The Meraki CW9166ID1 is a cloud-managed 4x4:4 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) indoor access point with separate radios dedicated to security.

Key Features

• 4x4:4 MU-MIMO 802.11ax compatible
  
• 7.78 Gbps tri-radio aggregate frame rate
• 24×7 real-time WIDS/WIPS and spectrum analytics via dedicated fourth radio
• Integrated Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon and scanning radio
• Single 5 Gbps mGig Ethernet port support
• USB 2.0 host interface (Type A connector) with 4.5W power budget
• Enhanced transmit power and receive sensitivity
• Full-time Wi-Fi location tracking via dedicated 3rd radio
• Integrated enterprise security and guest access
• Application-aware traffic shaping
• Optimized for voice and video
• Self-configuring, plug-and-play deployment
• Sleek design blends into office environments
• Limited lifetime warranty
  
  

Options
Access Point Licenses (Mandatory)
Meraki Systems Manager
50W Power Adapter
Power Injectors

Downloads
Datasheet
Meraki Sizing Tool

About This Product
A tri-band access point compatible with 802.11ax, featuring distinct radios for security, RF management, and Bluetooth®, along with a USB port to enhance connectivity options.

Flexible Deployment Options
The Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series Access Points offer the flexibility of choosing between on-premises and cloud management. These next-generation APs are ideal for mission-critical deployments and support the new 6GHz band for Wi-Fi, ensuring resilience, security, and intelligence.

The Cisco Catalyst 9166 series Wi-Fi 6E access points operate in the 6GHz band, providing a more reliable and secure network with higher throughput, increased capacity, and reduced device interference. These access points feature three 4x4 radios and a range of advanced features, including integrated environmental sensors (available only in DNA Mode) and IoT radios. The series includes the Catalyst 9166D1 model, which has an internal directional antenna designed for areas with high ceilings like auditoriums, warehouses, and large open spaces. This model eliminates the need for external antennas, simplifying wireless coverage.

Customers can easily switch their network management between on-premises and cloud-based options, allowing for flexible operational management. Transitioning from an on-premises deployment to cloud-based management with the Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series Access Points does not require additional hardware, offering cost savings.

Combining the industry's leading on-premises network platform (Catalyst) with the leading cloud IT platform (Meraki), these access points deliver an exceptional network experience. For organizations seeking a reliable, flexible, and superior wireless solution, the Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series Access Points are an excellent choice.

Cisco Meraki Cloud Management
Combining the Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series Access Points with the Meraki cloud platform offers organizations a seamless IT experience for network monitoring and management. The Meraki dashboard features an intuitive and interactive web interface, linking your network to the industry's leading cloud IT platform.

The Meraki dashboard provides advanced and scalable tools for automating network optimization, deploying policy and segmentation configurations across numerous sites and devices, and managing a comprehensive network from SD-WAN to IoT technologies. The platform supports over 3.5 million active networks globally.

Together, the Catalyst 9166 Series and Cisco Meraki deliver features such as:

• Cisco Spaces
• Cisco Identity Services Engine
• Meraki Health intelligent optimisation and assurance
• Meraki Vision, smart cameras, and sensors for network closet monitoring
  
  

Cisco DNA and Catalyst 9800 WLC Support
The Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series Access Points can be integrated with the Catalyst 9800 Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) and Cisco Catalyst Center. The Cisco Catalyst Center enables you to gain insights into your network with real-time analytics, swiftly identify and mitigate security threats, and ensure network-wide consistency through automation and virtualization.

When combined, the Catalyst 9166 Series and Cisco DNA provide features such as:

• Cisco Spaces
• Cisco Identity Services Engine
  
• Cisco DNA Analytics and Assurance along with Intelligence Capture (iCAP)
• For information about Cisco DNA, refer to the Cisco DNA Solution Overview
  

Software configurable flex radio architecture for 6 GHz support
The Cisco Catalyst Wireless 9166 features a software-configurable flex radio architecture that supports 6 GHz. This allows the access point to operate in either 5 GHz or 6 GHz mode, offering the flexibility of a dual 5 GHz setup or a true tri-band configuration.

The tri-band setup leverages the new 6 GHz spectrum, providing additional channels to enhance throughput and minimize interference and noise from older devices. This 6 GHz support ensures the CW9166 is ready for future technologies.

High-performance 802.11ax compatible wireless
The CW9166 is a high-performance, cloud-managed 4x4:4 802.11ax-compatible access point designed to elevate wireless performance and efficiency. Ideal for next-generation deployments in various environments such as offices, schools, hospitals, retail stores, and hotels, the CW9166 delivers high throughput, enterprise-grade security, and straightforward management.

With concurrent 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz radios, the CW9166 achieves a maximum aggregate frame rate of 7.78 Gbps*. It also includes a dedicated fourth radio for real-time WIDS/WIPS with automated RF optimization, and a fifth integrated IoT radio for Bluetooth scanning and beaconing.

Combining cloud management, high-performance hardware, multiple radios, and advanced software features, the CW9166 is an excellent choice for demanding applications, including high-density deployments and bandwidth-intensive tasks like voice (Cisco WebEx) and high-definition video.

CW9166 and Meraki Cloud Management
The CW9166 is managed through the Meraki cloud, featuring an intuitive browser-based interface that simplifies deployment and eliminates the need for complex staging processes. Self-configuring and web-managed, the CW9166 can be set up remotely in minutes, even without on-site IT staff.

The Meraki cloud provides 24/7 monitoring, delivering real-time alerts for network issues. Remote diagnostic tools enable immediate troubleshooting, making it easy to manage distributed networks with minimal hassle.

Firmware updates for the CW9166 are automatically handled via the cloud, ensuring new features, bug fixes, and enhancements are seamlessly delivered without manual intervention, eliminating concerns about missing security patches.

Tri–radio aggregate frame rate of up to 7.78 Gbps
The CW9166 features 6 GHz 4x4:4, 5 GHz 4x4:4, and 2.4 GHz 4x4:4 radios, providing a combined tri-radio aggregate frame rate of 7.78 Gbps*. With technologies such as transmit beamforming and enhanced receive sensitivity, the CW9166 can support a higher client density compared to typical enterprise-class access points, delivering improved performance for more clients per AP.

*Refers to maximum over-the-air data frame rate capability of the radio chipset, and may exceed data rates allowed by IEEE 802.11ax operation.

Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO)
The CW9166 supports 802.11ax features, offering DL and UL MU-MIMO and OFDMA for efficient transmission to multiple clients. Ideal for environments with numerous mobile devices, MU-MIMO and OFDMA enable simultaneous data reception by multiple clients, enhancing overall network performance and improving the user experience.

IoT and Bluetooth Low Energy Radio
An integrated Bluetooth radio facilitates seamless deployment of BLE Beacon functionality and easy visibility of Bluetooth devices. The CW9166 supports next-generation location-aware applications and future-proofs deployments, ensuring readiness for new customer engagement strategies.

Automatic cloud-based RF Optimisation
The CW9166's advanced automated RF optimization eliminates the need for dedicated hardware and RF expertise typically required for tuning a wireless network. RF data collected by the dedicated fourth radio is continuously fed to the Meraki cloud, which uses this data to automatically adjust channel selection, transmit power, and client connection settings for optimal performance under challenging RF conditions.

Integrated Enterprise Security and Guest Access
The CW9166 includes integrated, user-friendly security technologies to ensure secure connectivity for both employees and guests. Advanced security features such as AES hardware-based encryption and enterprise authentication with 802.1X and Active Directory integration provide wired-like security while remaining easy to configure. The CW9166 also supports 192-bit encryption and WPA3 for enhanced wireless network security.

One-click guest isolation offers secure, Internet-only access for visitors. PCI compliance reports verify network settings against PCI requirements, simplifying secure retail deployments.

Dedicated scanning radio delivers 24x7 Air Marshal and RF analytics
A dedicated scanning radio allows simultaneous wireless security (AirMarshal), advanced RF analysis, and client data service without impacting client traffic or AP throughput. The CW9166's tri-band scanning radio continuously monitors the environment, characterizing RF interference and containing wireless threats like rogue access points. Containment is possible only in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, as 6 GHz requires Protected Management Frames (PMF).

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) & Mobile Device Management (MDM) integration
Meraki Systems Manager integrates with the CW9166 to offer automatic, context-aware security. System Manager's self-service enrollment facilitates rapid MDM deployment without additional equipment, dynamically linking firewall and traffic shaping policies to client posture.

Application-aware traffic shaping
The CW9166 features an integrated layer 7 packet inspection, classification, and control engine, enabling QoS policy configuration based on traffic type. This helps prioritize mission-critical applications while limiting recreational traffic like peer-to-peer and video streaming. Policies can be applied per network, SSID, user group, or individual user for maximum flexibility and control.

Voice and video optimisations
Built-in industry-standard QoS features are easy to configure. Wireless Multimedia (WMM) access categories, 802.1p, and DSCP standards ensure important applications are prioritized correctly, not only on the CW9166 but also on other network devices. Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD) and Target Wait Time features in 802.11ax clients minimize battery drain on wireless VoIP phones.

Self-configuring, self-maintaining, always up-to-date
When connected, the CW9166 automatically links to the Meraki cloud, downloads its configuration, and joins the appropriate network. Administrators can schedule automatic firmware upgrades via the Dashboard, ensuring the network remains up-to-date with bug fixes, security updates, and new features.

Meraki Health
The CW9166 supports advanced analytics for AI/ML anomaly detection, server root cause analysis, wireless client scoring based on performance and connectivity metrics, and network benchmarking for networks of similar size and vertical. Additionally, the CW9166 provides advanced location analytics via API and Dashboard graphs, offering a clear picture of client density and movement across the floor plan.

Choice of Mode
Cisco Catalyst 9166 Series Access Points can be managed on-premises with Catalyst 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers (WLC) or cloud-managed through the Meraki dashboard. Customers have the flexibility to deploy these access points in one mode and migrate to the other mode in the future.