The Cisco Catalyst C9115AXI is an enterprise-class Wi-Fi 6 access point with internal antennas. Delivering 4x4 MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and a 2.5G mGig uplink, it provides secure, high-density wireless connectivity for modern offices and educational environments.
Quick Specs:
· Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
· Antennas: Internal Omnidirectional
· Radios: Dual-Band (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz) 4x4 MU-MIMO
· Uplink: 1x 2.5Gbps Multigigabit (mGig)
· Power: 802.3at (PoE+) Recommended
· IoT Ready: Integrated Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE)
Comprehensive Product Overview
The Cisco Catalyst C9115AXI is a next-generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) access point designed to extend the power of intent-based networking to the wireless edge. Surpassing the capabilities of the legacy Cisco Aironet series, the Catalyst 9115 Series is engineered to handle the exponential growth of mobile devices, bandwidth-heavy applications, and IoT integrations in today’s enterprise networks. Featuring a sleek design with integrated internal antennas, the C9115AXI blends seamlessly into any corporate or architectural environment. By leveraging advanced Wi-Fi 6 technologies like Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT), this access point dramatically improves network efficiency, reduces latency, and extends the battery life of connected wireless devices.
Key Features & Business Benefits
Next-Generation Wi-Fi 6 Performance: Operates on the 802.11ax standard, providing significant throughput increases over Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). With 4×4 MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output), it can communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, ensuring a lag-free experience in dense environments.
High-Speed 2.5G Multigigabit Uplink: Wi-Fi 6 speeds can easily overwhelm standard Gigabit Ethernet ports. The C9115AXI features a 2.5 Gbps (mGig) uplink port, ensuring that the wired connection to your access switch never becomes a bottleneck for your wireless traffic.
IoT & Location Analytics: Built with an integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 radio, the AP serves as a hub for IoT use cases, including asset tracking, indoor wayfinding, and location-based analytics without the need for additional overlay networks.
Enhanced Power Efficiency (TWT): Supports Target Wake Time, a Wi-Fi 6 feature that allows the AP to schedule when client devices wake up to send or receive data. This significantly conserves the battery life of smartphones, tablets, and IoT sensors.
Cisco DNA Integration: Fully supported by Cisco DNA Center, enabling deep network analytics, automated provisioning, and proactive troubleshooting for both wired and wireless networks through a single pane of glass.
Technical Specifications
Specification
Details for C9115AXI
Product Series
Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series
Wireless Standard
Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax), backwards compatible with 802.11ac/n/g/b/a
Antenna Type
Internal Omnidirectional Antennas
Radio Configuration
2.4 GHz (4x4:4) and 5 GHz (4x4:4)
Max Spatial Streams
4 Spatial Streams (MU-MIMO and SU-MIMO)
Network Interface (Uplink)
1 x 100/1000/2500 Mbps (2.5G mGig) RJ-45
IoT / Bluetooth
Integrated Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE)
Power Requirements
802.3at (PoE+) recommended for full functionality; supports 802.3af (PoE) with reduced features
Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): Provides a robust, highly secure, and easy-to-manage Wi-Fi 6 network for corporate offices with high concentrations of laptops and smartphones.
K-12 and Higher Education: Seamlessly handles the dense device environments of classrooms and lecture halls, ensuring uninterrupted access to digital learning tools and video streaming.
Retail & Hospitality: The sleek internal-antenna design maintains the aesthetic of storefronts or hotel lobbies, while the integrated BLE enables customer location tracking and proximity marketing.
Supported Accessories & Controllers
To maximize your wireless network deployment, ensure you have the right ecosystem components: Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers: (e.g., C9800-L, C9800-40) for centralized management of hundreds of APs. AIR-AP-BRACKET-1= / AIR-AP-BRACKET-2=: Standard low-profile or universal mounting brackets for ceiling or wall installations. AIR-PWRINJ6=: Cisco Gigabit Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) Injector (If you do not have a PoE+ capable switch).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What does the “I” in C9115AXI stand for?
A1: The “I” stands for Internal Antennas. This AP is designed for indoor use where aesthetics are important. If you need to mount external directional antennas for challenging RF environments (like warehouses), you should look for the C9115AXE model.
Q2: Do I need a physical Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) to run this AP?
A2: Not necessarily. The Catalyst 9115 series supports the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC). This allows one AP to act as a virtual controller for a small network of other APs, eliminating the need to buy a separate physical hardware controller for smaller deployments.
Q3: Can I power the C9115AXI with standard 802.3af PoE (15.4W)?
A3: While the C9115AXI will boot up using older 802.3af PoE, its capabilities will be significantly degraded (e.g., reduced radio power, disabled USB/BLE). To unlock the full Wi-Fi 6 performance and 4×4 MU-MIMO, an 802.3at (PoE+) power source providing 30W is highly recommended.
Q4: Will older Wi-Fi devices work with this Wi-Fi 6 AP?
A4: Yes, the C9115AXI is fully backwards compatible with older Wi-Fi standards, including Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). Older devices will connect normally, though they won’t benefit from Wi-Fi 6 specific features like OFDMA.
Q5: Why does this AP have a 2.5G Multigigabit port?
A5: Wi-Fi 6 can theoretically transmit data faster than 1 Gigabit per second. If this AP were connected to a standard 1G switch port, the wired connection would become a bottleneck. The 2.5G mGig port ensures the wired uplink can handle the massive wireless throughput.
