CW9800H2 – 8x10G SFP+ & 2x40G QSFP+ Uplinks – 6000 AP Wireless Controller – 100 Gbps Throughput
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CW9800H2 Description
The CW9800H2 is a large physical wireless controller in the Cisco Catalyst CW9800 family, a 1RU appliance that manages up to 6,000 access points and 64,000 clients with up to 100 Gbps of throughput on Cisco IOS XE release 17.14.1 or later. It anchors campus and multi-building WLANs built on Wi-Fi 5 Wave 2, Wi-Fi 6/6E, and Wi-Fi 7 access points, and connects toward the core through 8x 1/10G SFP+ ports plus 2x 40G QSFP+ uplinks, with a dedicated RJ-45 port and a 10G SFP port reserved for 1:1 stateful switchover pairing. The chassis ships with dual hot-swappable power entry modules, ordered as AC or DC, and keeps running on a single module at a maximum draw of 500W. The controller itself boots without a license; each joined access point consumes one Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking Subscription entitlement.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
CW9800H2 |
|
Access point capacity |
Up to 6,000 access points |
|
Client capacity |
Up to 64,000 clients |
|
Maximum throughput |
100 Gbps |
|
Uplink ports |
8x 1/10G SFP+ plus 2x 40G QSFP+ |
|
Redundancy ports |
1x RJ-45 plus 1x 10G SFP (SSO) |
|
Wi-Fi generations supported |
Wi-Fi 5 Wave 2, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Wi-Fi 7 |
|
AP licensing |
Per-AP Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking Subscription |
|
Power supplies |
Dual hot-swappable PEMs, AC or DC |
|
Maximum power consumption |
500W |
|
Form factor |
1RU appliance |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 |
Application Scenarios
Installed in the campus core or an on-premises data center as the central termination point for wireless traffic, carrying up to 6,000 access points across office towers, teaching buildings, and dormitories from a single 1RU appliance.
Operated at a headquarters or hub site as the control point for Cisco FlexConnect branch deployments, where remote access points switch traffic locally while the central controller holds configuration, policy, and RF management for the whole estate.
Placed inside a Cisco SD-Access fabric as the wireless control plane, bringing Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points into the fabric alongside wired access in a policy-driven campus build.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
CW9800H2 |
CW9800H1 |
CW9800M |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Access point capacity |
Up to 6,000 |
Up to 6,000 |
Up to 3,000 |
|
Client capacity |
Up to 64,000 |
Up to 64,000 |
Up to 32,000 |
|
Maximum throughput |
100 Gbps |
100 Gbps |
50 Gbps |
|
AC power supply spare |
PWR-CH1-750ACR |
PWR-CH1-750ACR |
PWR-CH1-750WACR |
- The CW9800H2 and CW9800H1 post identical values on every row of this table – 6,000 access points, 64,000 clients, 100 Gbps, and the same PWR-CH1-750ACR AC spare – so capacity and the AC spare PID never separate the two, and the sizing work in this group is entirely about where a design falls against the CW9800M.
- Stepping from the CW9800H2 down to the CW9800M gives up half the scale: 3,000 access points, 32,000 clients, and 50 Gbps against 6,000, 64,000, and 100 Gbps. A deployment that stays under 3,000 access points avoids paying for idle headroom on the CW9800M, while any growth plan past that line needs the CW9800H2 class from day one.
- A mixed estate cannot pool AC spares across the two classes: the CW9800H2 takes PWR-CH1-750ACR while the CW9800M takes PWR-CH1-750WACR, so holding a single spare PID for both controllers leaves one of them uncovered.
- For deciding which SKU to order, settle the access point count against the 3,000-AP line first; once a design clears it, no row in this table separates the CW9800H2 from the CW9800H1, so the pick inside the H class rests on criteria other than capacity, client scale, or throughput.
Selection Guide
1. When Two 40G Links Replace Four 25G
The CW9800H2 presents its uplink capacity as 2x 40G QSFP+ on top of the 8x 1/10G SFP+ ports, while the CW9800H1 spreads the same role across 4x 25G SFP28; since both share the 6,000-AP, 64,000-client, and 100 Gbps ceiling, a core that aggregates on a pair of high-bandwidth QSFP+ links takes the CW9800H2, and a design that wants four separate 25G paths for link diversity keeps the CW9800H1.
2. In-Rack 40G Cabling Choices
The supported list for the 2x 40G QSFP+ uplinks carries QSFP-H40G-CU direct-attach cables from 0.5 m to 5 m, QSFP-H40G-ACU7M/10M active copper, and QSFP-H40G-AOC assemblies out to 30 m, so a core sitting in the same row can link on copper or AOC without buying optic pairs; any run past 30 m moves the order to QSFP-40G optical modules such as QSFP-40G-SR4, QSFP-40G-LR4, or QSFP-40G-ER4.
3. Unified License SKUs Need IOS XE 17.15
The hardware floor is Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1, but the LIC-CW-E and LIC-CW-A unified licensing SKUs require IOS XE 17.15.x or later; a deployment standardized below 17.15 orders per-AP Cisco DNA subscriptions instead, so the software baseline decides which license line item goes on the order.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
AC or DC power build |
The dual power entry modules are factory-configured as AC or DC at order time; match the facility feed and plan PWR-CH1-750ACR (750W AC) or PWR-CH1-950WDCR (950W DC) as the matching spare. |
A controller built for the wrong feed stalls installation until the correct build ships. |
|
40G uplink optics |
Each QSFP+ line item is on the supported list, such as QSFP-40G-SR4, QSFP-40G-LR4, QSFP-40G-ER4, QSFP-40G-SR-BD, or QSFP-H40G-CU/ACU/AOC assemblies. |
An unsupported 40G optic can be rejected by the uplink port even when the form factor fits. |
|
1/10G SFP+ optics |
SFP and SFP+ line items are on the supported list; SFP-10G-T-X requires IOS XE 17.18.3 or later. |
A 10G copper module ordered against an earlier release will not pass traffic until the software is upgraded. |
|
SSO redundancy cabling |
A 1:1 SSO controller pair needs the RJ-45 redundancy link plus an optic for the 10G SFP redundancy port. |
A missing redundancy-port optic delays stateful switchover bring-up after the hardware arrives. |
|
Rear rack mount kit |
Add C8500-4PT-KIT= when the rack plan needs the rear mounting position. |
The kit is a separate orderable PID, so leaving it off the order stalls a four-post installation. |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | CW9800H2 | Product role | Cisco Catalyst CW9800 large wireless controller, 1RU appliance |
| Access point capacity | Up to 6,000 access points | Client capacity | Up to 64,000 clients |
| Maximum throughput | 100 Gbps | Uplink ports | 8x 1/10G SFP+ plus 2x 40G QSFP+, hot-swappable (OIR) |
| Redundancy ports | 1x RJ-45 plus 1x 10G SFP for SSO | Management interfaces | 1x RJ-45 console, 1x USB 3.0 console, 2x USB 3.0 for external storage, 1x RJ-45 service port |
| WLANs | 4,096 | VLANs | 4,096 |
| Site tags | 6,000 | Policy tags | 6,000 |
| RF tags | 6,000 | RF profiles | 12,000 |
| Policy profiles | 1,000 | Flex profiles | 6,000 |
| FlexConnect APs per site | 300 | Wi-Fi generations supported | Wi-Fi 5 Wave 2, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Wi-Fi 7; Standard Power with AFC where applicable |
| Wireless standards | 802.11a/b/g/d/e (WMM)/h/n/k/r/u/w, 802.11ac Wave 1/Wave 2, 802.11ax, 802.11be | Deployment modes | Centralized, Cisco FlexConnect, SD-Access fabric wireless |
| High availability | 1:1 SSO active-standby, N+1 redundancy, ISSU, SMU hot patching, rolling AP upgrade | Security | WPA3, Secure Boot, image signing, Trust Anchor module, hardware crypto offload, Encrypted Traffic Analytics, aWIPS |
| Management | WebUI, Cisco Catalyst Center, NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, model-driven telemetry, Cloud Monitoring via Meraki dashboard | AP licensing | Per-AP Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking Subscription (LIC-CW-E / LIC-CW-A); unified licensing requires IOS XE 17.15.x or later |
| Power supplies | Dual hot-swappable power entry modules, AC or DC factory-configured; runs on a single module | Power supply spares | PWR-CH1-750ACR (750W AC), PWR-CH1-950WDCR (950W DC) |
| Maximum power consumption | 500W | Heat dissipation | 1706 BTU/hr |
| Storage | 240 GB SATA SSD | Fans and airflow | 4 built-in fans, front-to-back airflow |
| Operating temperature | 0 to 40°C, short-term 0 to 50°C | Operating humidity | 10 to 90% |
| Operating altitude | 0 to 3000 m | Acoustic noise | 73 dBA sound power, normal operation |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 44.45 x 50.47 x 4.39 cm | Weight | 9.3 kg (20.5 lb) |
| Supported 40G optics | QSFP-40G-SR4/SR4-S, QSFP-40G-CSR4, QSFP-40G-LR4/LR4-S, QSFP-40G-ER4, QSFP-40G-SR-BD, QSFP-40G-BD-RX, QSFP-H40G-CU 0.5-5 m, QSFP-H40G-ACU7M/10M, QSFP-H40G-AOC 1-30 m | Supported 1G/10G optics | GLC-BX-D/U, GLC-EX-SMD, GLC-LH-SMD, GLC-SX-MMD, GLC-TE, GLC-ZX-SMD; SFP-10G-SR/SR-S/SR-I, SFP-10G-LR/LR-S/LR-I/LR-X, SFP-10G-ER, SFP-10G-ZR-I, SFP-10G-CSR-S, SFP-10G-BXD-I/BXU-I, SFP-10G-AOC, SFP-H10GB-CU/ACU, SFP-10G-T-X (from IOS XE 17.18.3) |
| Minimum software release | Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 | Rear rack mount kit | C8500-4PT-KIT= |
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Questions & Answers
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What type of wireless controller is CW9800H2?
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How many access points and clients can CW9800H2 manage?
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Which uplink and redundancy ports does CW9800H2 provide?
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How does CW9800H2 differ from CW9800H1?
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Does CW9800H2 support Wi-Fi 7 access points?
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What licensing and power configuration does CW9800H2 use?
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Where does CW9800H2 fit in an SD-Access campus?
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When do the 40G uplinks on CW9800H2 suit the network design?
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