The APs come with built-in Bluetooth Low Energy, ultra-wideband, and GPS capabilities. They can support any IoT use case imaginable—from precise asset tracking in hospitals to immersive AR experiences in retail—all through a single, intelligent platform, Huang stated.
Support for Cisco ThousandEyes network performance and intelligence platform is built in. This integration lets customers from a central location identify and remediate performance bottlenecks across wireless, owned and unowned networks.
The new APs can be managed via Cisco Catalyst Center, which features real-time analytics to help customers quickly detect and contain security threats as well as automate network optimization, deploy policy and segmentation configurations across thousands of sites and devices and offer networkwide consistency through automation and virtualization, Huang stated.
The Cisco Wireless 9178 Series supports Software-Defined Access (SD-Access), which lets customers automate network configuration and management based on user identity, device type, and application needs.
Unified subscription model eases licensing
The new Cisco Networking Subscription is designed to streamline the purchasing and use of Cisco software, hardware, services, and platforms.
“With it customers can purchase our new unified licenses (Cisco Wireless Essentials or Advantage) in a Cisco Networking Subscription. These licenses include product support for both hardware and software. With an active subscription, you can align renewal dates to your cost-center needs, add licenses without changing renewal dates, and upgrade entitlements midterm,” Huang stated.
