Cisco AIR-WLC2112-K9 Full English Product Description
1. Short Official Part Label
AIR-WLC2112-K9: Cisco 2100 Series Wireless LAN Controller, 1U Rackmount Unified WLC, Licensed to Manage Up to 12 Cisco Lightweight Aironet Access Points, 8×10/100 Fast Ethernet Ports (2 Ports Support IEEE 802.3af PoE), Mid-Tier SMB & Branch Wireless Controller, Core Component of Cisco Unified Wireless Network (CUWN) Architecture, Legacy End-of-Sale Hardware Platform
2. Full Product Overview
The Cisco AIR-WLC2112-K9 is a mid-capacity 1U rack-mount wireless LAN controller within the legacy Cisco 2100 WLC family, designed for medium branch offices, retail chains, small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs), school satellite campuses and compact hospitality venues that require centralized lightweight AP orchestration with a larger AP capacity than the entry AIR-WLC2106-K9 model. As a foundational CUWN device, it establishes CAPWAP/LWAPP tunnels to all connected lightweight APs to deliver centralized RF management, unified wireless security policies, seamless client mobility, integrated guest access and VoWLAN support.
This controller ships with a permanent built-in license allowing management of up to 12 lightweight APs without additional upgrade entitlements. It integrates an embedded 8-port Fast Ethernet switch, where ports 7 and 8 provide native 802.3af PoE output to directly power APs, eliminating external PoE injectors for on-site deployments. It features PCI DSS compliant architecture, making it ideal for retail environments with wireless POS payment terminals.
This hardware platform has reached Cisco End-of-Sale (EoS) and End-of-Support (EoL). All available stock consists of surplus, used or certified refurbished units. It only supports legacy Aironet lightweight AP generations (1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, early 802.11n APs). Standalone administration is available via local web GUI, SSH/Telnet CLI or serial console; centralized fleet management is supported through the legacy Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) platform.
3. Complete Hardware Physical & Interface Specifications
Form Factor & Mechanical
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Rack Form Factor: 1U standard 19-inch rack-mount chassis
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Dimensions: 4.45 cm (H) × 20.04 cm (W) × 17.45 cm (D) / 1.75 × 7.89 × 6.87 inches
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Unit Weight: 4.0 lbs (1.81 kg) with integrated internal AC power supply
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Thermal Design: Built-in cooling fan for continuous operation under rated temperature range
Rear Panel Interfaces
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8× 10/100 Mbps RJ45 Fast Ethernet switch ports (Ports 1–6 standard data; Ports 7 & 8 deliver IEEE 802.3af PoE output for lightweight APs)
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DB-9 RS-232 serial console port (rollover RJ45 cable included for out-of-band initial configuration)
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Physical security lock slot
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Integrated AC power input jack (no separate external power brick required)
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Reserved USB and SSC security card slots (non-functional on the 2112 platform)
Front Panel LED Status Indicators
Global status LEDs: Power, System Health, Critical Alarm, Total Joined AP Count
Per-port Link/Activity LEDs for all 8 Fast Ethernet interfaces
Power & Environmental Specifications
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Input Power: Universal AC 100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz
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PoE Power Budget: Limited power capacity to support up to two PoE-powered APs via ports 7 and 8
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Heat Dissipation: 72 BTU/hour
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Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
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Storage Temperature: -25°C to 70°C (-13°F to 158°F)
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Humidity: 10%–95% non-condensing for operation and storage
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Regulatory Certifications: UL 60950-1 safety, CE, FCC Class B EMC, ICES-003, VCCI, basic NEBS compliance
4. Official Capacity & Performance Benchmarks
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Maximum Supported Lightweight APs: 12 (hard permanent license limit, non-upgradable)
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Maximum Concurrent Wireless Client Stations: Up to 1000 total across all managed APs
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Switching Capacity: Wire-rate 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet switching
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Roaming Capability: Seamless Layer 2 intra-controller roaming; Layer 3 inter-VLAN client mobility
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Supported Unique SSIDs: Up to 16 broadcast/hidden SSIDs per controller
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RRM Radio Management: Automatic channel selection and transmit power adjustment for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n radios
5. Core Wireless & Security Feature Suite
1. Centralized Lightweight AP Lifecycle Management
CAPWAP/LWAPP tunnel termination for all connected APs; single-pane bulk firmware upgrades, unified RF configuration and global policy deployment across all 12 managed access points; zero-touch AP auto-discovery via DHCP Option 43.
2. Enterprise-Grade Wireless Security Stack
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Authentication: IEEE 802.1X, EAP-TLS, PEAP, EAP-FAST, local internal user database, external RADIUS AAA server integration
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Encryption Protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2-PSK/Enterprise (802.11i RSN), TKIP, AES-CCMP
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Threat Mitigation: Rogue AP detection, classification and containment, wireless client isolation, MAC address filtering, dynamic VLAN assignment per SSID, 802.1Q trunk tagging
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Compliance: PCI DSS validated architecture for retail wireless payment deployments
3. Mobility & Voice Over Wi-Fi (VoWLAN)
Fast secure roaming with 802.11r pre-authentication, zero-drop intra-controller client roaming, Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) QoS prioritization for VoIP handsets, configurable per-client bandwidth policing.
4. Radio Resource Management (RRM)
Continuous RF interference monitoring, dynamic transmit power control, auto-channel assignment, wireless coverage hole detection and spectrum analysis for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
5. Multi-Method Device Management
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Local HTTPS web GUI for standalone monitoring and configuration
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Command-line access via SSH v2, Telnet or serial console
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SNMP v1/v2c/v3 for third-party NMS monitoring integration
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Persistent secure syslog export for security audit and event tracking
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Centralized multi-controller orchestration via legacy Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS)
6. Isolated Guest Wireless Services
Dedicated guest SSID segmentation, customizable web splash-page authentication, time-limited guest user access credentials, isolated guest VLANs to separate visitor traffic from internal corporate assets.
6. Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Medium enterprise remote branch offices deploying up to 12 wireless access points
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Chain retail locations, small medical clinics and K-12 satellite classrooms
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SMB office wireless consolidation with integrated PoE ports to eliminate external power injectors
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Temporary event wireless networks, IT lab training environments and legacy CUWN upgrade staging
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Low-to-medium density warehouse and hospitality sites requiring centralized RF control and seamless client roaming
7. Short Sales Listing Tagline
Cisco AIR-WLC2112-K9 Legacy 1U Rackmount Wireless LAN Controller, Licensed for Max 12 Lightweight Aironet APs, 8×10/100 Fast Ethernet Ports with Dual 802.3af PoE Ports, Unified CUWN Wireless Architecture, WPA2/802.1X Enterprise Security, RRM Intelligent RF Management, Seamless Layer 2/3 Client Roaming, Web GUI/SSH/SNMP Managed, EoS Mid-Tier WLC for Medium Branches & SMB Retail Deployments
