Cisco WAP561-A-K9 Wireless N Dual Selectable Network Access Point

Despite the items confusing description, this WAP (Cisco WAP561AK9) has dual simultaneous radios and can use both the 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz spectrum simultaneously. It's a very feature rich access point with a nice intuitive WEB interface. This product is very comparable to the Unifi UAP-PRO except for it has it's own interface and doesn't require a client/host to manage. Multiple units link together and work "magically" The WiFi coverage is typical but nothing to brag about. The unit is very stable and allows you to schedule reboots if necessary. I highly recommend this unit for a small business or home use. <updated on 01/02/2015> 1. I mistakenly thought this WAP could schedule reboots. I confused it with another access point which I installed at the same time; sorry. 2. Firmware version 1.1.x introduces a bunch of new settings/features but also suffers from stability issues. I Reverted back to 1.0.x. 3. Lackluster firmware support from Cisco I've since replaced my Cisco WAP561 wireless access points with another brand/model.

This is an excellent small-business access point that hits the mark of offering a great value/features/reliability balance. Features 1. Good Physical Form Factor - the case allows for easy mounting with a plate, has adequate clearance for Cat 6 Ethernet cables (including high quality ones with molded heads) and has a built-in antenna orientation sensor to optimize radio configuration when mounted on a wall or ceiling. If you want a clean installation where the Ethernet cable comes through a wall or ceiling jack then it qill require drilling a hole in the plate but this is easily done with a good drill bit such as a Unibit. 2. Captive Portal - the software has built-in functionality for a captive portal to allow for guest access or to require users to login. It also supports multiple SSID's on both radios so the captive portal can be assigned to specific profiles and not others. Very versatile. 3. Single Point Setup - Fantastic. This is how it should be for small business WAP's. The feature allows for a cluster to be created and then other WAP's (same model series) are able to be part of the cluster meaning that they are aware of the others so that various configuration parameters and wireless information are shared. It does not require separate hardware controllers. Don't get me wrong, in many large environments separate controllers are useful but for small businesses where you want strong coverage with multiple WAP's this Single Point Setup is less complex and very useful for the market. Performance 1. I have not done scientific testing on the range or the throughput but it exceeds 2 other competitors and is close to a Cisco enterprise-level Aironet-class with about 10 clients connected. I realize this is not a large # but it is what I was able to test it with and wanted to share the information. Reliability 1. I have not had it online for a long time but so far, so good. I will make a note to update the review after it has been online longer. Overall, this is a great small business WAP and I see this as being able to handle almost any small business environment. I am using it in a small office with PC's, VoIP phones, tablets, SmartPhones, TV's, video streaming devices, digital signage devices and other gadgets and it works quietly without issue (a good thing in my book). Based on what I have seen so far I see no reason it would not work well in restaurants, small corporate offices, branch offices, manufacturing, retail establishments and other related applications. I am rating this at 5 stars because I believe it is spot on for the price point. It's not a $500+ Aironet but it's also not a $100 consumer WAP. It falls in the middle as a true business-level WAP for small environments that want more reliability and features than consumer-level gear but don't want, or need, the cost and complexity of enterprise-level hardware. UPDATE 06/28/2014 (a little over one month from initial setup): This unit has been running for a little over one month and has been rock solid. I have not rebooted it once after the initial setup reboots. Since it has been online I have connected over 20 devices to it including VoIP phones, streaming video appliances, printers, smartphones, tablets, MAC & PC desktop & laptop computers, streaming audio devices, surveillance cameras, BluRay players smart TV's and it has handled them all. One particular item of note is an older streaming audio device I use to stream Internet radio; it is very picky about WPA keys and I have had issues with various other WAP's but no issue with this one. Great device. UPDATE 12/31/2014 (over 6 months from initial setup): Very solid performance and reliability over the past 6 months. UPDATE 10/18/2015 (~ 1-1/2 years from initial setup): Still going strong! I have used more of these in various single and clustered setups and they continue to impress. Cisco continues to provide regular firmware updates making these a great investment. A future upcoming project I am working on calls for a large area coverage and these are being spec-ed for it. Great product.

I purchased this a few years ago and haven't used it for a while. I noticed Amazon was still selling them so I wanted to relay my experience. I had high expectations for this access point. It was a bit more expensive than others of it's kind and cisco is *supposedly* a good brand for networking products. This access point will run without problems for long periods of time. However even when you are in the same room as the access point you will get a poor signal. If you travel a room or two away you will be limited to 2ghz low bandwidth. I tried all possible combinations of configs for power and such to no avail. Additionally, this access point will disconnect you suddenly from time to time. I'm not sure if it is a signal related issue or what. I found it does this more with certain wifi cards and not others. I suggest you stay away from this one there are so many better options today.

Although the device is stable I can only give it 2 stars. The configuration is a little confusing for the two radios, but that is not the main problem. This device has worse range than a cheap home router. Since it is a small business class wireless access point, I expected the wireless capabilities to be exceptional. No such luck. Cannot get signal 50ft away in a separate office, but the cheap belkin router reaches that distance and still maintains high quality signal. I'd like to think it is just this device, but I have had to buy a single band Trendnet 26db and single band Engenius EAP9550 28db to get good signal. Obviously that's not a good solution if you need dual band but I gave up on dual band and opted for range.

We purchased 8 of these - They work ok. Range is not so good and need to be rebooted about once a week.

The product is great - with some deficiencies: 1. The range is not great, for a product this expensive (therefore, the 4 stars) 2. The unit does not come with a ceiling mounting bracket (another half point off) - At this price, it should come with a bracket 3. The web gui for configuration is painfully slow, navigating from menu to menu The unit is very trendy looking, POE works as advertised. Overall, it is a great AP.