Adding Wi-Fi 6 APs to a Wi-Fi 5 Setup

PJ51182
Getting noticed

Adding Wi-Fi 6 APs to a Wi-Fi 5 Setup

Hi,

 

I'm sure this will be a common issue for many so wanted to get some thoughts...

 

Around 3 years ago I installed x8 MR33 APs along with a MS120-48LP switch at a site.  There have now been alterations to the building that has resulted in additional APs being required.  I'm thinking that it doesn't make sense to put in Wi-Fi 5 APs any longer so was looking at MR44s that I now commonly use.  Obviously would be great to be able to upgrade the existing MR33s but there isn't a budget for that.

 

Are there any general thoughts on this/experience of a similar scenario?

 

Many Thanks

 

3 REPLIES 3
DarrenOC
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

hi @PJ51182 , from a switching and poe perspective you'll need to upgrade what you have to get the full experience of the mr44's as they'll be operating in Low Power mode

 

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Darren OConnor | doconnor@resalire.co.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenoconnor/

I'm not an employee of Cisco/Meraki. My posts are based on Meraki best practice and what has worked for me in the field.

Hi,

 

I believe the MS120 wouldn't be an issue. I already have a MR44 connected at another site to a MS120 and it's displaying power usage as 8.75 PoE 802.3at.

 

It was more a question of mixing the Wi-Fi 5 and 6 APs that I wanted thoughts on.

 

cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

@PJ51182 in theory there shouldn't be an issue as the same firmware versions apply to both.  You might get an issue with WiFi 6 devices roaming away from the newer APs, so you might want to consider that when choosing where to deploy the newer APs.  We're shortly going to embark on pretty much the same mixing so I'd be interested to see if you get any other issues 🤞

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