Ruckus and EnGenius work out a bit cheaper
• Mounting options are limited

• The GUI is difficult to understand
• The process of setting up the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller is cumbersome, but I like its reliability

Incentivized

They work well for us and [we] have not found a better solution.

Incentivized

The performances of the Cisco Aironet 3800 are quite good. This is an reliable and robust access point. It is "wave 2" compatible and has a m-Gig port. It is also possible to configure 2* 5 GHz antennas instead of 1* 2.4 GHz and 1* 5 GHz so we can use the access point at the maximum of its capacity and reduce the interferences we can have with the 2.4 Ghz frequencies

Incentivized

Compare to the Cisco Aironet 2800 serie there is not a really big difference. The 3800 is more powerful.

Regarding the Meraki access points the solution is really different than the Cisco Aironet 3800.

Both are good but are maybe better in some situations.

For office only or when there are a lot a small sites with not technical contact, I would recommand Cisco Meraki.

For bigger sites or more complex environement, I would prefer a more customizable solution like Aironet which is more powerful.

For sure, it is really better to have only one solution and not a mix so a choice may be done.

Incentivized

Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller provides the ability to manage and deploy the wireless network from a web UI or mobile application, and without the expense or complexity of a wireless controller appliance.

Incentivized

Upgrading and maintaining the Cisco 3802 is very straightforward and easy. When centrally managed by a Cisco Wirless LAN Controller (WLC), IOS upgrades are painless. Based on how you configure the 3802 on the controller, software and IOS upgrades may be performed either by an individual or group basis.

Incentivized

• Users are able to carry on with their work while moving, changing seats, rooms or having an ad-hoc Skype meeting on the way to lunch. It is always hard to justify the value of connectivity but be assured, when it is not working the business impact is immediate.

Incentivized

• Money saved not needing a WLC and separate APs.
• Time saved during setup if you're using a Cisco DNA.
• Long term it may be more time spent diagnosing issues.

Incentivized