Wireless LAN Controllers

[ouhakheme]

Hello --

Do I need Cisco switches to use the controllers? Also, with multiple sites, do I need one controller at each site, then can I use WCS to manage them from a central location?

Thanks,

Ohamien

[Stephen Rodriguez · Accepted solution]

Ohamien,

You do not "need" to use Cisco switches to connect to the controllers, but it is always recommended =). As for remote sites, it would depend on how many AP's you would need per site. If you need less than 5 you could do HREAP with local switching, but if you needed more than that you would need to get a controller for that site, and then you could use WCS to manage all the controllers.

[ouhakheme]

Good Deal, thats what I thought. I'd love to use Cisco switches, but clients can usually be cheap.

What about configuration time, how much time does it normally take to configure a controller for 1 AP? Also how much time for WCS?

[Stephen Rodriguez]

well, on the WLC platform it can take anywhere from 5 minutes for base setup, to hours, depening on how indpeth you are getting. As for WCS, the software install should be around 30-45 minutes from the time you place the CD in the drive to starting to add WLC to manage.

[ouhakheme]

Good deal, that's reasonable enough. Thanks for all the info.