Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller Data Sheet

Optimized for 802.11ac Wave 2 performance, the intent-driven Cisco DNA^™ ready Cisco^® 3504 Wireless Controller with Cisco Multigigabit Ethernet technology is a compact, highly scalable, service-rich, resilient, and flexible platform that enables next-generation wireless networks for small to medium-sized enterprises and branch office deployments.

As of January 2021, the Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller has been transitioned to End-of-Sale status and will no longer be available for purchase. Migrating to the next Cisco product is easy, as there are many Cisco wireless controller options that can fit your needs. These products can be found on the Cisco Catalyst 9800 web page.

Product overview

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller provides centralized control, management, and troubleshooting for small to medium-sized enterprises and branch offices. It offers flexibility to support multiple deployment modes in the same controller—a centralized mode for campus environments, Cisco FlexConnect^® mode for lean branches managed over the WAN, and a mesh (bridge) mode for deployments in which full Ethernet cabling is unavailable. As a component of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, the 3504 controller provides real-time communications between Cisco Aironet^® access points and Cisco Catalyst^® access points, Cisco Prime^® Infrastructure, and the Cisco Mobility Services Engine, and is interoperable with the Cisco 5520 and 8540 Wireless Controllers.

The Cisco Digital Network Architecture (Cisco DNA) is an open and extensible, software-driven architecture that accelerates and simplifies your enterprise network operations. The programmable architecture frees your IT staff from time-consuming, repetitive network configuration tasks so they can focus instead on innovation that positively transforms your business. SD-Access, as part of Cisco DNA, enables policy-based automation from edge to cloud with foundational capabilities. Cisco DNA Assurance, also part of Cisco DNA, provides a single source to monitor, modify, and manage your network and application data.

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Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller

Features and benefits

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller with Cisco Multigigabit Ethernet technology is optimized for 802.11ac Wave 2 performance, high scale, and enhanced system uptime. It offers:

●     Intent-driven programmability and streaming telemetry.

●     Quiet operation, with a small form factor and compact design ideal for space-constrained deployments, providing flexibility without compromising on features.

●     Cisco Multigigabit Ethernet technology to support next-generation 802.11ac Wave 2 deployments using existing cabling infrastructure.

●     Subsecond access point and client failover for uninterrupted application availability.

●     Extraordinary visibility into application traffic, using Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC), the technology that includes the Network-Based Application Recognition 2 (NBAR2) engine, with Cisco's Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) capability. This allows the 3504 to mark, prioritize, and block to conserve network bandwidth and enhance security. Customers can optionally export the flows to Cisco Prime Infrastructure or a third-party NetFlow collector.

●     An embedded wireless Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy classification engine that allows classification of client devices and application of user group-based policies.

●     Guest access and Bonjour and Chromecast services in centralized deployments.

●     Software-defined segmentation with Cisco TrustSec^® technology, reducing Access Control List (ACL) maintenance, complexity, and overhead.

●     Integrated Cisco CleanAir^® technology, providing the industry’s only self-healing and self-optimizing wireless network.

●     A simplified GUI wizard for quick setup and intuitive dashboards for monitoring and troubleshooting.

●     Cisco DNA and SD-Access Wireless, as well as Cisco DNA Assurance.

Table 1 lists the features and benefits of the 3504 wireless controller.

Table 1.           Features and benefits

Perpetual licensing

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller provides right-to-use (with General Terms acceptance) license enablement for faster time to deployment, with flexibility to add additional access points (up to 150 access points) as business needs grow.

●     Additional access point capacity licenses can be added over time.

●     Right-to-use licensing (with General Terms acceptance) for faster and easier license enablement.

●     Starting with the 8.5 release, the Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller also provides an option to enable licensing using Cisco Smart Software Licensing, designed for easy monitoring and consumption of licenses.

●     Manage license deployments with real-time visibility to ownership and consumption.

●     Pool license entitlements in a single account. Licenses can be moved freely through the network, wherever they are needed.

Cisco does not allow porting of non-Cisco ONE perpetual AP licenses (like former Base capacity or capacity upgrade “Adder” licenses) from any older Cisco Wireless Controllers (eg. Cisco 2504, 4400, 5508, 7510, 8510 Wireless controllers) to Cisco 3504, 5520, and 8540 Wireless controllers.

Cisco does allow porting of perpetual AP licenses between Cisco 3504, 5520 and 8540 Wireless Controllers.

Term-based licensing

With the Cisco DNA architecture, we are also introducing term-based software packages: Cisco DNA Essentials and Cisco DNA Advantage and Cisco DNA Premier. In addition to on-box capabilities, the Cisco DNA packages unlock additional functionality in Cisco DNA Center, enabling controller-based software-defined automation in your network.

License consumption is further simplified with the following three package combinations. Cisco Embedded Support is included in all the three packages.

Essentials: Term-based (3, 5, or 7 years per access point) Cisco DNA Essentials package, term-based access point license, and term-based Cisco Prime Lifecycle and Assurance infrastructure licenses.

Advantage: Term-based (3, 5, or 7 years per access point) Cisco DNA Advantage package. It also includes everything in the Cisco DNA Essentials package.

Cisco DNA Premier: Term-based (3, 5, or 7 years per access point) Cisco DNA Advantage package (includes Cisco DNA Essentials package), ISE Base, ISE Plus and CMX Base.

You can continue to deploy your network using perpetual licensing or the new term-based packages. The term- based licensing provides you with the additional benefit of using the same Cisco DNA license on any Cisco WLAN controllers and with any Aironet access point.

Product specifications

Table 2.           Product specifications

Warranty information

Find warranty information on Cisco.com at the Product Warranties page.

The Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller is backed by a warranty that includes:

●     3 years parts coverage

●     10-day Advance Replacement (AR): Cisco or its service center will use commercially reasonable efforts to ship a replacement within ten (10) working days after receipt of the RMA request. Actual delivery times might vary depending on customer location

This warranty also includes a 90-day software warranty on media and ongoing downloads of BIOS, firmware, and drivers.

Ordering information

For ordering details, please consult the part numbers in Table 3. To place an order, visit the Cisco How to Buy homepage. To download software, visit the Cisco Software Center.

Table 3.           Ordering information

Cisco ONE Software

Cisco ONE^™ Software offers a valuable and flexible way to buy software for the access, WAN, and data center domains. At each stage in the product lifecycle, Cisco ONE Software helps make buying, managing, and upgrading your network and infrastructure software easier. Cisco ONE Software provides:

●     Flexible licensing models to smoothly distribute customers’ software spending over time

●     Investment protection for software purchases through software services–enabled license portability

●     Access to updates, upgrades, and new technology from Cisco through Cisco^® Software Support Services (SWSS)

Cisco ONE for Access lets you manage your entire switching structure as a single, converged component. With one management system and one policy for wired and wireless networks, it offers an efficient way to provide more secure access.

Cisco ONE Software for Wireless is available for Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller.

Cisco ONE for Access Wireless is a complete software solution that helps you deliver and manage business-class wireless connectivity for all your employees and customers. It helps unlock the business potential in your wireless network while providing all the capabilities required to deploy, manage, and track wireless performance and activity. Cisco ONE for Access Wireless is available in subscription and perpetual offers for broad deployment flexibility in branch and campus environments: Cisco ONE for Advantage, Foundation for Wireless, Advanced Mobility Services, and Cloud Mobility Services are the four offers currently available in Cisco ONE for Access Wireless.

Benefits

●     Connect, secure, and manage business-class Wi-Fi for mobility and Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) environments

●     Quickly create and deploy context-aware experiences that engage people on their mobile devices

For ordering information for Cisco ONE Software for Wireless go to https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/software/one-access/cisco-one-for-access-wireless-part-numbers.html.

Cisco Wireless LAN services

Realize the full business value of your technology investments faster with intelligent, customized services from Cisco. Backed by deep networking expertise, Cisco Wireless LAN Services enable you to deploy a sound, scalable mobility network that enables rich media collaboration while improving the operational efficiency gained from a converged wired and wireless network infrastructure based on the Cisco Unified Wireless Network. We offer expert advisory, implementation and optimization services to accelerate your transition to advanced mobility services while continuously optimizing the performance, reliability, and security of that architecture after it is deployed. In addition, Cisco Smart Net Total Care^™ Service helps you protect your investment and derive maximum value from your Cisco products. Delivered by Cisco and backed by your trusted partner, this comprehensive service includes access to the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Cisco IOS^® Software updates, online resources, and expedited hardware replacement when needed. The Smart Net Total Care service helps you solve problems faster, improve operational efficiency, and reduce the risk of downtime. For more details, visit https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/wireless/service-listing.html.

Cisco embedded support for Cisco DNA Term components

Cisco Embedded Support delivers the right support for Cisco software products and suites. It will keep your business applications performing as expected and protect your investment. Cisco Embedded Support for the Essentials and Advantage term components is included. Cisco Embedded Support provides access to Cisco TAC support, major software updates, maintenance and minor software releases, and the Cisco Embedded Support site, for increased productivity with anytime access.

Learn more about Cisco Services for Enterprise Networks

Cisco environmental sustainability

Information about Cisco’s environmental sustainability policies and initiatives for our products, solutions, operations, and extended operations or supply chain is provided in the “Environment Sustainability” section of Cisco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report.

Reference links to information about key environmental sustainability topics (mentioned in the “Environment Sustainability” section of the CSR Report) are provided in the following table:

Cisco makes the packaging data available for informational purposes only. It may not reflect the most current legal developments, and Cisco does not represent, warrant, or guarantee that it is complete, accurate, or up to date. This information is subject to change without notice.

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For more information

For more information about the Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller, visit https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/wireless/3504-wireless-controller/index.html.