CW9800M – 3000 AP 32000 Client Capacity – 4×1/10G SFP+ 2x25G Uplinks – Midsize Wireless Controller
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CW9800M Description
The CW9800M is a midsize Cisco Catalyst CW9800 Series wireless controller, a 1RU Cisco IOS XE appliance rated for up to 3000 access points, 32,000 clients, and 50 Gbps of throughput. It runs centralized campus WLANs as well as Cisco FlexConnect branch and SD-Access fabric wireless deployments, and manages access-point generations from 802.11ac Wave 2 through Catalyst 9100 Wi-Fi 6/6E up to Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be). Uplink connectivity comes from four 1/10G SFP+ ports and two 25G SFP28 ports, each independently configurable, and the chassis ships with a single AC power supply whose hot-swappable PEM design sustains operation on one module and accepts the 750W AC PWR-CH1-750WACR spare for power redundancy. The controller itself boots without a license on Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 or later; each joining access point consumes one Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking subscription entitlement, and 1:1 SSO pairing with N+1 redundancy covers failover between controllers.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
CW9800M |
|
Access point capacity |
Up to 3000 APs |
|
Client capacity |
Up to 32,000 clients |
|
Maximum throughput |
50 Gbps |
|
Uplink ports |
4x 1/10G SFP+ and 2x 25G SFP28 |
|
Redundancy port |
1x RJ-45 RP for SSO pairing |
|
Default power supply |
Single AC supply, hot-swappable PEM |
|
Maximum power consumption |
350W |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 |
|
AP join licensing |
Per-AP Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking subscription |
|
Form factor |
1RU appliance |
Application Scenarios
Installed in a campus core or on-site data hall rack as the central wireless anchor for multi-building office, education, or healthcare estates, terminating access point tunnels for an entire site from one 1RU appliance, with an SSO standby unit alongside where the design pairs controllers.
Operated at a headquarters or regional hub to control Cisco FlexConnect access points across distributed branch offices, where user traffic switches locally at each branch while configuration and RF control stay centralized.
Deployed as the wireless controller inside a Cisco SD-Access fabric site, managed through Cisco Catalyst Center so wireless clients pick up the same segmentation and policy treatment as wired endpoints in the fabric.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
CW9800M |
CW9800H1 |
CW9800L |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Access point capacity |
Up to 3000 |
Up to 6000 |
Up to 500 |
|
Client capacity |
Up to 32,000 |
Up to 64,000 |
Up to 10,000 |
|
Maximum throughput |
50 Gbps |
100 Gbps |
10 Gbps |
|
Uplink ports |
4x 1/10G SFP+ and 2x 25G SFP28 |
8x 1/10G SFP+ and 4x 25G SFP28 |
2x 1/10G SFP+ |
|
Default power configuration |
Single AC supply, hot-swappable PEM redundancy |
Dual power supplies included from the factory |
External C9800-AC-110W adapter, optional CW9800L-RPS= kit |
|
Maximum power consumption |
350W |
500W |
90W |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2 |
- The capacity line is the real split in this group: moving from the CW9800M to the CW9800H1 doubles every scale figure, 3000 to 6000 APs, 32,000 to 64,000 clients, and 50 Gbps to 100 Gbps, so the larger appliance only pays off once a site plan genuinely crosses 3000 APs, while an estate that stays under 500 APs fits the CW9800L without paying for idle capacity.
- On uplinks, the CW9800H1 carries twice the interfaces of the CW9800M, 8x 1/10G SFP+ plus 4x 25G SFP28 against 4x 1/10G SFP+ plus 2x 25G SFP28, and the CW9800L tops out at 2x 1/10G SFP+; a design that needs more than two 25G aggregation links from one chassis has to step up, and one that terminates on a pair of 10G links can step down.
- Power configuration differs in kind, not just wattage: the CW9800H1 ships with dual supplies as standard, the CW9800M ships with one AC supply and reaches redundancy through a second hot-swappable PEM ordered separately, and the CW9800L runs from an external 110W adapter with the CW9800L-RPS= kit as its redundancy option.
- For deciding which SKU to order, settle the AP count first, then the 25G uplink requirement, and check the software floor last: the CW9800L requires Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2 or later, while the CW9800M and CW9800H1 both start at 17.14.1, so a site standardized on an earlier 17.14 or 17.15 image train excludes the small model on that ground alone.
Selection Guide
1. Mid-Size Fit At 3000 APs
The CW9800M carries up to 3000 APs and 32,000 clients, which covers a campus that has outgrown the CW9800L’s 500 AP ceiling without stepping into the CW9800H1 class; ordering the larger appliance before a confirmed path past 3000 APs pays for 500W-class power and dual-supply hardware that sits idle.
2. Single AC Supply With PEM Redundancy
The CW9800M ships with one AC supply and keeps running on a single hot-swappable PEM, so day-one power redundancy means adding the PWR-CH1-750WACR 750W AC spare as a second module; when a site standard demands dual supplies in the factory configuration itself, the CW9800H1 is the model that arrives built that way.
3. Uplink Fit With Two 25G Ports
Four 1/10G SFP+ ports plus two 25G SFP28 ports give the CW9800M a 25G path into the distribution layer that the CW9800L cannot provide at all; if the aggregation design calls for four 25G links from one controller, the CW9800H1 doubles both port groups at the cost of the larger power and capacity class.
4. Headroom Over Catalyst 9800-40
Cisco rates the CW9800M at up to 53% more performance and up to 18% lower power draw than the Catalyst 9800-40, with support for 1000 more APs; a refresh sized against a fully loaded Catalyst 9800-40 gains real growth room on the CW9800M instead of starting near its ceiling.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
AP subscription licensing |
Count one Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking subscription entitlement (LIC-CW-E or LIC-CW-A) for every access point that will join the controller. |
An AP without a subscription entitlement cannot join, so an undercounted order stalls the wireless rollout at activation. |
|
Software release plan |
Match the deployment image to Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 or later, and to 17.15.x or later when the order uses the unified LIC-CW-E / LIC-CW-A SKUs. |
Unified license SKUs cannot be consumed below IOS XE 17.15.x, leaving purchased entitlements unusable until an image upgrade. |
|
Uplink optics and cables |
Check each SFP, SFP+, and SFP28 line item against the CW9800M supported list, for example SFP-25G-SR-S or SFP-H25G-CU1M. |
An optic outside the supported matrix can be refused by the port even when the form factor fits. |
|
Rear rack mounting |
Add C8500-4PT-KIT= as its own line item when the rack standard calls for rear rail support. |
The rear mount kit is a separately ordered accessory PID and has to be placed on the order explicitly. |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | CW9800M | Product type | Cisco Catalyst CW9800 Series midsize wireless controller appliance |
| Access point capacity | Up to 3000 | Client capacity | Up to 32,000 |
| Maximum throughput | 50 Gbps | Uplink ports | 4x 1/10G SFP+ and 2x 25G SFP28, individually configurable, hot-swappable (OIR) |
| Redundancy port | 1x RJ-45 (RP) | Management ports | 1x RJ-45 console, 1x USB 3.0 console, 2x USB 3.0 for external storage, 1x RJ-45 service port |
| WLAN and VLAN scale | 4096 WLANs, 4096 VLANs | Tag and profile scale | 3000 site tags, 3000 policy tags, 3000 RF tags, 6000 RF profiles, 1000 policy profiles, 3000 Flex profiles, 300 Flex APs per site |
| Supported access points | 802.11ac Wave 2, Catalyst 9100 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E), and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) access points | Deployment modes | Centralized, Cisco FlexConnect, SD-Access fabric wireless |
| Redundancy and upgrades | 1:1 SSO active-standby, N+1 redundancy, ISSU, SMU hot patching, rolling AP upgrades | Management options | Built-in WebUI, Cisco Catalyst Center, NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, model-driven telemetry, Cloud Monitoring via Meraki dashboard |
| AP join licensing | One Cisco DNA or Cisco Networking subscription per AP; unified SKUs LIC-CW-E / LIC-CW-A on IOS XE 17.15.x or later | Minimum software release | Cisco IOS XE 17.14.1 |
| Default power supply | Single AC power supply, hot-swappable PEM, continuous operation on one PEM | Spare power supply | PWR-CH1-750WACR (750W AC) |
| Maximum power consumption | 350W | Heat dissipation | 1194 BTU/hr |
| Fans and airflow | Front-to-back airflow, 4 fans at the chassis rear | Sound power | 73.5 dBA under normal operating conditions |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 43.94 x 46.74 x 4.39 cm (17.3 x 18.4 x 1.73 in) | Weight | 9.3 kg (20.5 lb) |
| Rack height | 1RU | Rack mount accessory | C8500-4PT-KIT= rear rack mount kit |
| 25G SFP28 optics support | SFP-25G-SR-S, SFP-25G-CSR-S, SFP-25G-ER-I, SFP-10/25G-LR-S, SFP-10/25G-LR-I, SFP-10/25G-BXD-I, SFP-10/25G-BXU-I, SFP-25G-AOC (1-10 m), SFP-H25G-CU1M/CU5M | 1G/10G SFP optics support | GLC-TE, GLC-SX-MMD, GLC-LH-SMD, GLC-EX-SMD, GLC-ZX-SMD, GLC-BX-D/U; SFP-10G-SR and SFP-10G-LR series, SFP-10G-CSR-S, SFP-10G-ER, SFP-10G-BXD-I/BXU-I, SFP-10G-AOC series |
| Regulatory compliance | UL/CSA 60950-1, IEC/EN 60950-1, AS/NZS 60950.1, CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1; FCC 47 CFR Part 15 Class A EMC |
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Questions & Answers
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What is CW9800M?
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How much wireless capacity does CW9800M support?
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Which uplinks and redundancy port does CW9800M provide?
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How does the CW9800M power design compare with CW9800H1 and CW9800L?
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Does CW9800M include redundant power supplies by default?
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Which software and AP license does CW9800M require?
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Where does CW9800M fit in a FlexConnect deployment?
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When are the two 25G uplinks on CW9800M a good fit?
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