Cisco WAP581 User Manual

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Data Sheet

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2
Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN

High-Performance, Easy-to-Deploy, Highly Secure Wireless Connectivity for Indoor
Spaces

Highlights

●

Provides cost-effective 802.11ac Wave 2 connectivity with speeds up to 2.8 Gbps

●

Supports 4 x 4 multi-user multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology on 5.0-GHz radio and 3 x 3
MIMO technology on 2.4-GHz radio for maximum performance

●

Supports Dual Gigabit Ethernet (2.5G and 1G) LAN with Energy Efficient Ethernet and link aggregation

●

Supports both Power over Ethernet (PoE) and AC power with external power adapter

●

Provides Integrated Wireless Spectrum Analysis tool, which allows detection of the nearby Radio
Frequencies interference for easy troubleshooting

●

Offers captive portal that enables highly secure guest access with customized roles and rights

●

Offers Single Point Setup, which requires no controller, for easy, cost-effective deployment of multiple
access points

●

Works with Cisco® FindIT Management platform a software for managing and monitoring your Cisco 100­500 serios products

●

Works right out of the box with easy installation and simple web-based configuration and wizard

Product Overview

Today Wi-Fi is the primary way for mobile access; small to medium-sized businesses are now looking for simple,
yet easy-to-deploy Wi-Fi networks where they can provide the best experience to their employees and customers.
To stay productive, they need dependable, business-class access to network applications throughout the office.
The Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN provides a simple, cost­effective way to extend highly secure, high-performance mobile networking to your employees and guests, so they
can stay connected anywhere in the office, regardless of what mobile devices they use.

The Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN uses concurrent dual-band
radio for improved coverage and user capacity. The 4 x 4 MU-MIMO technology on the 5.0-GHz radio and 3 x 3
MIMO on the 2.4-GHz radio allow the access point to run at maximum performance and deliver better user
experience. Two Gigabit Ethernet LAN interfaces, one with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and the second with 1 Gigabit
Ethernet with PoE facilitate flexible installation and reduce cabling and wiring costs. Intelligent quality-of-service
(QoS) features let you prioritize bandwidth-sensitive traffic for voice-over-IP (VoIP) and video applications.

To provide highly secure guest access to visitors and other users, Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2
Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN supports a captive portal with multiple authentication options and the ability to
configure rights, roles, and bandwidth. A customized guest login page lets you present a welcome message and
access details, and reinforces your brand with company logos.

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The access points are easy to set up and use, with an intuitive wizard-based configuration to get you operational in
minutes. An attractive design with flexible mounting options allows the access points to smoothly blend into any
small or medium-sized business environment.

To enhance reliability and safeguard sensitive business information, the WAP581 supports both Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA) Personal and Enterprise, encoding all your wireless transmissions with powerful encryption. In
addition, 802.1X RADIUS authentication helps keep unauthorized users out.

Designed to scale smoothly as your organization grows, the access points feature controller-less Single Point
Setup, which simplifies the deployment of multiple access points without additional hardware. With the Cisco
WAP581 you can extend business-class wireless networking to employees and guests anywhere in the office, with
the flexibility to meet new business needs for years to come.

Figure 1 shows a typical wireless access point configuration. Figures 2 and 3 show the front and back panels of the
access point, respectively.

Figure 1. Typical Configuration

© 2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 3 of 10

Figure 2. Front Panel of the WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN

Figure 3. Back Panel of the WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN

Additional Features

●

Concurrent dual-band radio support offers up to 2.1 Gbps on a 5.0-GHz radio and 600 Mbps on a 2.4-GHz
radio to use capacity and coverage most efficiently.

●

Robust security, including WPA2, 802.1X with RADIUS secure authentication, and rogue access point
detection, help protect sensitive business information.

●

Wi-Fi Scheduler allows you to control your Wi-Fi network access during business and non-business hours.

●

An integrated Wireless Packet Capture tool assists tech support in troubleshooting.

●

Intelligent QoS prioritizes network traffic to help keep critical network applications running at top
performance.

●

Support for power-saving sleep mode and port control features help increase energy efficiency.

●

Workgroup Bridge mode lets you expand your network by wirelessly connecting to a second Ethernet
network.

●

Support for IPv6 lets you deploy future networking applications and operating systems without costly
upgrades.

●

Sleek design with multiple internal antennas and a versatile mounting kit allows for installation on a ceiling,
wall or desktop.

●

Offers limited lifetime hardware warranty provides peace of mind.

© 2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 4 of 10

Specifications

Description

Standards

IEEE 802.11ac, 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.3af, 802.3u, 802.1X (security authentication),

802.1Q (VLAN), 802.1D (spanning tree), 802.11i (WPA2 security), 802.11e (wireless QoS), IPv4 (RFC 791),
and IPv6 (RFC 2460)

Cabling type

Category 5e or better

Antennas

Internal antennas optimized for installation on a wall or ceiling

Operating system

Linux Software

Physical Interfaces

Ports

2 GE ports - one 2.5G and second one 10/100/1000 Ethernet, with support for 802.3at at PoE; support is only
for port 1

Buttons

Reset button

Lock slot

Slot for Kensington lock

LEDs

One multifunction LED

Physical Specifications

Physical dimensions
(H x W x D)

1.5 x 9.0 x 9.0 in. (38x 229 x 229 mm)

Weight

3 lb (1.4kg)

Network Capabilities

VLAN support

Yes

Number of VLANs

1 management VLAN plus 32 VLANs for SSIDs

802.1X supplicant

Yes

Service Set Identifier (SSID)-to­VLAN mapping

Yes

Auto-channel selection

Yes

Spanning tree

Yes

Load balancing

Yes

IPv6

Yes

●

IPv6 host support

●

IPv6 RADIUS, syslog, and Network Time Protocol (NTP)

Layer 2

802.1Q-based VLANS, 32 active VLANS plus 1 management VLAN

Security

W-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
and WPA2

Yes, including enterprise authentication

Access control

Yes, management access control list (ACL) plus MAC ACL

Secure management

Secure HTTP (HTTPS)

SSID broadcast

Yes

Rogue access point detection

Yes

Mounting and Physical Security

Multiple mounting options

Mounting bracket included for easy ceiling or wall mounting

Physical security lock

Kensington lock slot

Quality of Service

QoS

Wi-Fi Multimedia and Traffic Specification (WMM TSPEC) and client QoS

Specifications

Table 1 lists the specifications, package contents, and minimum requirements for the Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC
Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN.

Table 1. WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN Specifications

© 2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 5 of 10

Specifications

Description

Performance

Wireless throughput

Up to 2.8-Gbps data rate (real-world throughput varies)

Recommended user support

Up to 200 connective users; 50 active users per radio

Multiple Access Point Management

Single Point Setup

Yes

Number of access points per
cluster

16

Active clients per cluster

960

Configuration

Web user interface

Built-in web user interface for easy browser-based configuration (HTTP and HTTPS)

Management

Management protocols

Web browser, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) v3, and Bonjour

Remote management

Yes

Event logging

Local, remote syslog, and email alerts

Network diagnostics

Logging and packet capture

Web firmware upgrade

Firmware upgradable through web browser; imported or exported configuration file

Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP)

DHCP client

IPv6 host

Yes

HTTP redirect

Yes

Wireless

Frequency

Dual concurrent radios (2.4 and 5 GHz)

Radio and modulation type

Dual radio, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)
IEEE 802.11a/n: OFDM (BPSK/QPSK/16QAM/64QAM/256QAM)
IEEE 802.11ac: OFDM (BPSK/QPSK/16QAM/64QAM/256QAM)

WLAN

802.11n/ac
4 x 4 MU-MIMO at 5 GHz and 3 x 3 MIMO on 2.4 GHz
21 for 20-MHz bandwidth; 9 for 40-MHz bandwidth; 4 for 80-MHz bandwidth
11 for 20-MHz bandwidth; 7 for 40-MHz bandwidth

802.11 dynamic frequency selection (DFS)

Data rates supported

IEEE 802.11b: DSSS (1/2/5.5/11)
IEEE 802.11g: OFDM (6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54)
IEEE 802.11n: Refer to the entries for this standard later in this list)
IEEE 802.11b: 12.94 MHz
IEEE 802.11g: 24.49 MHz
EEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT20): 27.44 MHz
IEEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT40): 36.18 MHz
IEEE 802.11b: 29.76 dBm
IEEE 802.11g: 29.24 dBm
IEEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT20): 29.25 dBm
IEEE 802.11n MCS0 (HT40): 23.81 dBm

Frequency band and operating
channels

Frequency Band

Channel No.

Frequency

Channel No.

Frequency

2400~2483.5MHz

1

2412 MHz

7

2442 MHz

2

2417 MHz

8

2447 MHz

3

2422 MHz

9

2452 MHz

4

2427 MHz

10

2457 MHz

5

2432 MHz

11

2462 MHz

6

2437 MHz

-

-

© 2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 6 of 10

Specifications

Description

Frequency Band

Channel No.

Frequency

Channel No.

5150- to 5250­MHz Band 1

36

5180 MHz

44

38

5190 MHz

46

40

5200 MHz

48

42

5210 MHz

-

52

5260 MHz

60

54

5270 MHz

62

5250- to 5350­MHz Band 2

56

5280 MHz

64

58

5290 MHz

-

100

5500 MHz

112

102

5510 MHz

116

104

5520 MHz

132

5470- to 5725­MHz Band 3

106

5530 MHz

134

108

5540 MHz

136

110

5550 MHz

140

149

5745 MHz

157

151

5755 MHz

159

5725- to 5850­MHz Band 4

153

5765 MHz

161

155

5775 MHz

165

Transmitted output power

Transmitted Output Power:

2.4 GHz

●

802.11b: 20.0 +/– 1.5 dBm @ CH6, all rates

●

802.11g: 20.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, 6 Mbps

●

802.11g: 17.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, 54 Mbps

●

802.11n(HT20): 20.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, MCS0

●

802.11n(HT20): 17.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, MCS7

●

802.11n(HT40): 16.0 +/– 1.5 dBm@ CH6, MCS7

5-GHz UNII-1 (5150~5250 MHz)

●

802.11a: 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 6 Mbps

●

802.11a: 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 54 Mbps

●

802.11ac(VHT20): 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT20): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS8

●

802.11ac(VHT40): 21.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT40): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9

●

802.11ac(VHT80): 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT80): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9

5-GHz UNII-2 (5250–5350 MHz)/UNII-2 Extended (5470–5725 MHz)

●

802.11a: 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 6 Mbps

●

802.11a: 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 54 Mbps

●

802.11ac(VHT20): 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT20): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS8

●

802.11ac(VHT40): 21.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT40): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9

●

802.11ac(VHT80): 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT80): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9

5GHz UNII-3 (5725~5850MHz)

●

802.11a: 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ 6 Mbps

●

802.11a: 20.0 +/– 12 dBm @ 54 Mbps

●

802.11ac(VHT20): 22.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT20): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS8

●

802.11ac(VHT40): 21.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT40): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9

●

802.11ac(VHT80): 20.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS0

●

802.11ac(VHT80): 14.0 +/– 2 dBm @ MCS9

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Specifications

Description

Wireless isolation

Wireless isolation between clients

External antennas

None

Internal antennas

4 Internal fixed PIFA antenna

Antenna gain in dBi

3.61 dBi @2.4 GHz; 6.23 dBi @5 GHz

Receiver sensitivity

2.4 GHz

●

802.11b: –86 dBm @ 11Mbps

●

802.11g: –73 dBm @ 54 Mbps

●

802.11n(HT20): –71 dBm @ MCS7

●

802.11n(HT40): –67 dBm @ MCS7

5GHz

●

802.11a: –90 dBm @ 6 Mbps

●

802.11a: –74 dBm @ 54 Mbps

●

802.11ac(VHT20): –66 dBm @ MCS8

●

802.11ac(VHT40): –62 dBm @ MCS9

●

802.11ac(VHT80): –58 dBm @ MCS9

Wireless distribution system
(WDS)

Yes

Fast roaming

Yes

Multiple SSIDs

16 per radio

Wireless VLAN map

Yes

WLAN security

Yes

Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)

Yes, with unscheduled automatic power save

Operating Modes

Access point

Access point mode, Wireless Domain Services (WDS) bridging, and Workgroup Bridge mode

Environmental

Power options

IEEE 802.3at/af Ethernet switch
Cisco power injector: SB-PWR-INJ2-xx
Cisco power adapter: SB-PWR-48v-xx
Peak power: 18 watts

Compliance

Safety:

●

UL 60950-1

●

CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1

●

IEC 60950-1

●

EN 60950-1

Radio approvals:

●

FCC Part 15.247, 15.407

●

RSS-210 (Canada)

●

EN 300.328, EN 301.893 (Europe)

●

AS/NZS 4268.2003 (Australia and New Zealand)

EMI and susceptibility (Class B):

●

FCC Part 15.107 and 15.109

●

ICES-003 (Canada)

●

EN 301.489-1 and -17 (Europe)

Operating temperature

32 to 104°F) (0 to 40°C)

Storage temperature

–4 to 158°F (–20 to 70°C)

Operating humidity

10 to 85% noncondensing

Storage humidity

5 to 90% noncondensing

System memory

256-MB RAM
128-MB flash

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Specifications

Description

Package Contents

●

WAP581 Wireless-AC/N Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN

●

Ceiling and wall-mounting kit

●

Quick-start guide

●

Ethernet network cable

Minimum Requirements

●

Switch or router with PoE support, PoE injector, or 48V/1.25A AC power adapter

●

Web-based configuration: web browser and FindIT Network Management Software

Warranty

Access point

Limited lifetime

Data rates supported

802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

802.11g: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

802.11n data rates (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz):

MCS Index

[1]

GI

[2]

= 800 ns

GI = 400 ns

20-MHz Rate
(Mbps)

40-MHz Rate
(Mbps)

20-MHz Rate
(Mbps)

40-MHz Rate
(Mbps)

0

6.5

13.5

7.2

15

1

13

27

14.4

30 2 19.5

40.5

21.7

45

3

26

54

28.9

60

4

39

81

43.3

90 5 52

108

57.8

120

6

58.5

121.5

65

135

7

65

135

72.2

150 8 13

27

14.4

30

9

26

54

28.9

60

10

39

81

43.3

90

11

52

108

57.8

120

12

78

162

86.7

180

13

104

216

115.6

240

14

117

243

130

270

15

130

270

144.4

300

16

19.5

40.5

21.7

45

17

39

81

43.3

90

18

58.5

121.5

65

135

19

78

162

86.7

180

20

117

243

130

270

21

156

324

173.3

360

22

175.5

364.5

195

405

23

195

405

216.7

450

Note: Depending on the part number (refer to Table 2), one or more of the bands in this table may not be
available in the product because of national regulations.

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Part Number

Description

WAP581-A-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (United States)

WAP581-C-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (China)

WAP581-E-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Europe, EU region, United Kingdom, HK,
Thailand, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia)

WAP581-K-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Korea)

WAP581-B-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico)

WAP581-I-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (India, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore,
Philippines, Brazil)

WAP581-N-K9

Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 Access Point with 2.5GbE LAN (Australia/New Zealand)

Note: Table 1 shows the maximum capability of the hardware. The transmit power may be reduced to comply
with local regulatory requirements.

Signal Coverage Patterns

Radiation Pattern for 2.4GHz Antennas

Radiation Pattern for 5GHz Antennas

Ordering Information

Table 2 shows the product part numbers and descriptions to make ordering easier.

Table 2. Product Ordering Information

Cisco Limited Lifetime Warranty for Cisco Small Business Products

This Cisco Small Business product comes with a limited lifetime hardware warranty. Product warranty terms and
other information applicable to Cisco products are available on the Cisco Product Warranties webpage.

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Printed in USA C78-738872-01 09/17

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