Wireless LAN Solution Engine 2.5

Question

Hi,
we have still this box from Cisco, and we are looking at replacing it.
What is the product we should use to replace it? Seems that Cisco now has several options.
Jorge

Answer 1

Hi Jorge,
since we have no information regarding you wireless environment here a short overview.
For WLAN Management you have two choices:
● WLSE
● WLC / WCS
The WLSE manages the autonomous APs. This means these APs have a IOS running and if the management station fails, they are still working.
Therefore the WLSE is useable in decentral management environments and WAN links!
The WCS manages Lightweight APs. These APs get their software (not IOS) from the WLC firmware and they are upgraded via WLC upgrade. These APs are NOT autonomous. If the WLC fails the APs stop working.
The WLC is the best solution for central managed environments without the problems that WAN links may gice you. Remember: If a WAN link fails the attached APs stop working.
The WLCs can run in a master/slave mode for redundancy, but this will drive your costs up!
If you have many WLCs running in different locations you can manage them with the WCS!
On the other hand in large central deployments the WLC / WCS may reduce the usual mainteneance like AP Softwareupgrade, setup and enable RF Management and some other tasks.
Of course you can deploy IOS to the APs with the WLSE, but you have to copy the IOS Image to the WLSE, create a job and check wether all devices succeseeded. Within the WCS Upgrade the APs get the appropiate sotware autmatic!
In WLSE you have to setup and enable RF Management manually.
To get the long story short: Have some thougts on you deployment:
● Central
● Decentral
How Many APs do you have per location! Better plan two WLCs for redundancy per management domain and location! At the moment one WLC can manage 100 APs. So you should think about the cost for managing 500 APs in a redundant manner!
Actual WLCs can manage up to 12, 25, 50 or 100 APs per Controller, depending on the type of WLC you have ordered. The WLC connot be upgraded from e.g 12 to 100 APs!
One WLSE can manage up to 1900 APs in a WAN deployment (i know data sheets stating 2500, but a costumer of mine gets problems with 1900+ in a live environment).
How many time do you spend in "lower level" work like AP Upgrades, AP configuration, RF Management? In a large campus a WLC might give you some advances in combination with wireless phones, configuring QoS through predefined classes and so on.
The WLSE gives you the more granulary acces to the wireless network!
I guess this should be enough for the moment.
As ScottMac writes in his posts:
Good Luck.
Frank