Hardware Refresh Recommendation for Car Manufacturing Plant

[jayj20]

Hello, Looking for a recommendation for hardware in a high density warehouse environment with 50 foot ceilings. We have the CW9176D1 and the CW9176I models in mind particularly, but the one question/concern I have is for an environment with 50ft ceilings would it be better to go with the outdoor  CW9163E access point instead of the 9167D1?

In our current deployment we have a mixture of MR46E, MR74 and MR84 access points. We are utilizing outdoor access points indoor specifically because in the past we tried using indoor access points but with the size and height of our building we ended up having to swap to outdoor access points with external directional antennas for our critical areas. Would it be the same case here?

[alemabrahao]

Hi,

As you’ve seen success with external MR74/MR84+ directional antennas, the CW9163E offers a similar level of flexibility and robustness. The CW9176D1, on the other hand, is specifically designed to replace this type of setup by integrating a directional antenna into a modern Wi-Fi 7 platform.

If your goal is to modernize and reduce hardware complexity (no external antennas), the CW9176D1 is probably the best option. But if you still need custom antenna patterns or extreme durability, the CW9163E remains a solid choice.

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/MR_Overview_and_Specifications/CW9176I_%2F%2F_CW9176D1_Datasheet

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/MR_Overview_and_Specifications/CW9163E_Datasheet

It would also be nice to have a Meraki SE or partner to understand your environment and help define the best design.

[jayj20]

Thank you, Ill take this into mind and see if I can get in touch with a partner

[Mloraditch]

@alemabrahao has given you good technical advice. The one thing to remember is outdoor APs only come with 1 year of warranty so if anything happens past that year, there is no RMA.

You may also want to ask your partner to investigate the new 9179F https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/access-points/wireless-9179-series-ac...

While the marketing is more towards stadiums it's along the lines of something that may work in your environment and it's warrantied as an indoor model.

[KarstenI]

The D1 is perfectly fine at 50 feet high. For an indoor installation, I would always choose this AP instead of 9163. It's not only the warranty, but also the channel flexibility on the indoor AP. And based on the regulation, the 9163 might not give you access to 6 GHz at all.

[GIdenJoe]

I agree that you do lose some flexibility when only having the choice between an omni and a directional indoor AP.

Normally you can use the D1 model for both ceiling mount and straight down or wallmount shoot down the aisle.

However if you find that the D1 still isn't directional or far reaching enough you could go for the 12 dBi Acceltex antenna with the CW9163E model.

Personally I'm hoping Cisco would release a CW9174E model.  The whole 6 GHz regulation in ETSI is trash and is perhaps a reason why vendors are refusing to have newer external antenna models for indoor use.