Aironet 1815I Ap Datasheet with 802.11ac Wave 2 and 867 Mbps

The Cisco Aironet 1815i is a dual-band 802.11ac Wave 2 access point for small and medium-sized enterprise networks. It provides a 2×2:2 MIMO architecture, simultaneous 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz operation, a maximum 5-GHz PHY rate of 866.7 Mbps, and an aggregate dual-radio data rate of up to 1 Gbps. The platform supports controller-based deployment or Cisco Mobility Express operation, making it suitable for centralized wireless LAN architectures and smaller installations without a physical controller.

Product positioning and deployment role

The 1815i is intended for organizations that need enterprise wireless security, centralized management, and Wave 2 client support without requiring a high-end access point platform. Typical deployment environments include:

• Small and medium-sized offices
• Branch offices
• Micro-offices
• Remote worker locations using Office Extend Access Point
• University residence environments
• Extended-stay healthcare environments
• General enterprise access networks
• Networks with smartphones, tablets, and 802.11ac-capable laptops

The access point supports both controller-based Cisco Unified Wireless Network software and Cisco Mobility Express. Controller-based operation is appropriate where multiple access points, centralized policy, roaming, monitoring, and consistent configuration are required. Mobility Express is intended for smaller deployments where a dedicated wireless LAN controller is not present.

The 1815i can also operate as an Office Extend Access Point. This allows a remote worker or temporary micro-office to access the corporate SSID and corporate network without requiring a traditional client VPN configuration.

Cisco User Defined Network is identified as a supported solution capability through Cisco DNA Center. It provides a user-specific wireless network partition on a shared infrastructure, which is applicable to environments such as university residences and extended hospital stays.

Wireless architecture and capacity

The 1815i contains two wireless radios:

• 2.4 GHz for 802.11b/g/n operation
• 5 GHz for 802.11a/n/ac Wave 2 operation

The 5-GHz radio supports 802.11ac channel widths of 20, 40, and 80 MHz. The maximum PHY data rate is 866.7 Mbps using 80-MHz channels and two spatial streams. The access point uses 2×2:2 MIMO, supporting two spatial streams in both single-user MIMO and multiuser MIMO modes.

MU-MIMO allows simultaneous transmission to multiple 802.11ac Wave 2-capable clients. This improves radio utilization when compatible clients are present, although actual user throughput depends on client capability, channel width, modulation, signal quality, contention, protocol overhead, and backhaul capacity.

The specified client limit is:

These client counts are association limits, not design targets. Presales sizing should use the expected concurrent active client population, traffic mix, application latency requirements, airtime utilization, and coverage objectives. A design based only on the 400-client maximum will not provide a reliable capacity estimate.

Supported wireless data rates

The 1815i supports the following legacy rates:

• 802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps
• 802.11b/g: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

For 802.11n on 2.4 GHz, the supported MCS range is MCS 0 through MCS 15. The stated 20-MHz rates range from 6.5 Mbps to 130 Mbps with an 800-nanosecond guard interval, and from 7.2 Mbps to 144.4 Mbps with a 400-nanosecond guard interval.

For 802.11ac on 5 GHz, the data-rate table includes one- and two-spatial-stream modes across 20-, 40-, and 80-MHz channels. The highest listed two-stream VHT80 rate is 866.7 Mbps using the shorter guard interval.

Presales capacity rules

Use the following engineering rules when sizing the 1815i:

1. Treat the maximum client count as a protocol association ceiling, not a guaranteed throughput level.
2. Size primarily against active clients and airtime demand rather than total registered devices.
3. Prefer 5 GHz for high-throughput clients where coverage and regulatory availability permit.
4. Avoid assuming that every client can use 80-MHz channels or two spatial streams.
5. Validate the wired uplink design because the access point has a single Gigabit Ethernet interface.
6. Include application traffic, voice, video, multicast, management traffic, and protocol overhead in the capacity model.
7. Use a site survey or predictive design to validate channel reuse, attenuation, co-channel interference, and required signal levels.
8. Consider lower channel widths in dense deployments where additional channel reuse is more valuable than peak PHY rate.

RF characteristics

The 1815i uses integrated antennas with the following gains:

Available transmit power settings are listed from 20 dBm down to -1 dBm for both radios:

• 20 dBm, 100 mW
• 17 dBm, 50 mW
• 14 dBm, 25 mW
• 11 dBm, 12.5 mW
• 8 dBm, 6.25 mW
• 5 dBm, 3.13 mW
• 2 dBm, 1.56 mW
• -1 dBm, 0.78 mW

The maximum permitted setting varies by channel and country regulations. Regulatory-domain selection must therefore be completed before finalizing RF design assumptions.

The access point supports Dynamic Frequency Selection, Maximal Ratio Combining, Cyclic Shift Diversity, A-MPDU aggregation for transmit and receive, and A-MSDU aggregation for receive.

Representative RF performance values include:

These values are radio sensitivity and transmit specifications, not guaranteed application-level performance. The RF design must account for wall construction, furniture, human attenuation, adjacent-channel energy, client transmit power, and asymmetric client capabilities.

Wired connectivity and power

The access point provides one autosensing 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 interface with Power over Ethernet. It also includes an RJ-45 management console port.

The Ethernet interface supports:

• 802.1X or MAC-filtered authentication
• Dynamic VLAN or per-port VLAN assignment
• Locally switched traffic
• Traffic tunneled back to a wireless LAN controller

The specified maximum power draw is 8.3 W on PoE. Supported power options are:

• 802.3af/at Ethernet switch
• AIR-PWRINJ5=
• AIR-PWRINJ6=

The design must verify that the selected switch port or injector supports the required PoE mode and that the overall switch PoE budget can support all connected access points and other powered devices. Although the stated access point draw is 8.3 W, the switch deployment should be evaluated using the actual platform power allocation behavior and installation conditions.

The Gigabit Ethernet interface is adequate for the stated access point architecture, but it should not be treated as a guarantee of 1 Gbps user throughput. Wireless PHY rates include protocol overhead and are shared across clients and radios. The wired path must also account for VLAN tagging, tunneling, controller traffic, management traffic, and upstream network contention.

Security, authentication, and management

The 1815i supports:

• WPA3
• WPA2
• WPA
• AES encryption
• IEEE 802.1X
• RADIUS AAA
• IEEE 802.11i
• IEEE 802.11r
• WMM

Supported EAP methods include:

• EAP-TLS
• EAP-TTLS with MSCHAPv2
• PEAP version 0 with EAP-MSCHAPv2
• EAP-FAST
• PEAP version 1 with EAP-GTC
• EAP-SIM

The access point supports Cisco Unified Wireless Network software with AireOS Wireless Controller Release 8.3.112.0 or later, as well as Cisco Mobility Express.

Listed controller platforms include:

• Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers
• Cisco 3500 Series Wireless Controllers
• Cisco Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2
• Cisco WiSM2 for Catalyst 6500 Series Switches
• Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controllers
• Cisco Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controllers
• Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controllers
• Cisco 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
• Cisco Mobility Express

For Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller deployments, Cisco DNA software subscriptions are required to connect access points. The available subscription tiers are Cisco DNA Essentials and Cisco DNA Advantage. Network Essentials and Network Advantage licensing options provide perpetual wireless fundamentals, including 802.1X authentication, QoS, Plug and Play, telemetry, visibility, SSO, and security controls.

Cisco DNA subscription terms are available for 3, 5, or 7 years. If the subscription is not renewed, DNA features expire while the corresponding Network Essentials or Network Advantage capabilities remain functional.

Licensing modes include Smart Licensing and Specific License Reservation. Specific License Reservation is intended for highly secure networks where licensing information must not be exchanged with Cisco or a satellite.

Physical, environmental, and installation specifications

The 1815i is designed for ceiling or wall mounting and includes the AIR-AP-BRACKET8 mounting bracket.

The AIR-SEC-50= kit includes 50 security screws, 50 RJ-45 caps, and 2 unlock keys. The RJ-45 caps can be used to restrict physical access to Ethernet ports.

Operating environmental limits are:

• Temperature: 32 to 104 degrees F (0 to 40 degrees C)
• Relative humidity: 10% to 90%, noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 9843 ft (3000 m) at 40 degrees C

Nonoperating storage and transportation limits are:

• Temperature: -22 to 158 degrees F (-30 to 70 degrees C)
• Relative humidity: 10% to 90%, noncondensing
• Maximum nonoperating altitude: 15,000 ft (4500 m) at 25 degrees C

The internal system resources are:

• 1 GB DRAM
• 256 MB flash
• 710-MHz quad-core processor

MTBF is not specified in the supplied product specifications. Acoustic noise is also not specified. The datasheet does not provide a fan rating or an operating sound-pressure level; therefore, no numeric acoustic performance claim should be used in a facilities or data-center design.

SKU and ordering matrix

The regulatory-domain character is represented by x. Country approval must be checked before ordering and deployment. Not all regulatory domains are necessarily available in every sales region.

The service offerings listed for wireless planning and operations include:

The supplied service listing uses the same AS-WLAN-CNSLT identifier for all three descriptions; ordering validation is required before quoting services.

Warranty and support services

The Aironet 1815i includes a Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty. Hardware coverage continues for as long as the original end user continues to own or use the product.

The warranty provides:

• Full hardware coverage for the applicable ownership period
• Advance hardware replacement within 10 days
• Defect-free software media coverage for 90 days

For operational support, Smart Net Total Care is described as providing access to the Cisco Technical Assistance Center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, IOS software updates, online resources, and expedited hardware replacement when required.

Presales proposals should distinguish between the included hardware warranty and separately purchased support services. The warranty does not replace the need for an operational support contract where the customer requires technical assistance, software update entitlement, or accelerated replacement handling.

Engineering acceptance checklist

Before purchase and deployment, verify:

• Correct regulatory-domain SKU for the deployment country
• Controller compatibility and required software level
• Cisco DNA subscription requirements for Catalyst 9800 deployments
• Mobility Express suitability if no physical controller is planned
• PoE availability and switch power budget
• Availability of a Gigabit Ethernet connection
• Coverage and capacity through predictive design or site survey
• Channel width strategy for the expected client population
• Security and RADIUS integration requirements
• Mounting location, physical access controls, and bracket requirements
• Operating temperature, humidity, and altitude limits
• Warranty and support requirements
• Application throughput expectations versus wireless PHY rates
• Need for power injectors, spare brackets, or physical security kits