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Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller

Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller

Overview

What is Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller?

The Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points (EWC-AP) is a next-generation Wi-Fi solution, combining an advanced controller – the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers – with a Wi-Fi 6 access point – the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access…

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Recent Reviews
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

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Product Details

What is Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller?

Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(9)

Reviews

(1-3 of 3)
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October 11, 2021

Secure by design and flexible in its architecture

VL
Val Langenburg
Managing Director IT Operations and Governance
Markel Corporation (Insurance, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller puts this intuitive, powerful control, easy-to-deploy-and-manage WiFi 6 network in the palm of our hands. The built-in enterprise-class security and resilience features always keep the network on and protected. Managing and monitoring the EWC is easy, so we have a reliable WiFi experience that can serve and perform multiple functions to meet the demanding requirements of the business.
Pros and Cons
  • Offers enterprise-class security that keeps the network protected
  • Cost-effective connectivity
  • Deploying WiFi 6 network without complexity or added expense
  • Controlling access points and clients
  • The GUI is difficult to understand
  • The process of setting up the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller is cumbersome, but I like its reliability
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller offers WiFi 6 capacity and performance, enterprise-class capabilities, and robust security to deploy and manage the wireless network. It is a cost-effective approach to introduce WiFi 6 production or beta network.
Most Important Features
  • Smart dashboard and mobile app
  • Built-in enterprise-class security and resilience features
  • WiFi 6 capacity
Return on Investment
  • Minimal IT resources required
  • No cost of physical appliance
  • Benefit of enterprise features with a cost-effective approach
Alternatives Considered
  • Aruba Networks Wireless LAN (WLAN)
Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller provides the ability to manage and deploy the wireless network from a web UI or mobile application, and without the expense or complexity of a wireless controller appliance.
Other Software Used
January 09, 2021

If your use case is right, the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller can be the perfect solution

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Previously we had Cisco wireless LAN controller that took care of all our AP's (adding, removing, programming, etc) which still works great for our main site that keeps everything chugging without much interaction. The problem we had at some sites is that they don't connect back to us in a way we could manage their AP's. Enter the Cisco Embedded [Wireless] Controllers. These guys solve that problem handily.
Pros and Cons
  • They seem solid and well built, hardly ever fail
  • Once you get a hand of the setup they're easy to add/remove
  • Automatic failover is seamless and super helpful
  • Occasionally require a reboot to get an AP back online
  • Sometimes they will fight to be the controller
  • They dont seem to handle as many clients as AP's connected to a WLC
Likelihood to Recommend
Overall I could see myself recommending these to others if they have the right set of circumstances at their place of business. Those would be like ours, if they had a location that couldnt be served by a WLC. Once setup they are easy to manage and self healing as in they wont go down when one is offline.
Return on Investment
  • Makes having remote sites less problematic when it comes to managing AP's
  • Saved money on managed AP's as they're found cheaper
  • Takes more time to manage additional controllers versus a WLC
Other Software Used
Aruba Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN), KnowBe4 PhishER, Cisco DNA Center
January 09, 2021

Good value for the price but may not compete with a Cisco centralized controller

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employees
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We have a mostly Cisco AP shop but was previously using a Cisco WLAN controller to manage all our APs. At a new HQ site, we wanted to try the new embedded wireless controllers in a simpler way with fewer points of failure than using a centralized WLC. This solves the major problem of a centralized point of failure.
Pros and Cons
  • Automatic controller failover in the event of an outage.
  • Lots of great deep security features that Cisco is known for.
  • Well priced for an all in one device.
  • Some bugs in the interface.
  • Issues with licensing and Cisco DNA integration.
  • Frequent software patches needed,
Likelihood to Recommend
While it is a fairly solid product for the price tag, some places may not want to deal with bugs and glitches that can occur. These are priced below a standard WLC with APs that are centrally managed. So if you have a site with lots of APs that need as much uptime as possible, this may not be the solution for you.
Return on Investment
  • Money saved not needing a WLC and separate APs.
  • Time saved during setup if you're using a Cisco DNA.
  • Long term it may be more time spent diagnosing issues.
Other Software Used
Cisco Firepower NGFW (formerly Sourcefire), Cisco Firepower 4100 Series, KnowBe4 PhishER
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