Cisco Catalyst C9800-L-F-K9 Wireless LAN Controller
The Cisco Catalyst C9800-L-F-K9 is a highly resilient enterprise Wireless LAN Controller. Designed for midsize networks, it features 4x 10G SFP+ fiber uplinks, supporting up to 250 Access Points and 5000 clients with 5 Gbps of seamless wireless throughput.
Quick Specs:
· Capacity: 250 Access Points (APs) / 5000 Clients
· Throughput: 5 Gbps
· Uplinks: 4 x 1G/10G SFP+ (Fiber)
· Operating System: Cisco IOS XE
· Security: WPA3, TrustSec, Encrypted Traffic Analytics
· Form Factor: 1RU Rack-mountable (Half-width)
Comprehensive Product Overview
The Cisco Catalyst C9800-L-F-K9 is a state-of-the-art Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) built from the ground up to secure and optimize intent-based networking. Running on the highly programmable Cisco IOS XE operating system, it seamlessly handles the massive bandwidth and high client density demands introduced by Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 6E technologies. Perfectly tailored for midsize campuses, distributed branches, and managed service providers, this specific “-F” (Fiber) model is equipped with four 1G/10G SFP+ optical uplink ports. This makes the C9800-L-F-K9 the ideal choice for IT environments where the controller must be connected directly to a high-speed 10G fiber backbone, core switch, or data center aggregation layer, ensuring ultra-low latency and non-blocking traffic routing.
Key Features & Business Benefits
High-Speed Fiber Connectivity: The -F-K9 model provides four 10-Gigabit SFP+ uplink ports, allowing for robust, long-distance fiber connections directly to your enterprise core switches, eliminating bandwidth bottlenecks associated with standard copper links.
Always-On Network Reliability: Eliminate wireless maintenance windows. The controller supports seamless software updates, hot patching, and Active/Standby Stateful Switchover (SSO) High Availability, ensuring that Access Points and wireless clients never experience dropped connections.
Optimized for Wi-Fi 6 & 6E: Delivers a guaranteed 5 Gbps of wireless throughput. It is specifically engineered to process the massive amounts of data and thousands of simultaneous connections generated by modern IoT devices and BYOD environments.
End-to-End Advanced Security: Secure the airwaves and your core network. It includes native support for WPA3 encryption, Cisco TrustSec micro-segmentation, MACsec, and Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA) to identify malware without decrypting traffic.
Centralized DNA Center Automation: Fully compatible with Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access). Manage your wired and wireless infrastructure from a single pane of glass using Cisco DNA Center for rapid, zero-touch provisioning.
Technical Specifications
Specification
Details for C9800-L-F-K9
Product Series
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series
Maximum Access Points (APs)
250
Maximum Wireless Clients
5,000
Wireless Throughput
5 Gbps
Network Interfaces
4 x 1G/10G SFP+ (Fiber Optics)
Additional Ports
2 x 1G/2.5G RJ45 (for out-of-band management/redundancy)
Operating System
Cisco IOS XE Software
Maximum WLANs
4096
VLANs Supported
4096
High Availability
Stateful Switchover (SSO) Supported
Power Supply
Single internal 110W AC Power Supply
Dimensions (H x W x D)
1.73 x 8.5 x 9.06 in. (4.39 x 21.59 x 23.01 cm)
Ideal Application Scenarios
Midsize Enterprise Campus Core: Deploy in the main data center or server room. The 10G SFP+ fiber ports allow the controller to seamlessly integrate with high-speed Catalyst 9500 or Nexus core switches to manage up to 250 APs campus-wide.
Distance-Constrained Deployments: When the Wireless LAN Controller must be placed in a facility that is hundreds of meters (or kilometers) away from the core network, the fiber uplinks combined with Long-Range (LR) optical transceivers provide the perfect solution.
High-Density Education & Healthcare: Easily handles the massive throughput required by universities supporting thousands of student devices, or hospitals running mission-critical mobile medical applications.
Supported Accessories, Optics & Licensing
Ensure your wireless network is fully operational by pairing your C9800-L-F-K9 with genuine Cisco components: SFP-10G-SR / LR: 10GBASE-SR (Multi-mode) or LR (Single-mode) optical transceivers for uplink connectivity. C9800-RMNT=: Standard 19-inch Rack Mount Kit (Note: The C9800-L is half-width, allowing two units to be mounted side-by-side in 1RU for HA configurations). Cisco DNA Software Subscriptions: The controller hardware does not require a license. However, you must purchase a Cisco DNA Essentials or DNA Advantage subscription (3, 5, or 7 years) for each Access Point you connect to the controller. Compatible Access Points: Natively supports all Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series (Wi-Fi 6/6E) and Aironet 802.11ac Access Points.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the difference between the C9800-L-F-K9 and the C9800-L-C-K9?
A1: The letters designate the uplink port type. The “-F” model features Fiber uplinks (four 1G/10G SFP+ slots). The “-C” model features Copper uplinks (four 1G/2.5G RJ45 mGig ports). Both models support the exact same AP capacity (250) and throughput (5 Gbps).
Q2: Do the 10G SFP+ ports support 1G SFP transceivers?
A2: Yes. The four SFP+ optical ports are dual-rate and fully backwards compatible. If your core switch only supports 1G speeds, you can install standard 1G SFP transceivers (like the GLC-SX-MMD) today, and upgrade to 10G transceivers in the future.
Q3: Can I run this controller without a Cisco DNA Center appliance?
A3: Yes. While the Catalyst 9800 series is fully optimized to be managed by a Cisco DNA Center appliance (SD-Access), it is not mandatory. You can manage the controller via its intuitive Web UI, traditional CLI, or Cisco Prime Infrastructure.
Q4: Can I configure High Availability (HA) using the fiber ports?
A4: Yes. You can connect two C9800-L-F-K9 controllers using the SFP+ ports (via direct attach cables or fiber) to establish an Active/Standby Stateful Switchover (SSO) cluster, guaranteeing zero downtime.
Q5: Are the fans and power supplies replaceable?
A5: No. To maintain its compact, half-width footprint, the Catalyst 9800-L series utilizes fixed internal cooling fans and a fixed internal AC power supply.
