Cisco C9800-L-K9 Full English Product Description
1. Short Official Part & License Label
C9800-L-K9: Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Compact IOS-XE Wireless LAN Controller, Base Hardware Platform, Smart Licensing Ready, Default Capacity Supports Max 250 APs / 5,000 Wireless Clients (Upgradable via Optional High-Performance License to 500 APs / 10,000 Clients), Half-Width Desktop / Optional 19-inch 1RU Rack Mount, 2× Multigigabit 10G Ports (Copper Model C9800-L-C-K9 / Fiber SFP+ Model C9800-L-F-K9), Base 5 Gbps Throughput (10 Gbps with High-Performance License), Intent-Based DNA-Ready WLC, Supports Wi-Fi 6/6E APs, CleanAir, FlexConnect, aWIPS, ETA Encrypted Traffic Analytics, Full AP+Client Stateful Switchover (SSO) HA, Hot Patching & ISSU, Modern IOS-XE Modular OS
2. Full Product Overview
The Cisco Catalyst C9800-L-K9 is an entry-to-mid tier compact wireless LAN controller built on modern modular Cisco IOS-XE, belonging to the Catalyst 9800 Next-Generation Intent-Based Wireless family. Designed for medium enterprise remote campuses, large regional branch offices, multi-site retail chains, K-12 satellite campuses, mid-density SMB offices and small hospitality venues, it serves as the ideal wireless control plane for migrating legacy AireOS CUWN networks to IOS-XE DNA architecture.
This hardware platform supports two hardware variants:C9800-L-C-K9 (Copper Multigigabit)andC9800-L-F-K9 (SFP+ Fiber uplink). Out-of-box baseline capacity supports up to 250 lightweight APs and 5,000 concurrent wireless clients with 5 Gbps throughput. Administrators can activate an optionalHigh-Performance Licenseto scale capacity up to 500 APs, 10,000 clients and boost throughput to 10 Gbps without hardware replacement. It terminates DTLS-encrypted CAPWAP tunnels for Catalyst 9100 / Aironet Wave 2 lightweight APs, supporting Central Local Mode, FlexConnect distributed branch switching and SD-Access Fabric integration.
The platform delivers enterprise-grade security, modern programmability and robust high availability. Key innovations inherited from the Catalyst 9800 series: modular IOS-XE with hot patching and In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) to avoid network outages during updates, built-in Secure Boot, image signature validation, Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), advanced Wireless Intrusion Prevention (aWIPS), WPA3 security and seamless integration with Cisco ISE, Catalyst Center (DNA Center) for zero-trust policy automation. Full AP + Client SSO synchronizes all CAPWAP tunnels and active client sessions for zero-downtime failover in active/standby HA topology.
The C9800-L is actively supported hardware, not EoS. All new deployments adopt Cisco Smart Licensing / Smart Licensing Using Policy (SLP), replacing legacy RTU licensing. Management options include embedded web UI, IOS-XE SSH CLI, NETCONF/YANG APIs and centralized orchestration via Catalyst Center or Prime Infrastructure.
Key differentiation versus older 3504 / 5520 controllers: Native Wi-Fi 6/6E readiness, modular IOS-XE hot patching, ETA encrypted traffic analytics, model-driven telemetry, full AP+Client SSO, and compact half-width chassis to save rack space.
3. Complete Hardware Physical & Interface Specifications
Form Factor & Mechanical
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Form Factor: Half-width compact desktop chassis; optional rack mount kit for standard 1RU 19-inch rack installation
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Dimensions: 40.2 mm (H) × 215.9 mm (W) × 230.1 mm (D) / 1.58 × 8.5 × 9.06 inches
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Unit Weight: 2.0 kg (4.4 lbs)
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Cooling: Single internal cooling fan
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Power Supply: External universal AC power adapter (110W DC output); no internal redundant PSU slot
Rear Panel Interface Layout
C9800-L-C-K9 (Copper Version):
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2× Multigigabit RJ45 uplink ports (1/2.5/5/10G)
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4× 1/2.5G Multigigabit access ports
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1× RJ45 RS-232 serial console
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USB 3.0 Type-A port for firmware and configuration files
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1× Dedicated RJ45 out-of-band Service Port
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DC power input jack
C9800-L-F-K9 (Fiber Version):
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2× 10G SFP+ uplink slots (SR/LR/SFP+ copper supported)
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4× 1/2.5G Multigigabit RJ45 ports
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RJ45 serial console, USB 3.0, dedicated out-of-band Service Port, DC power input
Front Panel LED Indicators
Global status LEDs: Power, System Status, Fault Alarm
Per-port Link/Activity LEDs for all data ports and service port
Power & Environmental Parameters
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Input AC: 100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz universal external adapter
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Max Power Consumption: 87 W fully loaded
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Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C (32°F ~ 104°F)
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Storage Temperature: -20°C to 70°C (-4°F ~ 158°F)
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Humidity: 5%–95% non-condensing (operation & storage)
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Regulatory Certifications: UL 60950-1, CE, FCC Class B, ICES-003, VCCI
Official Licensed Capacity & Performance Benchmarks
Baseline (No High-Performance License):
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Supported Lightweight APs: Max 250
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Maximum Concurrent Wireless Clients: 5,000
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Total System Throughput: 5 Gbps
With Optional High-Performance License:
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Supported Lightweight APs: Max 500
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Maximum Concurrent Wireless Clients: 10,000
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Total System Throughput: 10 Gbps
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Supported Unique WLAN SSIDs: Up to 4,096
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Maximum 802.1Q VLAN Interfaces: Up to 4,096 VLANs
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Max AP Groups: 1,000 groups
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Max FlexConnect Remote Branch Groups: 1,000 groups
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Roaming Capabilities: Intra-controller Layer2 roaming, Layer3 inter-controller mobility groups, 802.11r fast secure roaming
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Supported Wireless Standards: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wave2, Wi-Fi 6/6E, WMM, 802.11k/r/u/w/h, Hotspot 2.0, WPA3
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Max Detected Rogue APs: 2,000; Max Rogue Wireless Clients: 5,000
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Supports Flexible NetFlow, Streaming Telemetry, Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA)
4. Complete Unified Wireless & Security Feature Suite
1. Centralized Lightweight AP Lifecycle Management
DTLS CAPWAP tunnel termination; zero-touch AP discovery via DHCP Option 43; bulk AP firmware upgrades, unified RF profiles and global policy templates. Deployment modes: Central Local Mode, FlexConnect Local Switching for remote branches, SD-Access Fabric mode. Supports OfficeExtend teleworker APs; wireless mesh supported on compatible AP models.
2. Cisco CleanAir Intelligent RF Spectrum Management
2.4GHz/5GHz real-time interference monitoring, dynamic transmit power and auto-channel assignment, coverage hole detection, rogue AP detection, classification and wireless containment, historical RF analytics for capacity planning and troubleshooting.
3. Enterprise Wireless Security Stack
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Authentication: 802.1X EAP-TLS/PEAP/EAP-FAST, local user database, RADIUS/TACACS+ AAA integration
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Encryption: WPA2-PSK/Enterprise, WPA3-SAE/Enterprise, AES-CCMP
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Threat Defense: Built-in advanced wIPS (aWIPS), rogue AP mitigation, client isolation, dynamic per-SSID VLAN assignment, downloadable user ACLs
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Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA): Identify threats within encrypted traffic without decryption
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TrustSec integration for software-defined segmentation, ISE BYOD device profiling
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Compliance: PCI DSS validated architecture for retail wireless POS deployments
4. Mobility, Voice & Video QoS
WMM traffic prioritization, VoWLAN Call Admission Control (CAC), VideoStream multicast optimization, per-client bandwidth policing, 802.11r fast roaming to prevent voice call dropouts.
5. Application Visibility and Control (AVC)
NBAR2 Layer7 application recognition for enterprise, SaaS and cloud applications; application filtering, DSCP marking, rate limiting, Flexible NetFlow export for traffic visibility.
6. VPN Services
Site-to-site IPsec IKEv1/IKEv2 tunnels with AES-256 encryption; AnyConnect SSL remote access VPN with split tunneling and clientless portal for remote workforce.
7. High Availability & Software Upgrades
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Active/Standby Full AP+Client Stateful Switchover (SSO): Synchronizes CAPWAP tunnels, PMK cache and all active client sessions for zero-outage failover
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N+1 redundancy mode supported
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ISSU In-Service Software Upgrade and modular hot patching for non-disruptive updates
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LAG EtherChannel supported on all Multigigabit uplink ports for link aggregation
8. Monitoring, Logging & Compliance
Embedded web GUI real-time monitoring; secure syslog, SNMP v3, Streaming Telemetry and Flexible NetFlow export to SIEM systems. Persistent audit logging meets PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR regulatory requirements.
9. Programmability & Management
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Local management: IOS-XE CLI, embedded HTTPS WebUI, serial console
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Centralized automation, policy management and reporting via Cisco Catalyst Center (DNA Center) or Cisco Prime Infrastructure
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Open APIs: NETCONF, YANG, RESTCONF for zero-touch automation
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Cisco Smart Licensing / Smart Licensing Using Policy (SLP)
5. Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Large enterprise remote branch wireless controller supporting up to 250 APs, upgradable to 500 APs with performance license
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Multi-building K-12 and higher education satellite campus wireless consolidation
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Medium-density retail chain headquarters with PCI DSS wireless POS compliance
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Mid-sized hospitality venues and dense SMB office wireless networks
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FlexConnect multi-branch distributed wireless architecture to reduce WAN backhaul consumption
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Legacy CUWN migration replacing older 3504 / 5520 AireOS controllers to modern IOS-XE Wi-Fi 6-ready platform
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Lab and staging environments for SD-Access, zero-trust wireless architecture testing
6. Short Sales Listing Tagline
Cisco C9800-L-K9 Compact Catalyst 9800 IOS-XE Wireless LAN Controller, Default Licensed for Max 250 Lightweight Aironet/Catalyst APs (Upgradable to 500 APs via High-Performance License), Half-Width Desktop / Optional 1U Rackmount, 2×Multigigabit Copper or 2×10G SFP+ Uplink Ports, 5Gbps Base / 10Gbps Licensed Throughput, DNA-Ready, Supports Wi-Fi 6/6E, CleanAir RF, FlexConnect, aWIPS & ETA Encrypted Traffic Analytics, Full AP+Client SSO Stateful HA, ISSU Hot Patching, IOS-XE Modular OS, Smart Licensing, Managed via Local WebUI, IOS-XE CLI or Catalyst Center, Modern Intent-Based WLC for Medium Enterprise Branches & Satellite Campus Deployments
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