Cisco AIR-AP1042N-x-K9 Full English Product Description
1. Short Official Part & License Label
AIR-AP1042N-x-K9: Cisco Aironet 1042N Autonomous Dual-Band Indoor Wireless Access Point, Simultaneous 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n + 5 GHz 802.11a/n, 2×2 MIMO per Radio, Runs Cisco Autonomous IOS, Integrated Omni-Directional Diversity Antennas, 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet, Supports 802.3af PoE, Multi-SSID VLAN Tagging, WPA/WPA2 Enterprise Security, Bidirectionally Convertible to CAPWAP Lightweight Mode, End-of-Sale Legacy Autonomous 802.11n Enterprise AP.
(Suffix "x" denotes regional regulatory domain: A=USA, E=Europe, C=China, K=Korea, etc.)
2. Full Product Overview
The Cisco AIR-AP1042N-x-K9 belongs to the Aironet 1040 Series, a low-profile dual-band autonomous wireless access point built for small-to-medium enterprise offices, retail environments and branch locations. It ships preloaded withCisco Autonomous IOS, supporting fully standalone operation without a wireless LAN controller. Administrators can perform firmware upgrades to convert the unit into CAPWAP lightweight mode (equivalent PID AIR-LAP1042N-x-K9) for centralized management by AireOS CUWN wireless controllers.
Two independent radios operate simultaneously with 2×2 MIMO architecture:
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2.4 GHz: IEEE 802.11b/g/n, maximum PHY rate 300 Mbps
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5 GHz: IEEE 802.11a/n, maximum PHY rate 300 Mbps
Integrated omnidirectional diversity antennas deliver balanced indoor RF coverage for mixed-client environments combining legacy 2.4 GHz IoT devices and modern 5 GHz Wi-Fi clients. The platform supports IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet to simplify ceiling tile and wall mounting deployments.
It delivers multi-SSID virtual WLAN segmentation, enterprise-grade wireless security, WMM voice QoS, and Wireless Domain Services (WDS) for Layer 2 roaming across autonomous AP fleets. Hardware-optimized encryption supports full WPA2 (802.11i) security.
Lifecycle Status: AIR-AP1042N-x-K9 reached End-of-Sale (EoS) and End-of-Support (EoL). No new official firmware releases. Successor models include later generations of Catalyst Wi-Fi access points.
Key Differentiator vs AIR-AP1041N-x-K9: AIR-AP1042N supports simultaneous dual-band 2.4G+5G; AIR-AP1041N is single-band 2.4 GHz only. Difference from AIR-LAP1042N-x-K9: AIR-AP1042N boots autonomous IOS for standalone operation; LAP variant ships lightweight CAPWAP firmware requiring an AireOS WLC.
3. Complete Hardware Physical & Interface Specifications
Form Factor & Mechanical
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Form Factor: Low-profile indoor plastic enclosure, ceiling rail / wall mountable
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Dimensions: 217 mm × 217 mm × 44 mm (8.5” × 8.5” × 1.73”)
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Unit Weight: 0.59 kg (1.3 lbs)
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Mounting: Standard ceiling tile bracket compatible; security lock provision
Rear Panel Interface Layout
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1× RJ45 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet port, supports 802.3af PoE input
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RJ45 Serial Console port for local CLI access and emergency recovery
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Mode reset pushbutton for factory default restoration
Top Panel LED Status Indicator
Single multi-function Status LED:
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Indicates boot progress, operational health, wireless activity and fault alerts
Power & Environmental Parameters
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Power Options: IEEE 802.3af Class 3 PoE (No dedicated DC power barrel jack)
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Typical power consumption: 13.5 W (dual radio active)
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Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
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Storage Temperature: -40°C to 65°C (-40°F to 149°F)
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Humidity: 10%–90% non-condensing relative humidity
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Regulatory Certifications: UL 60950-1, CE, FCC Class B, Wi-Fi Alliance certified
Radio Hardware Specifications
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Standards: IEEE 802.11b / 802.11g / 802.11n
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Maximum PHY Rate: 300 Mbps (40 MHz channel, 2 spatial streams)
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Integrated diversity omnidirectional antenna gain: 4 dBi
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Standards: IEEE 802.11a / 802.11n
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Maximum PHY Rate: 300 Mbps (40 MHz channel, 2 spatial streams)
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Integrated diversity omnidirectional antenna gain: 4 dBi
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Transmit power: Software configurable, capped per regional regulatory domain
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Maximum simultaneous BSSIDs (SSIDs): Up to 16 per radio
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MRC diversity improves resistance to indoor multipath fading
Embedded Hardware Resources
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RAM: 128 MB DDR
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Flash Storage: 32 MB for autonomous IOS firmware and persistent configuration
4. Core Autonomous IOS WLAN Feature Suite
1. Dual-Band RF Management
Independent radio configuration, adjustable transmit power, dynamic rate scaling, beacon tuning, mixed-mode protection for legacy clients, DTIM optimization.
2. Multi-SSID Virtual WLAN Segmentation
Multiple isolated SSIDs, independent VLAN tagging per WLAN, SSID broadcast control, wireless client isolation.
3. Enterprise Wireless Security Suite
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Encryption: WEP 40/128-bit, WPA (TKIP), WPA2 (AES-CCMP)
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Authentication: Open, Shared Key, 802.1X, LEAP, PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-FAST
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Additional security: MAC filtering, rogue AP detection, broadcast key rotation
4. Voice & Multimedia QoS
Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) traffic prioritization, 802.1p CoS mapping, optimized for VoWLAN voice over wireless deployments.
5. Wireless Mobility
Wireless Domain Services (WDS) enabling fast Layer 2 roaming between autonomous APs; supports proxy Mobile IP for Layer 3 mobility.
6. Management & Diagnostics
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Administration: Embedded HTML web GUI, IOS CLI via SSH, Telnet or serial console
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Monitoring: SNMPv2c, syslog, real-time client association tables and radio statistics
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Firmware upgrade via TFTP; bidirectional conversion between autonomous IOS and CAPWAP lightweight images
7. Network Integration
Native interoperability with Catalyst switched infrastructure, trunk VLAN support, DHCP relay and static routing capabilities.
5. Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Standalone dual-band autonomous wireless coverage for offices, retail spaces and enterprise branch sites
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Legacy distributed autonomous WLAN architecture without centralized wireless controllers
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Mixed-client environments supporting legacy 2.4 GHz IoT scanners and high-speed 5GHz 802.11n clients
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Migration staging environment for converting autonomous AP fleets to lightweight controller-managed CUWN architecture
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Lab environments for training on legacy Cisco autonomous IOS wireless configuration
6. Short Sales Listing Tagline
Cisco AIR-AP1042N-x-K9 Legacy Aironet 1042N Autonomous Dual-Band Indoor Access Point, Simultaneous 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n + 5GHz 802.11a/n, 2×2 MIMO per Radio, Runs Cisco Autonomous IOS, Integrated Omni-Directional Diversity Antennas, 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet with 802.3af PoE, Multi-SSID VLAN Tagging, WPA/WPA2 Enterprise Security, Convertible to CAPWAP Lightweight Mode, End-of-Sale Autonomous Dual-Band 802.11n Wireless Access Point
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