Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN Data Sheet
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High-Performance, Easy-to-Deploy, Highly Secure Wireless Connectivity for Indoor Spaces
● Provides cost-effective 802.11ac Wave 2 connectivity with speeds up to 2.8 Gbps.
● Supports 4 x 4 Multi-User Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) technology on 5.0-GHz radio and 3 x 3 MIMO technology on 2.4-GHz radio for maximum performance.
● Supports Dual Gigabit Ethernet (2.5G and 1G) LAN with Energy Efficient Ethernet and link aggregation.
● Supports both Power over Ethernet (PoE) and AC power with external power adapter.
● Provides Integrated Wireless Spectrum Analysis tool, which allows detection of the nearby Radio Frequencies interference for easy troubleshooting.
● Secure guest WiFi access with 3rd party cloud managed guest WiFi services support.
● Cisco Umbrella integration to protect wireless devices from malware and phishing.
● Offers Single Point Setup, which requires no controller, for easy, cost-effective deployment of multiple access points.
● Works with Cisco® FindIT Management platform a software for managing and monitoring your Cisco 100-500 series products.
● Works right out of the box with easy installation and mobile friendly web-based configuration and wizard.
● Provides peace of mind with a limited lifetime hardware warranty.
Today Wi-Fi is the primary way for mobile access; small to medium-sized businesses are now looking for simple, yet easy-to-deploy Wi-Fi networks where they can provide the best experience to their employees and customers. Businesses are now depending on cloud applications like Office 365 or Gmail. To stay productive, they need reliable, and fast wireless network to access mission critical applications with no delays.
The Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN provides a simple, cost-effective way to extend highly secure, high-performance mobile networking to your employees and guests, so they can stay connected anywhere in the office, regardless of what mobile devices they use.
The Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN uses concurrent dual-band radio for improved coverage and user capacity. The 4 x 4 MU-MIMO technology on the 5.0-GHz radio and 3 x 3 MIMO on the 2.4-GHz radio allow the access point to run at maximum performance and deliver better user experience. Two Gigabit Ethernet LAN interfaces, one with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and the second with 1 Gigabit Ethernet with PoE facilitate flexible installation and reduce cabling and wiring costs. Intelligent Quality-of-Service (QoS) features let you prioritize bandwidth-sensitive traffic for Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and video applications.
To provide highly secure guest WiFi access to visitors and other users, Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN supports a captive portal with multiple authentication options and the ability to configure rights, roles, and bandwidth. A customized guest login page lets you present a welcome message and access details, and reinforces your brand with company logos.
The WAP581 access point also offers support for 3rd party cloud managed guest WiFi services allowing you to control Internet access for guests and give your customers a better guest WiFi experience.
The access points are easy to set up and use, with an intuitive wizard-based configuration to get you operational in minutes. An attractive design with flexible mounting options allows the access points to smoothly blend into any small or medium-sized business environment.
To enhance reliability and safeguard sensitive business information, the WAP581 supports both Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) Personal and Enterprise, encoding all your wireless transmissions with powerful encryption. In addition, 802.1X RADIUS authentication helps keep unauthorized users out. The WAP581 access point is now integrated with Cisco Umbrella to protect employee and guest WiFi against web threats such as malware, ransomware and more.
Designed to scale smoothly as your organization grows, the access points feature controller-less Single Point Setup, which simplifies the deployment of multiple access points without additional hardware. With the Cisco WAP581 you can extend business-class wireless networking to employees and guests anywhere in the office, with the flexibility to meet new business needs for years to come.
Figure 1 shows a typical wireless access point configuration. Figures 2 and 3 show the front and back panels of the access point, respectively.
Typical configuration
Front Panel of the WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN
Back Panel of the WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN
● Concurrent dual-band radio support offers up to 2.1 Gbps on a 5.0-GHz radio and 600 Mbps on a 2.4-GHz radio to use capacity and coverage most efficiently.
● Robust security, including WPA2, 802.1X with RADIUS secure authentication, and rogue access point detection, help protect sensitive business information.
● Wi-Fi Scheduler allows you to control your Wi-Fi network access during business and non-business hours.
● Simple installation and an intuitive web-based configuration and wizard facilitate fast, simple deployment and setup in minutes.
● Support Plug and Play feature for mass deployments, when using FindIT network management platform.
● An integrated Wireless Packet Capture tool assists tech support in troubleshooting.
● Intelligent QoS prioritizes network traffic to help keep critical network applications running at top performance.
● Support for power-saving sleep mode and port control features help increase energy efficiency.
● Workgroup Bridge mode lets you expand your network by wirelessly connecting to a second Ethernet network.
● Sleek design with multiple internal antennas and a versatile mounting kit allows for installation on a ceiling, wall or desktop.
Table 1 lists the specifications, package contents, and minimum requirements for the Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN.
Table 1. WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN specifications
| Specifications |
Description |
||||||
| Standards |
IEEE 802.11ac, 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.3af, 802.3u, 802.1X (security authentication), 802.1Q (VLAN), 802.1D (spanning tree), 802.11i (WPA2 security), 802.11e (wireless QoS), IPv4 (RFC 791), and IPv6 (RFC 2460) |
||||||
| Cabling type |
Category 5e or better |
||||||
| Antennas |
Internal antennas optimized for installation on a wall or ceiling |
||||||
| Operating system |
Linux Software |
||||||
| Physical Interfaces |
|||||||
| Ports |
2 GE ports - one 2.5G and second one 10/100/1000 Ethernet, with support for 802.3at at PoE; support is only for port 1 |
||||||
| Buttons |
Reset button |
||||||
| Lock slot |
Slot for Kensington lock |
||||||
| LEDs |
One multifunction LED |
||||||
| Physical Specifications |
|||||||
| Physical dimensions |
1.5 x 9.0 x 9.0 in. (38x 229 x 229 mm) |
||||||
| Weight |
3 lb (1.4kg) |
||||||
| Network Capabilities |
|||||||
| VLAN support |
Yes |
||||||
| Number of VLANs |
1 management VLAN plus 32 VLANs for SSIDs |
||||||
| 802.1X supplicant |
Yes |
||||||
| Service Set Identifier (SSID)-to-VLAN mapping |
Yes |
||||||
| Auto-channel selection |
Yes |
||||||
| Spanning tree |
Yes |
||||||
| Load balancing |
Yes |
||||||
| IPv6 |
Yes
● IPv6 host support
● IPv6 RADIUS, syslog, and Network Time Protocol (NTP)
|
||||||
| Layer 2 |
802.1Q-based VLANS, 32 active VLANS plus 1 management VLAN |
||||||
| Security |
|||||||
| W-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA2 |
Yes, including enterprise authentication |
||||||
| Access control |
Yes, management Access Control List (ACL) plus MAC ACL |
||||||
| Secure management |
Secure HTTP (HTTPS) |
||||||
| SSID broadcast |
Yes |
||||||
| Rogue access point detection |
Yes |
||||||
| Mounting and Physical Security |
|||||||
| Multiple mounting options |
Mounting bracket included for easy ceiling or wall mounting |
||||||
| Physical security lock |
Kensington lock slot |
||||||
| Quality of Service |
|||||||
| QoS |
Wi-Fi Multimedia and Traffic Specification (WMM TSPEC) and client QoS |
||||||
| Performance |
|||||||
| Wireless throughput |
Up to 2.8-Gbps data rate (real-world throughput varies) |
||||||
| Recommended user support |
Up to 200 connective users; 50 active users per radio |
||||||
| Multiple Access Point Management |
|||||||
| Single Point Setup |
Yes |
||||||
| Number of access points per cluster |
16 |
||||||
| Active clients per cluster |
960 |
||||||
| Configuration |
|||||||
| Web user interface |
Built-in web user interface for easy browser-based configuration (HTTP and HTTPS) |
||||||
| Management |
|||||||
| Management protocols |
Web browser, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) v3, and Bonjour |
||||||
| Remote management |
Yes |
||||||
| Event logging |
Local, remote syslog, and email alerts |
||||||
| Network diagnostics |
Logging and packet capture |
||||||
| Web firmware upgrade |
Firmware upgradable through web browser; imported or exported configuration file |
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| Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) |
DHCP client |
||||||
| IPv6 host |
Yes |
||||||
| HTTP redirect |
Yes |
||||||
| Wireless |
|||||||
| Frequency |
Dual concurrent radios (2.4 and 5 GHz) |
||||||
| Radio and modulation type |
Dual radio, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) IEEE 802.11a/n: OFDM (BPSK/QPSK/16QAM/64QAM/256QAM) IEEE 802.11ac: OFDM (BPSK/QPSK/16QAM/64QAM/256QAM) |
||||||
| WLAN |
802.11n/ac 4 x 4 MU-MIMO at 5 GHz and 3 x 3 MIMO on 2.4 GHz 21 for 20-MHz bandwidth; 9 for 40-MHz bandwidth; 4 for 80-MHz bandwidth 11 for 20-MHz bandwidth; 7 for 40-MHz bandwidth 802.11 Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) |
||||||
| Data rates supported |
IEEE 802.11b: DSSS (1/2/5.5/11) IEEE 802.11g: OFDM (6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54) IEEE 802.11n: Refer to the entries for this standard later in this list) IEEE 802.11b: 12.94 MHz IEEE 802.11g: 24.49 MHz EEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT20): 27.44 MHz IEEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT40): 36.18 MHz IEEE 802.11b: 29.76 dBm IEEE 802.11g: 29.24 dBm IEEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT20): 29.25 dBm IEEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT40): 23.81 dBm |
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| Frequency band and operating channels |
Frequency Band |
Channel No. |
Frequency |
Channel No. |
Frequency |
||
| 2400~2483.5MHz |
1 |
2412 MHz |
7 |
2442 MHz |
|||
| 2 |
2417 MHz |
8 |
2447 MHz |
||||
| 3 |
2422 MHz |
9 |
2452 MHz |
||||
| 4 |
2427 MHz |
10 |
2457 MHz |
||||
| 5 |
2432 MHz |
11 |
2462 MHz |
||||
| 6 |
2437 MHz |
- |
- |
||||
| Frequency Band |
Channel No. |
Frequency |
Channel No. |
||||
| 5150- to 5250-MHz Band 1 |
36 |
5180 MHz |
44 |
||||
| 38 |
5190 MHz |
46 |
|||||
| 40 |
5200 MHz |
48 |
|||||
| 42 |
5210 MHz |
- |
|||||
| 52 |
5260 MHz |
60 |
|||||
| 54 |
5270 MHz |
62 |
|||||
| 5250- to 5350-MHz Band 2 |
56 |
5280 MHz |
64 |
||||
| 58 |
5290 MHz |
- |
|||||
| 100 |
5500 MHz |
112 |
|||||
| 102 |
5510 MHz |
116 |
|||||
| 104 |
5520 MHz |
132 |
|||||
| 5470- to 5725-MHz Band 3 |
106 |
5530 MHz |
134 |
||||
| 108 |
5540 MHz |
136 |
|||||
| 110 |
5550 MHz |
140 |
|||||
| 149 |
5745 MHz |
157 |
|||||
| 151 |
5755 MHz |
159 |
|||||
| 5725- to 5850-MHz Band 4 |
153 |
5765 MHz |
161 |
||||
| 155 |
5775 MHz |
165 |
|||||
| Transmitted output power |
Transmitted Output Power: 2.4 GHz
● 802.11b: 20.0 +/– 1.5 dBm @ CH6, all rates
● 802.11g: 20.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, 6 Mbps
● 802.11g: 17.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, 54 Mbps
● 802.11n(HT20): 20.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, MCS0
● 802.11n(HT20): 17.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, MCS7
● 802.11n(HT40): 16.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, MCS7
● 802.11a: 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 6 Mbps
● 802.11a: 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 54 Mbps
● 802.11ac(VHT20): 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT20): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS8
● 802.11ac(VHT40): 21.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT40): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9
● 802.11ac(VHT80): 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT80): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9
5-GHz UNII-2 (5250–5350 MHz)/UNII-2 Extended (5470–5725 MHz)
● 802.11a: 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 6 Mbps
● 802.11a: 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 54 Mbps
● 802.11ac(VHT20): 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT20): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS8
● 802.11ac(VHT40): 21.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT40): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9
● 802.11ac(VHT80): 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT80): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9
5GHz UNII-3 (5725~5850MHz)
● 802.11a: 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 6 Mbps
● 802.11a: 20.0 +/– 12 dBm @ 54 Mbps
● 802.11ac(VHT20): 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT20): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS8
● 802.11ac(VHT40): 21.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT40): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9
● 802.11ac(VHT80): 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0
● 802.11ac(VHT80): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9
|
||||||
| Wireless isolation |
Wireless isolation between clients |
||||||
| External antennas |
None |
||||||
| Internal antennas |
4 Internal fixed PIFA antenna |
||||||
| Antenna gain in dBi |
3.61 dBi @2.4 GHz; 6.23 dBi @5 GHz |
||||||
| Receiver sensitivity |
2.4 GHz
● 802.11b: –86 dBm @ 11Mbps
● 802.11g: –73 dBm @ 54 Mbps
● 802.11n(HT20): –71 dBm @ MCS7
● 802.11n(HT40): –67 dBm @ MCS7
5GHz
● 802.11a: –90 dBm @ 6 Mbps
● 802.11a: –74 dBm @ 54 Mbps
● 802.11ac(VHT20): –66 dBm @ MCS8
● 802.11ac(VHT40): –62 dBm @ MCS9
● 802.11ac(VHT80): –58 dBm @ MCS9
|
||||||
| Wireless Distribution System (WDS) |
Yes |
||||||
| Fast roaming |
Yes |
||||||
| Multiple SSIDs |
16 per radio |
||||||
| Wireless VLAN map |
Yes |
||||||
| WLAN security |
Yes |
||||||
| Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) |
Yes, with unscheduled automatic power save |
||||||
| Operating Modes |
|||||||
| Access point |
Access point mode, Wireless Domain Services (WDS) bridging, and Workgroup Bridge mode |
||||||
| Environmental |
|||||||
| Power options |
IEEE 802.3at/af Ethernet switch Cisco power injector: SB-PWR-INJ2-xx Cisco power adapter: SB-PWR-48v-xx Peak power: 18 watts |
||||||
| Compliance |
Safety:
● UL 60950-1
● CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1
● IEC 60950-1
● EN 60950-1
Radio approvals:
● FCC Part 15.247, 15.407
● RSS-210 (Canada)
● EN 300.328, EN 301.893 (Europe)
● AS/NZS 4268.2003 (Australia and New Zealand)
EMI and susceptibility (Class B):
● FCC Part 15.107 and 15.109
● ICES-003 (Canada)
● EN 301.489-1 and -17 (Europe)
|
||||||
| Operating temperature |
32 to 104°F) (0 to 40°C) |
||||||
| Storage temperature |
–4 to 158°F (–20 to 70°C) |
||||||
| Operating humidity |
10 to 85% noncondensing |
||||||
| Storage humidity |
5 to 90% noncondensing |
||||||
| System memory |
256-MB RAM 128-MB flash |
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| Package Contents |
|||||||
|
● WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN
● Ceiling and wall-mounting kit
● Quick-start guide
● Ethernet network cable
|
|||||||
| Minimum Requirements |
|||||||
|
● Switch or router with PoE support, PoE injector, or 48V/1.25A AC power adapter
● Web-based configuration: web browser and FindIT Network Management Software
|
|||||||
| Warranty |
|||||||
| Access point |
Limited lifetime |
||||||
| Data rates supported |
802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps |
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| 802.11g: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps |
|||||||
| 802.11n data rates (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz): |
|||||||
| MCS Index[1] |
GI[2] = 800 ns |
GI = 400 ns |
|||||
| 20-MHz Rate (Mbps) |
40-MHz Rate (Mbps) |
20-MHz Rate (Mbps) |
40-MHz Rate (Mbps) |
||||
| 0 |
6.5 |
13.5 |
7.2 |
15 |
|||
| 1 |
13 |
27 |
14.4 |
30 |
|||
| 2 |
19.5 |
40.5 |
21.7 |
45 |
|||
| 3 |
26 |
54 |
28.9 |
60 |
|||
| 4 |
39 |
81 |
43.3 |
90 |
|||
| 5 |
52 |
108 |
57.8 |
120 |
|||
| 6 |
58.5 |
121.5 |
65 |
135 |
|||
| 7 |
65 |
135 |
72.2 |
150 |
|||
| 8 |
13 |
27 |
14.4 |
30 |
|||
| 9 |
26 |
54 |
28.9 |
60 |
|||
| 10 |
39 |
81 |
43.3 |
90 |
|||
| 11 |
52 |
108 |
57.8 |
120 |
|||
| 12 |
78 |
162 |
86.7 |
180 |
|||
| 13 |
104 |
216 |
115.6 |
240 |
|||
| 14 |
117 |
243 |
130 |
270 |
|||
| 15 |
130 |
270 |
144.4 |
300 |
|||
| 16 |
19.5 |
40.5 |
21.7 |
45 |
|||
| 17 |
39 |
81 |
43.3 |
90 |
|||
| 18 |
58.5 |
121.5 |
65 |
135 |
|||
| 19 |
78 |
162 |
86.7 |
180 |
|||
| 20 |
117 |
243 |
130 |
270 |
|||
| 21 |
156 |
324 |
173.3 |
360 |
|||
| 22 |
175.5 |
364.5 |
195 |
405 |
|||
| 23 |
195 |
405 |
216.7 |
450 |
|||
Note: Depending on the part number (refer to Table 2), one or more of the bands in this table may not be available in the product because of national regulations.
Note: Table 1 shows the maximum capability of the hardware. The transmit power may be reduced to comply with local regulatory requirements.
Radiation Pattern for 2.4GHz Antennas
Radiation Pattern for 5GHz Antennas
Table 2 shows the product part numbers and descriptions to make ordering easier.
Table 2. Product ordering information
| Part Number |
Description |
| WAP581-A-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (United States) |
| WAP581-C-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (China) |
| WAP581-E-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Europe, EU region, United Kingdom, HK, Thailand, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia) |
| WAP581-K-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Korea) |
| WAP581-B-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico) |
| WAP581-I-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (India, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Brazil) |
| WAP581-N-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Australia/New Zealand) |
| WAP581-J-K9 |
Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Japan) |
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