Cisco Catalyst C9120AXI-x-K9

Listing Title

Full Commercial Product Description

1. StandardC9120AXI-x-K9: CAPWAP lightweight mode, centrally managed by Catalyst 9800 Series physical/virtual Wireless LAN Controllers.
2. C9120AXI-EWC-x-K9: Preloaded with Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) software, capable of running as a standalone virtual wireless controller for branch networks without dedicated WLC hardwareCisco.

Dual Concurrent Wi‑Fi 6 Radio Architecture

1. 2.4 GHz Radio: Supports 20/40 MHz channel bandwidth, backward compatible with legacy 802.11b/g/n IoT and mobile devices; maximum single-band PHY throughput up to 1.15 Gbps.
2. 5 GHz Radio: Supports 20/40/80 MHz wide channels, DFS radar frequency avoidance, 1024-QAM high-efficiency modulation; peak single-band PHY throughput reaches 2.4 Gbps.

• Uplink & Downlink OFDMA: Splits wireless spectrum into mini resource units to drastically reduce multi-client transmission latency and improve spectrum utilization efficiency
• Downlink MU‑MIMO: Simultaneously transmits data to multiple Wi‑Fi 6 compatible clients to maximize airtime capacity
• BSS Coloring Spatial Reuse: Minimizes co-channel interference between adjacent access points in crowded office and classroom layouts
• Target Wake Time (TWT): Extends battery service life of smartphones, tablets and battery-powered IoT sensors via scheduled sleep cycles
• Transmit Beamforming & MRC Maximal Ratio Combining: Extends wireless signal coverage range and strengthens connection stability for distant client devices

Integrated Internal Omnidirectional Antenna Array (AXI Core Feature)

• Antenna gain: Uniform omnidirectional coverage for standard open indoor spaces such as offices, lecture halls and retail floors
• Integrated antenna design eliminates external RF cable installation, maintaining clean ceiling aesthetics and reducing on-site deployment labor costs

Embedded BLE 5 IoT Radio & Edge Container Support

Hardware Interfaces & Power Specifications

Wired Interfaces

1. 1 × 100/1000/2500BASE-T Multigigabit (mGig) RJ45 uplink port, compliant with IEEE 802.3bz NBASE-T standard, transmitting data and receiving PoE power over a single Cat5e/Cat6 cableCisco.
2. RJ45 RS‑232 local console port for device configuration, firmware upgrade and field troubleshooting.
3. USB 2.0 auxiliary port with auxiliary diagnostic and IoT edge hosting functions; the USB port will be disabled when powered by limited 802.3af PoE.
4. Multi‑color LED status indicator for boot state, WLC association, runtime operation and hardware fault alert.
5. Physical reset button for one-touch factory configuration recovery.
6. Kensington lock slot for physical anti‑theft protection.

Power Supply Compatibility

• Primary required power: IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (30W power budget), mandatory to enable full 4×4 MIMO dual-radio performance and USB port activation.
• Limited degraded operation via IEEE 802.3af PoE: When powered by af PoE, both radios downgrade from 4×4 to 2×2 MIMO streams, Multigigabit uplink speed drops to 1Gbps, and USB port is disabled to lower thermal load.
• Compatible PoE injectors: AIR‑PWRINJ5 (802.3af), AIR‑PWRINJ6 (802.3at).

Supported Deployment Operation Modes

1. CAPWAP Lightweight Controller Mode: Centralized unified wireless policy management via Catalyst 9800 physical/virtual WLCs, global RF resource scheduling, seamless inter‑AP client roaming, centralized security enforcement and full Cisco DNA network analytics support.
2. EWC Embedded Wireless Controller Standalone Mode: Runs lightweight virtual wireless controller locally on EWC preloaded AP variants for independent large campus, classroom or branch networks without dedicated WLC hardware.
3. Auxiliary diagnostic operational modes: Monitor Mode, Sniffer Mode for RF spectrum capture and wireless traffic analysis.

Enterprise‑Grade Wireless Security Suite

• WPA3‑Enterprise / WPA2 / WPA wireless encryption suites with AES hardware acceleration
• Secure Boot, runtime integrity defense, digital firmware image signing and hardware authenticity verification to block malicious firmware tampering
• Full 802.1X AAA authentication, complete EAP protocol suite (EAP‑TLS, PEAP, EAP‑FAST, EAP‑TTLS)
• Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA): Machine learning powered threat detection for encrypted traffic without decryption to identify ransomware and network intrusions
• MAC address filtering, isolated VLAN traffic segmentation for guest vs corporate/IoT networks, rogue AP detection and wireless intrusion monitoring
• Hardware‑accelerated DTLS tunnel encryption for CAPWAP controller communication links

Physical & Environmental Specifications

• Weight: 1.36 kg (3 lb), lightweight for flush ceiling installationCisco
• Operating temperature: 0°C ~ 50°C (32°F ~ 122°F); when ambient temperature exceeds 40°C, radio MIMO streams, uplink speed and USB port are restricted for thermal protection
• Storage temperature: -30°C ~ 70°C (-22°F ~ 158°F)
• Operating humidity: 10% – 90% non‑condensing
• Operating altitude: Up to 3000 meters at 40°C ambient temperature
• Mounting: Standard ceiling rail / wall bracket mount, compatible with Cisco universal AP mounting kits
• Warranty: Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty

Cisco DNA Ecosystem Compatibility

Key Specification Bullet Points

• Model: C9120AXI-x-K9
• Wi‑Fi Standard: IEEE 802.11ax (Wi‑Fi 6), backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• Radio Architecture: Dual concurrent 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi‑Fi 6 radios; embedded BLE 5 IoT beacon radio
• Spatial Streams: 4 spatial streams per band; Max total aggregate PHY throughput 3.55 Gbps
• Antenna Design: Integrated internal omnidirectional dual-band antenna array; no external RP‑TNC antenna ports
• Core Wi‑Fi 6 Technologies: Uplink/downlink OFDMA, downlink MU‑MIMO, BSS Coloring spatial reuse, TWT power saving, transmit beamforming, MRC receive diversity, 80 MHz wide 5 GHz channel support
• Supported Operation Modes: CAPWAP lightweight centralized controller mode, EWC embedded standalone virtual controller mode, Monitor / Sniffer diagnostic modes
• Wired Interfaces:
  1 × 2.5G Multigigabit PoE‑In RJ45 uplink port
  1 × RJ45 RS‑232 local console port
  1 × USB 2.0 auxiliary diagnostic port
  Multi‑color status LED, physical reset button, Kensington anti‑theft lock slot
• Power Compatibility: IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (full performance); IEEE 802.3af PoE (limited radio/port functionality); compatible with AIR‑PWRINJ5 / AIR‑PWRINJ6 PoE injectors
• Environmental Parameters: Operating temp 0°C ~ 50°C; storage temp -30°C ~ 70°C; humidity 10%–90% non‑condensing
• Physical Specs: Weight 1.36 kg (3 lb); low-profile ceiling-mount chassis
• Mounting: Flush ceiling rail / wall bracket mounting, universal Cisco AP mounting kit compatible
• Security Suite: WPA3/WPA2/AES, Secure Boot firmware protection, Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), 802.1X multi‑EAP authentication, rogue AP detection, VLAN segmentation, DTLS encrypted CAPWAP tunnels
• Ecosystem Support: Cisco DNA Center cloud & on‑prem management, DNA Assurance AI analytics, Intelligent Capture wireless traffic inspection, containerized edge IoT application hosting, SD-Access, Cisco Spaces location analytics
• Typical Deployment Scenarios: Medium-density corporate open offices, K-12 & higher education classrooms, retail shops, branch office wireless coverage, smart building massive IoT deployments, aesthetic-sensitive indoor environments requiring clean ceiling-mounted APs without external antennas

Model Quick Reference

• C9120AXI-x-K9: Internal integrated omnidirectional antenna Wi‑Fi 6 enterprise AP, dual 4×4 MU‑MIMO radios, 2.5G mGig PoE+ uplink, embedded BLE IoT radio, ceiling mount for medium-density indoor enterprise deployments
• C9120AXI-EWC-x-K9: EWC embedded wireless controller preloaded variant supporting standalone operation without dedicated physical WLC
• C9120AXE-x-K9: External RP‑TNC antenna port variant, allows custom directional/sector antenna layout for coverage customization in complex partitioned spaces
• C9120AXP-x-K9: Professional external antenna variant for specialized indoor installation scenarios
• Catalyst 9115AX Series: Mid-tier 4×4 MU‑MIMO Wi‑Fi 6 APs with lower overall throughput for medium-density office and campus deployments
• Catalyst 9117AX Series: Flagship 8×8 MU‑MIMO Wi‑Fi 6 APs for ultra-high-density stadium and large venue deployments