Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers Data Sheet

Product Overview

The Cisco^® 2500 Series Wireless Controller enables systemwide wireless functions in small to medium-sized enterprises and branch offices. Designed for 802.11n and 802.11ac performance, Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are entry-level controllers that provide real-time communications between Cisco Aironet^® access points to simplify the deployment and operation of wireless networks (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controller

As a component of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, this controller delivers centralized security policies, wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) capabilities, award-winning RF management, and quality of service (QoS) for voice and video. Delivering 802.11ac performance and scalability, the Cisco 2500 Series provides low total cost of ownership and flexibility to scale as network requirements grow.

The Cisco 2504 Wireless Controller supports Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC), the technology that includes Cisco’s Network-Based Application Recognition 2 (NBAR-2) engine. N-BAR-2 does deep packet inspection (DPI) to classify applications and tie into quality of service (QoS) to either drop or mark the traffic, thereby prioritizing business-critical applications in the network. Cisco AVC uses NetFlow Version 9 to export the flows to Cisco Prime^™ Infrastructure or a third-party NetFlow Collector. The Cisco 2504 Wireless Controller also supports Bonjour Services Directory, which enables Bonjour (Apple) Services to be advertised and utilized in a separate Layer 3 network. Wireless Policy engine is a wireless profiler and policy feature on the Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controller that enables profiling of wireless devices and enforcement of policies such as VLAN assignment, QoS, ACL, and time-of-day-based access.

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controller-based access point licensing offers flexibility with 5, 15, 25, or 50 access points. Additional access point support can be added in increments of 1, 5, or 25.

Table 1 lists the features and benefits of the Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers.

Table 1.       Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controller Features and Benefits

Product Specifications

Table 2 lists the product specification for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers.

Table 2.       Product Specifications for the Cisco 2500 Wireless Controller

Ordering Information

Tables 3 and 4 provide ordering information for the Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers. To place an order, visit the Cisco ordering website: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/ordering/index.shtml.

Table 3.       Ordering Information for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers

Table 4.       Ordering Information for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers: Optional Accessories

Additive Capacity Upgrade Licenses

Tables 5 and 6 summarize additive capacity upgrade licenses that are available for the Cisco 2500 Series.

Table 5.       Ordering Information for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers: Access Point Adder Licenses (e-Delivery PAKs)

Table 6.       Ordering Information for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers: Access Point Adder Licenses (Paper PAKs)

Table 7 shows the optional DTLS license for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers. When the customer orders the 2500 Series and chooses “none selected (the default) in the Optional Licenses tab, data DTLS encryption is disabled.

Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) is required for all Cisco OfficeExtend deployments to encrypt the data plane traffic. To enable this functionality, you must obtain a $0 DTLS license. Customers planning to install this device physically in Russia must obtain a physical PAK in order to enable a DTLS license and should not download the license from Cisco.com. Please consult your local government regulations to ensure that data DTLS encryption is permitted.

The DTLS Paper PAK license is designated for customers who purchase a controller with DTLS disabled due to import restrictions but get permission to add DTLS support after initial purchase. This optional DTLS license is required for Cisco OfficeExtend deployment.

Table 7.       Optional Licensing for Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers (PAKs)

Other customers can simply use the following procedure in order to download the DTLS license from Cisco.com.

To obtain/download a Data DTLS License:

Step 1.    Browse to http://cisco.com/go/license.

Step 2.    On the Product License Registration page, choose Licenses Not Requiring a PAK.

Step 3.    Choose Cisco Wireless Controllers DTLS License under Wireless.

Step 4.    Complete the remaining steps to generate the license file. The license will be provided online or via email.

Step 5.    Copy the license file to your Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server.

Step 6.    Install the license by browsing to the WLC Web Administration page:

Management --> Software Activation --> Commands --> Action: Install License

Service and Support

Realize the full business value of your wireless network and mobility services investments faster with intelligent, customized services from Cisco and our partners. Backed by deep networking expertise and a broad ecosystem of partners, Cisco professional and technical services enable you to successfully plan, build, and run your network as a powerful business platform. Our services can help you successfully deploy the Cisco Wireless Controller and integrate mobility solutions effectively to lower the total cost of ownership and secure your wireless network.

To learn more about Cisco wireless LAN service offers, visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/wirelesslanservices.

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For More Information

For more information about Cisco wireless controllers, contact your local account representative or visit: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6366/index.html.

For more information about the Cisco Unified Wireless Network framework, visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedwireless.