CW9178I Datasheet

Ultra High-Performance Wi-Fi 7 Wireless

Photo showing the top down view of the CW9178 Photo showing the side view of the CW9178

Cisco Wireless 9178I Series Wi-Fi 7 access points are ideal for high-density environments and critical applications. These access points also allow choosing between on-premises and cloud management. Cisco Wireless' Wi-Fi 7 access points can leverage Wi-Fi 7 to support video streaming, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) applications. These access points offer real-time insights and personalized user experiences.

The Cisco Wireless 9178I Series Wi-Fi 7 access points enable operation in the 2.4, 5 and 6GHz bands for higher throughput and capacity. These access points provide four 4x4 radios and IoT radios. The Cisco Wireless 9178I Series offers an Omni-directional antenna model, the CW9178I, suitable for most enterprise deployments

Operational management is flexible because the network management can be changed anytime. If a network with Cisco Wireless 9178I Series access points was originally an on-premises deployment, it can be changed to cloud-based management without the need to purchase and redistribute additional hardware

Cisco Meraki Cloud Management

Pairing Cisco Wireless 9178I Series access points with the Meraki cloud platform provides a unified IT experience for network monitoring and management. The Meraki dashboard has an intuitive and interactive web interface.

Through the dashboard, Meraki provides sophisticated and scalable tools to automate network optimization, deploy policy and segmentation configurations across thousands of sites and devices. It also can manage a full-stack network with SD-WAN, Access, and IoT technologies. The platform supports over 3.5 million active networks around the world.

The Cisco Wireless 9178I and dashboard allow for the integration of features such as:

Cisco Spaces
Cisco Identity Services Engine
Meraki Health intelligent optimization and assurance
Meraki Vision, smart cameras, and sensors for network closet monitoring

Cisco Catalyst Center and Catalyst 9800 WLC support

The Cisco Wireless 9178I access points can also be managed with Catalyst 9800 WLC and Cisco Catalyst Center. Cisco Catalyst Center allows you to understand your network with real-time analytics, quickly detect and contain security threats, and easily provide network-wide consistency through automation and virtualization.

Working together, the CW9178I Series and Cisco Catalyst Center offer such features as:

Cisco Spaces
Cisco Identity Services Engine
Cisco Catalyst Center Analytics and Assurance along with Intelligence Capture (iCAP)

For information about Cisco Catalyst Center, refer to the Cisco Networking Solution Overview.

High-Performance 802.11be Compatible Wireless

The CW9178I is a cloud-managed tri-band 4x4:4 802.11be compatible access point that emphasizes wireless performance and efficiency. Designed for next-generation deployments in offices, schools, hospitals, retail shops, and hotels, the CW9178I offers high throughput, enterprise-grade security, and simple management.

The CW9178I provides a maximum of 24 Gbps aggregate frame rate with concurrent 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz radios. A dedicated fourth radio provides real-time WIDS/WIPS with automated RF optimization, and a fifth integrated IoT radio delivers Bluetooth scanning and beaconing.

The Cisco Wireless CW9178I supports a software-defined flex radio which can be operated in a Tri-Radio or Quad-Radio. The option to operate in Quad-Radio provides dual 5 GHz configuration that helps in high-density deployments.

With the combination of cloud management, high-performance hardware, multiple radios, and advanced software features, the CW9178I handles the most demanding of uses, including high-density deployments and performance-intensive applications like voice and high-definition video.

CW9178I and Meraki Cloud Management

Management of the Cisco Wireless 9178I is through the dashboard with an intuitive browser-based interface that enables rapid deployment without time-consuming deployment complexity and time-consuming staging process. Since the CW9178I is self-configuring and managed over the web, it can be deployed at a remote location in a matter of minutes, even without on-site IT staff.

24x7 monitoring via the Meraki cloud delivers real-time alerts if the network encounters problems. Remote diagnostic tools enable immediate troubleshooting over the web so that distributed networks can be managed with minimal hassle.

The Cisco Wireless 9178I firmware is automatically kept up to date via the cloud. New features, bug fixes, and enhancements are delivered seamlessly over the web. This means no manual software updates to download or missing security patches to worry about.

Product Highlights

Four 4x4:4 MU-MIMO 802.11be compatible
24 Gbps quad-radio aggregate frame rate
24x7 real-time WIDS/WIPS and spectrum analytics via dedicated fourth radio
Integrated Bluetooth Low Energy beacon and scanning radio
Dual 10 Gbps mGig ethernet port support for PoE and link redundancy
USB 2.0 host interface (Type A connector) with 9.0W power budget

Enhanced transmit power and receive sensitivity
Full-time Wi-Fi location tracking via a dedicated third radio
Integrated enterprise security and guest access
Application-aware traffic shaping
Optimized for voice and video
Self-configuring, plug-and-play deployment
Common hardware capable of connecting to Meraki dashboard or Cisco Catalyst On-perm deployment

Features

Quad–radio Aggregate Frame Rate of up to 24 Gbps

A 6 GHz 4x4:4, Dual 5 GHz 4x4:4 and 2.4 GHz 4x4:4 radio offer a combined Quad radio aggregate frame rate of 24 Gbps*, with up to 11,520 Mbps in 6GHz band, 5,700 Mbps 5 GHz band (each Radio) and, 688 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Technologies like transmit beamforming and enhanced receive sensitivity allow the CW9178I to support a higher client density than typical enterprise-class access points, resulting in better performance for more clients, from each AP.

* Refers to maximum over-the-air data frame rate capability of the radio chipset, and may exceed data rates allowed by IEEE 802.11be operation.

Multi Link Operation (MLO)

With support for features of 802.11be, the CW9178I can operate in multiple bands simultaneously to achieve higher throughput and reduced latency. This improves network performance and the end-user experience.

Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO)

With support for features of 802.11ax, the CW9178I offers DL/UL MU-MIMO and OFDMA for more efficient transmission to multiple clients. Suited for environments with numerous mobile devices, MU-MIMO and OFDMA enable multiple clients to receive data simultaneously.

Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon and Scanning Radio

An integrated Bluetooth radio provides seamless deployment of BLE Beacon functionality and effortless visibility of Bluetooth devices. The CW9178I enables the next generation of location-aware applications while future-proofing deployments.

Automatic Cloud-Based RF Optimization

The RF data collected by the dedicated fourth radio is continuously fed back to the Meraki cloud. This data is then used to automatically tune the channel selection, transmit power, and client connection settings for optimal performance under even the most challenging RF conditions.

Integrated Enterprise Security and Guest Access

The CW9178I features integrated, easy-to-use technologies to provide secure connectivity for employees and guests alike. Advanced security features such as AES hardware-based encryption, Enterprise authentication with 802.1X, and Active Directory integration provide wired-like security while still being easy to configure. CW9178I also supports WPA3 192-bit encryption for added wireless network security. One-click guest isolation provides secure, Internet-only access for visitors. PCI compliance reports check network settings against PCI requirements to simplify secure retail deployments.

Dedicated Scanning Radio Delivers 24x7 Air Marshal and RF Analytics

The CW9178I’s dedicated tri-band scanning and security radio continually assesses the environment, characterizing RF interference and containing (in 2.4GHz and 5GHz only, since 6GHz mandates PMF) wireless threats like rogue access points. There’s no need to choose between wireless security (AirMarshal), advanced RF analysis, and serving client data - a dedicated fourth radio means that all functions occur in real-time, without any impact on client traffic or AP throughput.

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) & Mobile Device Management (MDM) Integration

Meraki Systems Manager natively integrates with the CW9178I to offer automatic, context-aware security. Meraki Systems Manager’s self-service enrollment helps to rapidly deploy MDM without installing additional equipment, and then dynamically tie firewall and traffic shaping policies to client posture.

Application-Aware Traffic Shaping

The CW9178I includes an integrated layer 7 packet inspection, classification, and control engine, enabling the configuration of QoS policies based on traffic type, helping to prioritize mission-critical applications while setting limits on recreational traffic like peer-to-peer and video streaming. Policies can be implemented per network, per SSID, per user group, or individual user for maximum flexibility and control.

Voice and Video Optimizations

Industry-standard QoS features are built-in and easy to configure. Wireless Multimedia (WMM) access categories, 802.1p, and DSCP standards support, all ensure important applications get prioritized correctly, not only on the CW9178I, but on other devices in the network. Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD) and new Target Wait Time feature in 802.11ax clients ensure minimal battery drain on wireless VoIP phones.

Self-configuring, Self-Maintaining, Always Up-to-Date

When plugged in, the CW9178I automatically connects to the Meraki cloud, downloads its configuration, and joins the appropriate network. Administrators can schedule firmware upgrades for their dashboard network seamlessly. This ensures the network is kept up-to-date with bug fixes, security updates, and new features.

Meraki Health

CW9178I supports analytics to provide machine learning-based anomaly detection, server root cause analysis, wireless client scoring based on performance and connectivity metrics and network benchmarking for networks of similar size and vertical. Additionally, the CW9178I provides advanced location analytics via API and graphs in the dashboard to provide a clear picture of client density and their movement across the floor plan.

Choice of Mode

Cisco Wireless 9178I Series access points can be managed either on-premises with Catalyst 9800 Wireless Lan Controllers (WLC) or cloud-managed through the dashboard. Customers have the flexibility to deploy these access points in one mode and migrate to the other mode in the future.

Specifications

Category	Specifications
Radios	Tri-radio mode (Default): 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n/ax/be client access radio 5 GHz 802.11 a/n/ac/ax/be client access radio 6 GHz 802.11 ax/be client access radio Quad-radio mode: 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n/ax/be client access radio 5 GHz 802.11 a/n/ac/ax/be client access radio (UNII-1 & 2 bands) 5 GHz 802.11 a/n/ac/ax/be client access radio (UNII-2E & 3 bands) 6 GHz 802.11 ax/be client access radio 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz tri-band Air Marshal WIDS/WIPS, spectrum analysis, & location analytics radio Due to the 6 GHz band requiring PMF some Air Marshal functions may not be effective 2.4 GHz Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio with Beacon and BLE scanning support Concurrent operation of all five radios. BLE version (5.3), software upgradable to 6.0 in the future. Supported frequency bands (country-specific restrictions apply): 2.401 - 2.484 GHz 5.150 - 5.250 GHz (UNII-1) 5.250 - 5.350 GHZ (UNII-2A) 5.490 - 5.730 GHz (UNII-2C) 5.735 -5.825 GHz (UNII-3)
GPS	Built-in GPS/ GNSS
Antenna	2.4-GHz: Peak gain 4 dBi, internal antenna, omnidirectional in azimuth 5-GHz: Peak gain 5 dBi, internal antenna, omnidirectional in azimuth 5 GHz: (XOR) Peak gain 5 dBi, internal antenna, omnidirectional in azimuth 6-GHz: Peak gain 6 dBi, internal antenna, omnidirectional in azimuth
802.11ax, 802.11ac Wave 2 and 802.11n Capabilities	DL-OFDMA, UL-OFDMA, TWT support, BSS coloring 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams SU-MIMO, UL MU-MIMO, and DL MU-MIMO support Maximal ratio combining (MRC) & beamforming 20 and 40 MHz channels (802.11n); 20, 40 and 80 MHz channels (802.11ac Wave 2); 20, 40 and 80 MHz channels (802.11ax) Note: 40MHz channels are supported only in the 5GHz band. Up to 1024-QAM on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands Packet aggregation
802.11be Capabilities	Up to 4096-QAM on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands 20 MHz channels on 2.4 GHz bands 20, 40, 80, 160 MHz on 5 GHz bands 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 MHz on 6 GHz bands MLO (Multi-link operation) across different bands MRU (Multiple Resource Unit) allocation in OFDMA 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams
Power	Power over Ethernet: 802.3bt/ 802.3at/ 802.3af Power reservation: 60W max (802.3bt required for full operation) Power over Ethernet injector sold separately Note: Actual power consumption may vary depending on access point usage. It is recommended that you ensure that Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)/Cisco Discovery Protocol is enabled to allow proper power negotiation. Recommended Power Injector: CW-INJ-8: Cisco Wireless 802.3bt Power Over Ethernet Injector (power cable separate SKU) Supported Power Injectors: MA-INJ-6: Meraki Multigigabit 802.3bt Power over Ethernet Injector (power cable separate SKU) Cisco AIR-PWRINJ-7 802.3bt Power cord - MA-PWR-CORD-XX (XX Country Code) should be ordered separately for the Ethernet injector
Interfaces	2x 100M/ 1G/ 2.5G/ 5G/ 10G BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45) Management console port (RJ-45) USB 2.0 at 9W
Mounting	All standard mounting hardware included Desktop, ceiling, and wall mount capable Ceiling tile rail (9/16, 15/16 or 1 1⁄2” flush or recessed rails), assorted cable junction boxes
Physical Security	Kensington lock slot
Environment	Nonoperating (storage) temperature: -22° to 158°F (-30° to 70°C) Nonoperating (storage) altitude test: 25°C (77°F) at 15,000 ft (4570 m) Operating temperature: 32° to 122°F (0° to 50°C) Operating humidity: 10% to 90% (noncondensing) Operating altitude test: 40°C (104°F) at 9843 ft (3000 m) Humidity:10% to 90% non-condensing
Reliability	Mean time between failure (MTBF): 942,282 hrs at +25°C operating temperature
Physical Dimensions	9.9x9.9x2.0 inches (25x25x5.1 cm) Weight: 4.1 lb (1.87 kg)
Security	Integrated Layer 7 firewall with mobile device policy management Real-time WIDS/WIPS with alerting and automatic rogue AP containment with Air Marshal Flexible guest access with device isolation VLAN tagging (802.1q) and tunneling with IPsec VPN PCI compliance reporting WPA2-PSK, WPA2-Enterprise, WPA3 - Personal, WPA3 - Enterprise, WPA3 - Enhanced Open (OWE) EAP Local authentication - EAP-TTLS/PAP, PEAP-GTC, EAP-TLS Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) & Mobile Device Management (MDM) integration Cisco ISE integration for Guest access and BYOD Posturing
Quality of Service	Advanced power save (U-APSD) WMM access categories with DSCP and 802.1p support Layer 7 application traffic identification and shaping
Mobility	PMK, OKC, and 802.11r for fast layer 2 roaming Distributed or centralized layer 3 roaming
Analytics	Embedded location analytics reporting and device tracking Global layer 7 traffic analytics reporting per network, per device, and per application
LED Indicators	1 power/booting/firmware upgrade status 1 link state, 1 Tx/ Rx LED ethernet port
Regulatory	RoHS For additional country-specific regulatory information, please contact Meraki sales
Warranty	Indoor access point Lifetime hardware warranty with advanced replacement included
Ordering Information	CW9178: Cisco Wireless 9178I (Wi-Fi 7, 4 radio, 3 band 4x4, UWB), Global Use Recommended Power Injector: CW-INJ-8: Cisco Wireless 802.3bt Power Over Ethernet Injector (power cable separate SKU) Supported Power Injectors: MA-INJ-6: Meraki Multigigabit 802.3bt Power over Ethernet Injector (power cable separate SKU) Cisco AIR-PWRINJ-7 802.3bt Power cord - MA-PWR-CORD-XX (XX Country Code) should be ordered separately for the Ethernet injector Mounting bracket: AIR-AP-BRACKET-1 AIR-AP-BRACKET-2 Meraki access point license required

CW9178I Power Negotiation and Features

Power Source	2.4-GHz radio	5-GHz radio	6-GHz radio	Link speed	USB	Max PoE power consumption
802.3bt (Class 6) (UPOE)	4x4	4x4(LB) + 4x4(HB)	4x4(LB) + 4x4(HB)	2x 10G	Y (9W)	47W
802.3at (PoE+) (Quad Radio mode)	2x2	2x2 (LB) + 2x2 (HB)	2x2	2x 2.5 G	N	25.5W
802.3at (POE+) (Tri Radio Mode)	2x2	4x4 (FB)	2x2	2x 2.5 G	N	25.5W
802.3af (PoE)	–	–	–	1x1G	N	13.95W

Note: With 802.3at, the AP will function as 6 spatial stream with 2x:2 on 2.4/5/6 GHz radios with 1 G speed. The restriction will be removed in the upcoming software release.

Compliance and Standards

Category	Standard
IEEE Standards	802.3 ab/bz 802.3 af/at/bt 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be 802.11d/h/i/k/r/u/v/w
Certifications	Wi-Fi Alliance: Wi-Fi 7 (R1), Wi-Fi 6 (R2), Wi-Fi 6E, WPA3-R3, WPA3-Suite B, Enhanced Open Security Bluetooth SIG: Bluetooth Low Energy
Safety Approvals	CSA and CB 60950 & 62368 EN 60601 certified Conforms to UL 2043 (Plenum Rating)
Radio Approvals	FCC Part 15C 15E RSS-247 (Canada) EN 300 328 ( v2.1.1) EN 301 893 (v2.1.1) AS/NZS 4268 (Australia/NZ) NOM-121 (Mexico) NCC LP0002 (Taiwan) For additional country-specific regulatory information, please contact Meraki sales
EMI Approvals (Class B)	FCC Part 15B ICES-003 (Canada) EN 301 489-1-17 EN 55032 EN 55024 (Europe) CISPR 32 (Australia/NZ) VCCI (Japan)
Exposure Approvals	FCC Part 2 RSS-102 (Canada) EN 50385 EN 6231 EN 62479 (Europe) AS/NZS 2772 (Australia/NZ)

Context and Comparisons

802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac Wave 2 and 802.11n, 802.11be Capabilities

MR44	MR46	MR56	CW9166I	CW9178I
DL-OFDMA, UL-OFDMA, TWT support, BSS coloring	DL-OFDMA, UL-OFDMA, TWT support, BSS coloring	DL-OFDMA, UL-OFDMA, TWT support, BSS coloring	DL-OFDMA, UL-OFDMA, TWT support, BSS coloring	DL-OFDMA, UL-OFDMA, TWT support, BSS coloring MLO
2.4 GHz: 2 x 2 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with two spatial streams 5 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams	2:4GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams 5 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams	2.4 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams 5 GHz: 8 x 8 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with eight spatial streams	2.4 GHz 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams 5 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams 6 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams	2.4 GHz 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams 5 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams 6 GHz: 4 x 4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) with four spatial streams
Maximal ratio combining (MRC) & beamforming	Maximal ratio combining (MRC) & beamforming	Maximal ratio combining (MRC) & beamforming	Maximal ratio combining (MRC) & beamforming	Maximal ratio combining (MRC) & beamforming
SU-MIMO, UL MU-MIMO and DL MU-MIMO support	SU-MIMO, UL MU-MIMO and DL MU-MIMO support	SU-MIMO, UL MU-MIMO and DL MU-MIMO support	SU-MIMO, UL MU-MIMO and DL MU-MIMO support	SU-MIMO, UL MU-MIMO and DL MU-MIMO support
20 and 40 MHz* channels (802.11n); 20, 40, and 80 MHz channels (802.11ac Wave 2); 20, 40 and 80 MHz channels (802.11ax)	20 and 40 MHz* channels (802.11n); 20, 40, and 80 MHz channels (802.11ac Wave 2); 20, 40 and 80 MHz channels (802.11ax)	20 and 40 MHz* channels (802.11n); 20, 40, and 80 MHz channels (802.11ac Wave 2); 20, 40 and 80 MHz channels (802.11ax)	20 and 40 MHz* channels (802.11n); 20, 40, and 80 MHz channels (802.11ac Wave 2); 20, 40, 80MHz and 160MHz channels (802.11ax)	20 and 40 MHz* channels (802.11n); 20, 40, and 80 MHz channels (802.11ac Wave 2); 20, 40, 80MHz and 160MHz channels (802.11ax) 320MHz channels (802.11be)
Up to 1024-QAM on both 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz bands	Up to 1024-QAM on both 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz bands	Up to 1024-QAM on both 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz bands	Up to 1024-QAM on all three - 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands	Up to 4096-QAM on all three - 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands
Packet aggregation	Packet aggregation	Packet aggregation	Packet aggregation	Packet aggregation

Power

MR44	MR46	MR56	CW9166I	CW9178I
Power over Ethernet: 42.5 - 57 V (802.3at) or 37 - 57 V (802.3af) - low power mode **	Power over Ethernet: 42.5 - 57 V (802.3at compliant)	Power over Ethernet: 42.5 - 57 V (802.3at compliant)	Power over Ethernet: 42.5 - 57 V (802.3at and 802.3bt compliant)	Power over Ethernet: 42.5 - 57 V (802.3at and 802.3bt compliant)
Alternative: 12 V DC input	Alternative: 12 V DC input	Alternative: 12 V DC input	Alternative: 54 V DC input	Alternative: Power Injectors
Power consumption: 30W max (802.3at) or 15W max (802.3af) - low power mode **	Power consumption: 30W max (802.3at required)	Power consumption: 30W max (802.3at required)	Power consumption: 30.5W max with USB support and 25W max without USB support	Power consumption: 47W max with USB support and 38W max without USB support
Power over Ethernet injector and DC adapter sold separately	Power over Ethernet injector and DC adapter sold separately	Power over Ethernet injector and DC adapter sold separately	Power over Ethernet injector and DC adapter sold separately	Power over Ethernet injector sold separately

Interfaces

MR44	MR46	MR56	CW9166I	CW9178I
1x 100/1000/2.5G BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45)	1x 100/1000/2.5G BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45)	1x 100/1000/2.5G/5G BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45)	1x 1000/2.5G/5G BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45)	2x 1000/2.5G/5/10G BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45)
1x DC power connector (5.5 mm x 2.5 mm, center positive)	1x DC power connector (5.5 mm x 2.5 mm, center positive)	1x DC power connector (5.5 mm x 2.5 mm, center positive)	1x DC power connector (8 mm, center positive)

Physical Dimensions

MR44	MR46	MR56	CW9166I	CW9178I
12.05" × 5.06" × 1.74" (306.0 × 12.8.4 × 44.3 mm), not including mount plate	12.05" × 5.06" × 1.74" (306.0 × 12.8.4 × 44.3 mm), not including mount plate	12.83” x 5.54” x 1.76” (326.0 x 140.79 x 44.7 mm), not including mount plate	9.5 x 9.5 x 2.2 in. (241.3 x 241.3 x 56.9 mm), not including mount plate	9.9 x 9.9 x 2.0 in. (250 x 250 x 51 mm), not including mount plate
Weight: 26.07 oz (0.739 kg)	Weight: 1.76lbs (0.800 kg)	Weight: 2.2lbs (1 kg)	Weight: 3.54lbs (1.60kg)	Weight: 4.1lbs (1.87kg)