Cisco Catalyst C9136AX-x-K9 (C9136I)
Listing Title
Cisco Catalyst C9136AX-x-K9 Flagship Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Indoor Enterprise Access Point, Hexa-Radio Architecture, 4×4 2.4GHz + 8×8 5GHz + 4×4 6GHz MU-MIMO Radios, Fully Integrated Omnidirectional Internal Antennas, Dedicated Tri-Band Spectrum Scanning Radio + 2.4GHz IoT Radio with Embedded BLE 5.0, Dual 5G Multigigabit PoE+ Uplink Ports, Supports Catalyst 9800 WLC CAPWAP Lightweight Mode, Site Survey Standalone Mode, FlexConnect Local Switching, Monitor/Sniffer Diagnostic Modes, Optimized for Ultra-High-Density Auditoriums, Stadium Concourses, University Campuses, Large Retail Malls, All-Wireless Corporate Headquarters and Mass IoT Smart Building DeploymentsCisco
Full Commercial Product Description
The Cisco Catalyst C9136AX-x-K9 (official hardware model C9136I) is Cisco’s top-tier flagship Wi-Fi 6E tri-band indoor enterprise access point within the Catalyst 9100AX product portfolio. It features a unique six-radio hexa-platform design, delivering native 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E spectrum alongside legacy 2.4GHz and high-capacity 5GHz bands to eliminate cross-band interference and support thousands of concurrent wireless endpoints. The suffix "AX" denotes Wi-Fi 6E tri-band capability, while the integrated internal omnidirectional antenna design eliminates external RF ports and cabling for clean ceiling flush installationCisco.
This AP is fully managed by Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series physical/virtual Wireless LAN Controllers via CAPWAP lightweight architecture. It also supports exclusive built-in Site Survey standalone mode for RF planning without a controller, FlexConnect local switching to reduce WLC traffic load, spectrum Monitor and traffic Sniffer diagnostic modes. EWC embedded controller on the AP hardware is not supported; standalone wireless controller functionality can only be hosted on Catalyst 9000 series fabric switchesCisco.
Hexa-Radio Concurrent RF Architecture
The C9136AX integrates six fully independent concurrent radios, covering three Wi-Fi service bands, dedicated spectrum analysis scanning radio and multi-protocol IoT radio:
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2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6 Radio: 4×4:4 MU-MIMO, supports 20MHz fixed channel bandwidth, backward compatible with legacy 802.11b/g/n IoT and mobile devices; maximum single-band PHY rate 1.15Gbps.
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5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 Radio: Configurable 8×8:8 single high-throughput mode or split dual independent 4×4:4 load-balanced mode; supports 20/40/80/80+80MHz channels, DFS radar frequency avoidance, 1024-QAM modulation; peak single-band PHY throughput 4.8Gbps.
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6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E Radio: 4×4:4 MU-MIMO, exclusive interference-free 1.2GHz UNII spectrum, supports 20/40/80/160MHz ultra-wide channels; maximum single-band PHY throughput 4.2Gbps.
Total aggregate tri-band Wi-Fi 6E PHY throughput reaches10.2Gbps, supported by high-capacity wireless switching hardware, 2GB DRAM and 1GB flash storage for edge IoT container applicationsCisco Russ....
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Dedicated Tri-Band Scanning Radio: Independent 2.4/5/6GHz wide-spectrum AI/ML scanning radio with Cisco CleanAir Pro technology for continuous interference detection, RF visibility and real-time spectrum analytics without sacrificing client service radio capacityCisco.
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2.4GHz Multi-IoT Radio: Native 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee/Thread low-power industrial IoT sensors, paired with embedded BLE 5.0 omnidirectional internal antenna for indoor location analytics, asset tracking and proximity beacon marketingCisco.
Core Wi-Fi 6E high-density optimization technologies fully supported:
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Uplink & Downlink OFDMA: Splits wireless spectrum into mini resource units to drastically cut multi-client transmission latency
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Downlink MU-MIMO: Simultaneous parallel data transmission to multiple Wi-Fi 6/6E compatible clients
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BSS Coloring Spatial Reuse: Mitigates co-channel interference between adjacent high-density APs
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Target Wake Time (TWT): Extends battery lifespan of mobile and battery-powered IoT devices via scheduled sleep cycles
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Transmit Beamforming & MRC Maximal Ratio Combining: Extends RF coverage range and strengthens weak-client connection stability
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Full 160MHz wide-channel support on 6GHz band, A-MPDU/A-MSDU packet aggregation, Cyclic Shift Diversity (CSD) and complete DFS radar avoidanceCisco.
Integrated Internal Omnidirectional Tri-Band Antenna Array
The C9136AX features factory-sealed built-in omnidirectional antennas for all six radios, with no external RP-TNC/DART RF antenna ports required:
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2.4GHz service antenna gain: 4 dBi, full uniform 360° horizontal azimuth coverage
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5GHz service antenna gain: 5 dBi wide-area omnidirectional coverage
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6GHz Wi-Fi 6E antenna gain: 6 dBi optimized for clean low-interference 6GHz band transmission
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Separate dedicated internal omnidirectional antennas for tri-band scanning radio and IoT/BLE radio
The all-in-one integrated antenna design reduces on-site installation labor, eliminates RF cable signal attenuation and corrosion risks, and maintains aesthetically clean flush ceiling T-bar rail deploymentCisco.
Dual 5G Multigigabit Wired Interfaces & Power Specifications
Hardware Interfaces
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2 × 100/1000/2500/5000BASE-T Multigigabit (mGig) RJ45 uplink ports, IEEE 802.3bz NBASE-T compliant, supporting Cat5e/Cat6 cabling for 5Gbps transmission; dual-port design enables redundant wired uplinks or split corporate/IoT network segmentation
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RJ45 RS-232 local console port for initial device configuration, firmware upgrades and field troubleshooting
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USB 2.0 auxiliary port with 4.5W power output, supporting lightweight Docker-style containerized edge IoT application hosting and local diagnostic logging
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Single multi-color LED status indicator for boot sequence, WLC CAPWAP association, runtime operation and hardware fault alert
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Physical reset button for one-touch factory default configuration recovery
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Kensington lock slot for physical anti-theft protection
Power Supply Compatibility
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Primary full-performance power: IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (30W power budget), mandatory to enable full 8×8 MIMO 5GHz radio functionality, dual 5G multigigabit uplinks and USB port activation
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Limited degraded operation via IEEE 802.3af PoE: Radios downgrade MIMO stream count, multigigabit uplink speed drops to 1Gbps, USB port fully disabled to reduce thermal load
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Thermal throttling protection: If ambient operating temperature exceeds 40°C, the 5GHz radio automatically switches from 8×8 to 4×4 MIMO, and multigigabit Ethernet ports downgrade to 1Gbps to lower heat generation
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Compatible PoE injectors: AIR-PWRINJ5 (802.3af), AIR-PWRINJ6 (802.3at)
Supported Deployment Operation Modes
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CAPWAP Lightweight Centralized Controller Mode: Unified global wireless policy management via Catalyst 9800 physical/virtual WLCs, automated RF group resource tuning, seamless inter-AP client roaming, centralized layered security enforcement and full Cisco DNA network analytics integration
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Site Survey Standalone Mode: Exclusive built-in controller-free RF planning mode, broadcasts tri-band SSIDs with internal DHCP server for client testing and RF propagation measurement, accessible via local AP WebUI without external controllers or power injectors (supports battery-powered field survey deployment)Cisco
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FlexConnect Local Switching Mode: Distributed local client data forwarding at the AP edge to minimize backhaul traffic load on central wireless controllers
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Auxiliary diagnostic modes: Monitor Mode, Sniffer Mode for full tri-band RF spectrum capture and wireless traffic packet inspection
Enterprise-Grade Layered Wireless Security Suite
Comprehensive security architecture compliant with enterprise, education, healthcare and public venue global compliance standards:
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Mandatory WPA3-Enterprise 192-bit / WPA2 / WPA wireless encryption suites with AES hardware acceleration
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Secure Boot, runtime integrity defense, digital firmware image signing and hardware root-of-trust anti-tampering protection to block malicious firmware injection
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Full IEEE 802.1X AAA authentication, complete EAP protocol suite (EAP-TLS, PEAP, EAP-FAST, EAP-TTLS, Cisco LEAP)
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Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA): AI machine learning threat detection for encrypted client traffic without decryption, identifying ransomware, botnets and network intrusions
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MAC address filtering, isolated VLAN traffic segmentation to separate corporate employee, guest and IoT device networks, rogue AP detection and wireless intrusion prevention
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Hardware-accelerated DTLS tunnel encryption for CAPWAP controller communication links
Physical & Environmental Specifications
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Dimensions: 251 × 251 × 56 mm (9.88 × 9.88 × 2.2 inches) without mounting bracket
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Weight: 1.6 kg (3.53 lb), lightweight for flush ceiling T-bar rail or wall bracket mounting
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Operating temperature range: 0°C ~ 50°C (32°F ~ 122°F)
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Storage temperature range: -30°C ~ 70°C (-22°F ~ 158°F)
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Operating humidity: 10% – 90% non-condensing
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Operating altitude: Up to 3000 meters at 40°C ambient temperature
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Mounting compatibility: Standard universal Cisco ceiling T-bar rail brackets and wall mounting kits
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Warranty: Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty
Cisco DNA Ecosystem Compatibility
Cisco DNA Ready certified platform, fully integrated with Cisco DNA Center on-premises and cloud management platforms. Supports DNA Assurance AI-driven predictive network analytics, Intelligent Capture deep wireless traffic inspection, end-user client performance monitoring, automated fault troubleshooting and predictive wireless network capacity planning for centralized multi-site enterprise IT lifecycle management. Native compatibility with Cisco Spaces location analytics platform, Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) fabric networks and containerized edge IoT application hostingCisco.
The suffix "x" in the part number represents regional regulatory domain variants (A=FCC North America, C=China, E=ETSI Europe, K=Korea, S=Singapore etc.) to comply with local radio frequency transmit power, channel allocation and wireless spectrum licensing regulations worldwide.
Key Specification Bullet Points
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Model: C9136AX-x-K9 (Hardware ID C9136I)
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Wi-Fi Standard: IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E), backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 5/4 generations
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Radio Architecture: Hexa concurrent six-radio platform
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2.4GHz Wi-Fi service radio: 4×4 MU-MIMO
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5GHz Wi-Fi service radio: Configurable 8×8 / Dual 4×4 MU-MIMO
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6GHz Wi-Fi 6E service radio: 4×4 MU-MIMO
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Dedicated tri-band AI/ML CleanAir Pro spectrum scanning radio
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2.4GHz IoT radio (802.15.4 Zigbee/Thread) + Embedded BLE 5.0 beacon radio
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Spatial Streams: 4 streams (2.4GHz / 6GHz), up to 8 streams (5GHz); Max total aggregate tri-band PHY throughput 10.2 Gbps
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Antenna Design: Factory integrated omnidirectional tri-band internal antenna array for all six radios; gain: 4 dBi (2.4GHz), 5 dBi (5GHz), 6 dBi (6GHz); no external RF antenna ports
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Core Wi-Fi 6E Technologies: Uplink/downlink OFDMA, downlink MU-MIMO, BSS Coloring spatial reuse, TWT power saving, transmit beamforming, MRC receive diversity, 160MHz wide 6GHz channel support, DFS radar frequency avoidance, Cisco CleanAir Pro spectrum intelligence
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Supported Operation Modes: CAPWAP lightweight centralized controller mode, exclusive Site Survey standalone controller-free RF planning mode, FlexConnect local switching mode, Monitor / Sniffer RF diagnostic modes
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Wired Interfaces:
2 × 5G Multigigabit PoE-In RJ45 uplink ports
1 × RJ45 RS‑232 local console port
1 × USB 2.0 auxiliary diagnostic & edge IoT container port
Multi‑color single status LED, physical reset button, Kensington anti-theft lock slot
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Power Compatibility: IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (full performance); IEEE 802.3af PoE (limited radio/port functionality); compatible with AIR-PWRINJ5 / AIR-PWRINJ6 PoE injectors
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Environmental Parameters: Operating temp 0°C ~ 50°C; storage temp -30°C ~ 70°C; humidity 10%–90% non-condensing
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Physical Specs: Dimension 251 × 251 × 56 mm; weight 1.6 kg
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Mounting: Flush ceiling T-bar rail / wall bracket mounting, universal Cisco AP mounting kit compatible
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Security Suite: WPA3-Enterprise 192-bit / WPA2 / AES hardware encryption, Secure Boot firmware anti-tampering, Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), full 802.1X multi-EAP authentication, rogue AP containment, isolated VLAN segmentation, DTLS encrypted CAPWAP control tunnels
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Ecosystem Support: Cisco DNA Center cloud & on-prem management, DNA Assurance AI predictive network analytics, Intelligent Capture wireless traffic inspection, containerized edge IoT application hosting, SD-Access fabric integration, Cisco Spaces indoor location & IoT analytics
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Typical Deployment Scenarios: Ultra-high-density stadium concourses, large university lecture halls & full campus coverage, shopping malls, convention centers, auditoriums, all-wireless corporate headquarters, healthcare hospital wireless networks, smart building massive IoT sensor deployments, indoor environments requiring interference-free dedicated 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E spectrum for high-bandwidth low-latency 4K/8K video conferencing, cloud virtual desktops and concurrent mass client connectivity
Model Quick Reference
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C9136AX-x-K9 (C9136I): Flagship hexa-radio tri-band Wi-Fi 6E indoor enterprise AP, integrated omnidirectional internal antennas, 4×4 2.4GHz + 8×8 5GHz + 4×4 6GHz MU-MIMO radios, dual 5G multigigabit PoE+ uplinks, dedicated CleanAir Pro scanning radio + IoT/BLE radio, ceiling mount for ultra-high-density indoor venues requiring clean interference-free 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E spectrum
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C9136 Series Unique Features: Exclusive controller-free Site Survey standalone RF planning mode, six concurrent radios, native 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E support, dual multigigabit uplinks, dedicated independent spectrum scanning radio
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Catalyst 9130AX Series: Previous generation Wi-Fi 6 (non-6E) flagship indoor APs without dedicated scanning radio and 6GHz spectrum support
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Catalyst 9120AX / 9115AX / 9105AX Series: Mid-tier and entry-level Wi-Fi 6 indoor APs without tri-band 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E capability and limited radio stream capacity
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