Cisco CW9800L Wireless Controller Data Sheet

The Cisco CW9800L Wireless Controller brings wireless management to small and medium wireless networks. It can manage up to 500 Access Points (APs) and 10,000 clients while providing flexibility and scalability in building a secure and assured wireless network.

Product overview

The Cisco CW9800L Wireless Controller brings advanced performance, security, and simplicity to small and medium-sized wireless networks. It supports up to 500 APs and 10,000 clients delivering robust, future-ready Wi-Fi for handling the latest devices, cloud-based applications, and IoT demands with ease. With enterprise-grade features in a compact form factor, it is ideal for growing businesses, educational campuses, or remote branches.

Powered by Cisco IOS® XE, the Cisco CW9800L enables seamless integration with Cisco Catalyst Center for AI-driven analytics, enhanced troubleshooting, and network automation. Security is built in, with support for WPA3, Encrypted Traffic Analytics, and Software-Defined Access, helping to safeguard users and data.

Cloud monitoring, accessible via the Meraki dashboard, provides unified visibility for easy management and troubleshooting. With application hosting and modular design, it supports next-generation use cases while maximizing investment.

The Cisco CW9800L is the ideal choice for organizations seeking intelligent, secure, and future-proofed wireless connectivity delivering enterprise innovation at the right scale for your needs.

Features and benefits

Table 1.        Features overview

Enhanced Performance, Capacity, and Operational Efficiency

The Cisco CW9800L Wireless Controller significantly elevates the capabilities of wireless infrastructure, offering increased performance and double the capacity compared to the base C9800-L model. It supports up to 500 access points and 10,000 clients, with up to 10 Gbps backhaul throughput, making it ideal for small to medium deployments.

Beyond capacity, the CW9800L is designed for operational efficiency, operating up to 10 dB quieter than its predecessor. Its compact 1 RU form factor, combined with a dedicated rack shelf (CW9800L-RMNT=) that allows two units to occupy a single rack unit, optimizes space. This blend of higher capacity and reduced operational footprint provides substantial business value through improved network handling and lower operational costs.

●     Twice the capacity and increased performance over base C9800-L

●     Supports 500 APs and 10,000 clients

●     Up to 10 dB quieter operation for flexible deployment

●     1 RU design with dual-unit rack shelf option

The CW9800L extends its value through advanced features that bolster flexibility and reliability. It supports app hosting containers, enabling customers to deploy custom applications directly on the controller when ordered with the additional 32 GB storage option. This capability enhances network programmability and allows for tighter integration of third-party services.

The CW9800L offers a redundant power option (CW9800L-RPS=), ensuring continuous operation and minimizing service interruptions.

Platform Support

The Cisco Wireless 9800L Wireless Controller is available as a single SKU appliance:

●     CW9800L

It supports Cisco Access Points from the following generations: Wi-Fi 5 Wave 2 (802.11ac Wave 2), Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)

Image Specifications

The Cisco Wireless 9800L Controller requires minimum 17.18.2 IOS-XE release.

Product specifications

Physical Dimensions

Table 2.        Specifications of Cisco CW9800L WLC

Product Components

Front Panel

Table 3.        Front Panel Components

CW9800L Back Panel Components

Table 4.        Back Panel Components

Table 5.        Ports and their Purpose

Front Panel LEDs

Table 6.        Definition of Front Panel LED State

Technical specifications

Table 7.        Specifications

Table 8.        Supported SFPs

Software requirements

Table 9.        Software Requirements

Ordering information

Table 10.     Ordering information

Warranty information

Find more warranty information on Cisco.com at the Product Warranties page.

Cisco 1-year limited hardware warranty terms

The following are terms applicable to your hardware warranty. Your embedded software is subject to the Cisco General Terms and/or any Supplemental General Terms or specific software warranty terms for additional software products loaded on the device.

Duration of hardware warranty: One (1) year

Replacement, repair, or refund procedure for hardware: Cisco or its service center will use commercially reasonable efforts to ship a replacement part within ten (10) working days after receipt of the RMA request. Actual delivery times may vary depending on customer location.

Cisco reserves the right to refund the purchase price as its exclusive warranty remedy.

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