Cisco Aironet 1852i vs Catalyst 9115AX
The Catalyst 9115AX is the Wi-Fi 6 replacement for the 4x4:4 802.11ac Wave 2 Aironet 1852i, jumping from a 1 GbE uplink to multigigabit (2.5G) and adding OFDMA, WPA3, and Catalyst Center management. For high-density offices and classrooms, the 9115AX removes the wired bottleneck the 1852i could hit.
Cisco Aironet 1852i
High-performance 802.11ac Wave 2 4x4 access point for dense enterprise environments.
- 802.11ac Wave 2, 4x4:4 MIMO with MU-MIMO
- Up to 1.7 Gbps on 5 GHz (~2 Gbps aggregate)
- Dual GbE uplinks, 802.3at PoE
- Mobility Express option; managed via AireOS
Cisco Catalyst 9115AX
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 4x4 access point with multigigabit uplink for high-density enterprise sites.
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 4x4:4 MIMO with uplink and downlink MU-MIMO
- Up to 5.38 Gbps aggregate across both radios
- 2.5 Gbps multigigabit (mGig) uplink
- OFDMA, WPA3, and Catalyst Center / DNA Center management
Cisco Aironet 1852i vs Cisco Catalyst 9115AX: spec comparison
| Spec | Cisco Aironet 1852i | Cisco Catalyst 9115AX |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi standard | 802.11ac Wave 2 | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) |
| MIMO / spatial streams | 4x4:4 (4 SS) | 4x4:4 (4 SS) |
| Max 5 GHz data rate | Up to 1.7 Gbps | Up to 4.8 Gbps |
| Aggregate data rate | Up to ~2 Gbps | Up to 5.38 Gbps |
| MU-MIMO | Downlink only | Uplink and downlink |
| OFDMA | No | Yes |
| Uplink | Dual 1 GbE | 2.5 Gbps mGig (Multigigabit) |
| PoE | 802.3at | 802.3at (full features), UPOE optional |
| Security | WPA2 | WPA3 / Enhanced Open |
| Integrated IoT / BLE | BLE (limited) | Integrated BLE and IoT radio |
| Management | AireOS / Mobility Express | IOS XE, Catalyst Center / DNA Center |
Choose Cisco Aironet 1852i if
Keep the 1852i only where it is already installed, supported, and the switch port and client base do not yet justify a Wi-Fi 6 and multigigabit upgrade.
Choose Cisco Catalyst 9115AX if
Choose the 9115AX for high-density refreshes where Wi-Fi 6 clients and a 2.5G uplink matter; it removes the 1 GbE bottleneck and adds OFDMA, WPA3, and Catalyst Center management.
Verdict
Upgrade from the 1852i to the Catalyst 9115AX. Both are 4x4 access points, but the 9115AX adds Wi-Fi 6, OFDMA, WPA3, and a 2.5G multigigabit uplink that the dual-1GbE 1852i cannot match in dense cells. It is the supported, TAA-compliant, GPC-payable path forward for federal and enterprise wireless.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Catalyst 9115AX a replacement for the Aironet 1852i?
Yes. The 9115AX is Cisco's current 4x4 enterprise access point and the Wi-Fi 6 successor to the 4x4 Wave 2 1852i, targeting the same high-density deployments.
Why does the 9115AX need a multigigabit switch port?
Its Wi-Fi 6 radios can exceed 1 Gbps of real throughput, so the 9115AX uses a 2.5G mGig uplink to avoid the wired bottleneck the 1852i's 1 GbE ports could create.
What is the data rate difference between the 1852i and 9115AX?
The 1852i tops out around 1.7 Gbps on 5 GHz, while the 9115AX reaches up to 4.8 Gbps on 5 GHz and 5.38 Gbps aggregate thanks to Wi-Fi 6 and 1024-QAM.
Can the 9115AX be managed by Catalyst Center?
Yes. The 9115AX runs IOS XE and is managed by Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center) with a Catalyst 9800 controller, or by an embedded controller for smaller sites.
More Aironet comparisons
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