Understand Aironet and Catalyst AP Power Requirements Reference

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Updated:May 22, 2026
Document ID:215467

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Introduction

This document describes different Power over Ethernet standards, lists power requirements, and compatible power supplies for Cisco Access Points (AP).

PoE Standards

Power over Ethernet (PoE) refers to the system where electrical power is transferred along with data via twisted pair Ethernet cabling. The convenience of PoE allows Cisco APs to use a single cable to provide both power and data, which makes deployments much more cost-effective.

As of 2020, there are four Powers over Ethernet standards utilized by Cisco access points. This table lists them along with their characteristics:

Table 1. PoE Standards

Codename

Maximum Power [W]

IEEE Standard

PoE

15.4

802.3af

PoE+

30

802.3at

UPoE

60

Cisco proprietary

UPoE+ or sometimes PoE++

90

802.3bt

Power Cisco Access Points

There is no power difference between different regulatory domains of the same AP model. For example, Cisco 4800I-E and 4800I-S have identical power draw and power requirements.

Compatible Power Injectors and DC Power Supplies

Table 2. lists all officially supported PoE injectors for the latest Cisco AP models:

Table 2. Power Injectors and DC Power Adapters

AP Model

PoE Injectors

AC/DC Power Adapter

9179F

CW-INJ-8 (full power & 10Gbps), AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), MA-INJ-6 (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power)

X

9178

CW-INJ-8 (full power & 10Gbps), AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), MA-INJ-6 (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power)

X

9176

CW-INJ-8 (full power & 10Gbps), AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), MA-INJ-6 (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power)

X

9172

CW-INJ-8(full power & 10Gbps), AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), MA-INJ-6 (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power)

X

9166

AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power), MA-INJ-6 (full power)

MA-PWR-50WAC (full power)

9164

AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power), MA-INJ-6 (full power)

MA-PWR-50WAC (full power)

9162

AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), MA-INJ-6 (full power)

MA-PWR-30W (full power)

9136

AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power)

X

9130

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

X

9124

AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power), AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD1= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD2= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ7= (full power)

X

9120

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

X

9117

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

X

9115

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

X

9105

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

X

4800

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power)

AIR-PWR-50= (full power)

3800

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power)

AIR-PWR-50= (full power)

2800

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power)

X

3700

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ4= (medium power)

AIR-PWR-B= (full power)

2700

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ4= (full power)

AIR-PWR-C= (full power), AIR-PWR-D= (full power)

1700

AIR-PWRINJ5= (full power)

AIR-PWR-C= (full power), AIR-PWR-D= (full power)

1850

AIR-PWRINJ4= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

AIR-PWR-C= (full power)

1840

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

X

1830

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (medium power)

AIR-PWR-C= (full power)

1815i and 1815m

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (full power)

X

1815t

X

AIR-PWR-D= (full power)

1815w

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (full power)

X

1810

AIR-PWRINJ6= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5= (full power)

AIR-PWR-D= (full power)

1572

AIR-PWRINJ1500-2= (full power)

1562I

AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD1= (full power),AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD2= (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6= (medium power)

AIR-PWRADPT-RGD1= (full power)

1562E and 1562D

AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD1 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD2 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6 = (full power)

AIR-PWRADPT-RGD1 = (full power)

1542

AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD1 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD2 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ6 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ5 = (full power)

X

IW6300

AIR-PWRINJ6 = (full power)

IW-6300H-AC-X-K9 (full power), IW-6300H-DC-X–K9 (full power), IW-6300H-DCW-X-K9 (full power)

IW3700

AIR-PWRINJ1500-2 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD1 = (full power), AIR-PWRINJ-60RGD2 = (full power)

AIR-PWRADPT3700NA = (full power), AIR-PWRADPT3700IN = (full power)

Compatible PoE Standards

Table 3. contains information about what features are available when APs are powered with the use of different PoE standards. As of this article last update, all APs have full functionality with UPoE+ standard (802.3bt), so it is not included in the table. This table assumes that no PoE passthrough (PoE Out) is used.

Note: Unless APs are provided the full power they require, they show up with a  Low/Medium Power in Wireless Controller Web interface.

Table 3. Compatible PoE Standards

AP Model

Max Power Draw [W]

If powered with 60W

If powered with 30W

If powered with 15W

9179F

47

Full functionality

2.4GHz & 6GHz radios at 2x2, single 5GHz radio at 4x4 or dual 5GHz radios at 2x2, Multigigabit port speed 2 x 1000mbps (Tri Radio Mode) or 2 x 2500mbps (Quad Radio Mode)

Multigigabit port speed 1 x 1000mbps (single port only), all radios are shut down

9178

47

Full functionality

2.4GHz & 6GHz radios at 2x2, single 5GHz radio at 4x4 or dual 5GHz radios at 2x2, Multigigabit port speed 2 x 1000mbps (Tri Radio Mode) or 2 x 2500mbps (Quad Radio Mode), USB port disabled. MLO possible on PoE+ in 17.18.1 and later

Multigigabit port speed 1 x 1000mbps

(single port only), all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9176

39

Full functionality

2.4GHZ radio at 2x2, 5GHz & 6GHz radios at 4x4, Multigigabit port speed 2500mbps, 

USB port disabled. MLO possible on PoE+ in 17.18.1 and later

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9172H

41

Full functionality

USB port disabled

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9172I

32

Full functionality

5GHz radio at 4x4 disables the 6GHz radio (otherwise all radios can be at 2x2), USB port disabled

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9166

30.5

Full functionality

USB port disabled

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9164

30

Full functionality

USB port disabled

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9162

25.5

Full functionality

Full functionality

2.4 GHz radio disabled 5GHz & 6GHz radios at 1x1, Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, USB port disabled

9136

47.3

Full functionality

2.4GHz radio at 2x2, 5GHz radio at 4x4, 6GHz radio at 2x2, Multigigabit port speed 2.5gbps, second multigigabit port disabled, USB port disabled

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, all radios are shut down, USB port disabled

9130

30.5

Full functionality

Before 17.10: USB port disabled, 17.10 and later: full functionality

USB port disabled, ethernet port speed 1000mbps, both radios at 1x1

9124

TBD (Not published in the datasheet)

Full functionality

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, both radios at 2x2, SFP port disabled, PoE out disabled (AUX port still operational for data)

Multigigabit port speed 1000mbps, both radios disabled, SFP port disabled, PoE out/AUX port disabled

9120

25.5

Full functionality

Full functionality

USB port disabled, ethernet port speed 1000mbps, with both radios at 1x1 or one of the radios on 2x2 with another one disabled

9117

28.9

Full functionality

If the USB port is enabled, the 5GHz radio is reduced to 4x4

USB port disabled, ethernet port speed 2500mbps, both radios at 2x2

9115

21.4

Full functionality

Full functionality

USB port disabled, ethernet port speed 1000mbps, both radios at 2x2

9105

TBD (Not published in the datasheet)

Full functionality

Full functionality

USB port disabled, PoE out disabled

4800

31

Full functionality

USB port disabled, primary ethernet port speed 1000mbps, second AUX ethernet port disabled

AP does not power on

3800

30

Full functionality

Full functionality

Both radios are shut down, but AP powers up and is able to join WLC

2800

26.5

Full functionality

Full functionality

Both radios are shut down, but AP powers up and is able to join WLC

3700

19.6

Full functionality

Full functionality

Both radios at 3x3 without Wireless Security Module (WSM) or both radios at 2x2 with WSM

2700

15

Full functionality

Full functionality

Both radios at 3x3

1700

15

Full functionality

Full functionality

Full functionality

1850

20.9

Full functionality

Full functionality

USB port disabled, AUX ethernet port disabled, 2.4 GHz radio at 2x3

1840

17.8

Full functionality

Full functionality

USB port disabled

1830

15.4

Full functionality

Full functionality

USB port disabled

1815i & 1815w

8.5

Full functionality

Full functionality

Full functionality

1815m

13.9

Full functionality

Full functionality

Full functionality

1810

15.4

Full functionality

Full functionality

Full functionality

1572

31

No PoE out

AP does not power up

AP does not power up

1562i

32

Full functionality

Both radios at 2x2

Both radios are shut down, but AP powers up and is able to join WLC

1562e & 1562d

25

Full functionality

Full functionality

Both radios are shut down, but AP powers up and is able to join WLC

1542

13.9

Full functionality

Full functionality

Full functionality

IW6300

28

No PoE out

No PoE out

AP does not power up

IW3700

30

1 heater active, no PoE out

1 heater active, no PoE out

No heaters are active, and both radios are at 2x2

Powering WiFi 7 Access Points


Due to ever increasing bandwidths on the wireless side, the ethernet ports also saw a bump up in speed, namely the support for 10 Gbps speeds.
While older 802.3bt power injectors like the AIR-PWRINJ7= can provide the power required, they are not certified to work at these speeds (max 5 Gbps), hence the need for a new power injector model, the CW-INJ-8.
The ethernet port of the CW-INJ-8 is capable of connecting to a 10M/100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G Ethernet switch.

Sometimes, when the AP is connected to the CW-INJ-8 that is cabled to a 802.3af PoE-enabled switchport, the AP can potentially not function properly. To resolve this issue, disable PoE on the switchport connected to the CW-INJ-8 injector ().
To disable PoE on the connected switchport, execute the power inline never command at the CLI prompt of the Cisco switch when it is in the interface config mode.

Some WiFi 7 features like MLO (Multi-Link Operation) have been enhanced in later Cisco IOS XE releases to operate also in low/medium power modes on the 9178 (from 17.15.3) and on the 9176 (from 17.18.1) AP models.

The Wi-Fi 7 APs only support standard-based PoE (including 802.3bt) but do not support Cisco proprietary UPoE (even if it provides potentially enough wattage). Check the datasheet of the access point for accurate information. It is a classically reported issue that an AP does not power up or does not power up with enough power on a 60W Cisco UPoE switch that is not 802.3bt standard. Some switches support both Cisco UPoE and 802.3bt standard while others support only one of these protocols, this is an important point to verify.
For more details, make sure to check out the relevant Cisco IOS XE release notes.

Note: For additional information about each AP model refer to their data sheets and the installation guides.

Troubleshoot

Verify Switch Power Budget

These switch commands display the current switch, port, power allocation, and budget:

Switch#show power inline

Module   Available     Used     Remaining
          (Watts)     (Watts)    (Watts)
------   ---------   --------   ---------
1           472.0      344.5       127.5
Interface Admin  Oper       Power   Device              Class Max
                            (Watts)
--------- ------ ---------- ------- ------------------- ----- ----
Gi1/0/1   auto   on         25.5    C9120AXI-A          4     30.0
Gi1/0/2   auto   on         25.5    C9120AXI-A          4     30.0
Gi1/0/3   auto   on         25.5    C9120AXI-A          4     30.0
Gi1/0/4   auto   on         25.5    C9120AXI-A          4     30.0
...


Verify Power Negotiation

The default interface configuration works well in most deployments provided there is enough power budget, and the switch supports the minimum PoE standard requirement for a given AP model.
Particular caution has to be paid when you deal with power requirements greater than PoE (802.3af), as either CDP or LLDP needs to remain enabled (both globally and on the port level) to ensure proper power negotiation with the connected AP. 

Ensure these options are not disabled (these commands are not visible in a normal running configuration as they are there by default):

Switch(config)#cdp advertise-v2
Switch(config)#interface GigabitEthernet1/0/1
Switch(config-if)#cdp enable


To verify if CDP is enabled you can use this command:

Switch#show cdp
Global CDP information:
        Sending CDP packets every 60 seconds
        Sending a holdtime value of 180 seconds
        Sending CDPv2 advertisements is  enabled


Common Issues Cisco TAC Encounters

  • Power an Access Point with PoE standard that does not provide enough power that it requires and results in AP showing up in the WLC web interface with a  Low/Medium Power . In some cases, this results in a non-functional AP that cannot even turn on its radios (for example, when 3800 AP is powered with the use of 802.3af), or it can result in reduced performance (for example, when 9115 AP is powered with the use of 802.11af and radios fall back to 2x2). Please take a look at Table 3. for the exact behavior of each AP model.
  • Not all APs from the same series have the same power draw. For example, the 1562i can draw up to seven watts more than the 1562d version.
  • Connecting AP to the power source with the use of a very long or non-certified cable can result in a higher power draw at the power source.
  • When you use external or industrial APs, it is crucial to ground them. Refer to the 'AP deployment guides' for further information on the results of not properly grounding the AP.
  • When you use power injectors, it is impossible to have mGig port speeds higher than 1000 Mbps.

Related Information



Revision History

Revision Publish Date Comments
6.0
22-May-2026
Clarified Cisco UPoE standard
5.0
29-Aug-2025
Updated with Wi-fi 7 APs
4.0
12-Dec-2023
Update formatting.
3.0
02-May-2023
added new AP models up to 9160s
2.0
03-Mar-2023
Small correction about 17.10 software
1.0
19-Aug-2021
Initial Release
TAC Authored

Contributed by Cisco Engineers

  • Vasilije Perovic
    Cisco TAC Engineer
  • Petar Mustur
    Cisco TAC Engineer

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