Cisco C9800-80-K9 Catalyst 9800-80 Wireless Controller – 80Gbps, 6,000 AP, 10G/100G Modular Uplinks

Enterprise-Scale Wireless Management

The Cisco Catalyst C9800-80-K9 provides centralized wireless management for large enterprise environments requiring high capacity, advanced security, automation and high availability. Built on Cisco IOS XE, the controller provides centralized policy control, wireless infrastructure management, telemetry, programmability and enterprise security capabilities.

With support for up to 6,000 access points and 64,000 wireless clients, the C9800-80-K9 is designed for large campuses, universities, hospitals, government organizations, hospitality environments and other high-density wireless deployments.

Key Features

• Up to 4,096 WLANs
• Up to 4,096 VLANs
• Centralized wireless deployment
• Cisco FlexConnect deployment
• Fabric Wireless and Cisco SD-Access integration
• Cisco IOS XE operating system
• Stateful Switchover high availability
• N+1 controller redundancy
• Secure Boot and Trust Anchor technologies
• NETCONF/YANG and model-driven telemetry

High-Performance Wireless Infrastructure

The C9800-80-K9 is engineered for enterprise wireless networks that require substantial controller capacity and high-speed connectivity. Its 80 Gbps throughput and support for thousands of access points allow it to serve large and demanding wireless environments.

The controller provides centralized configuration, policy enforcement, monitoring, security and automation while supporting distributed wireless architectures such as Cisco FlexConnect.

Eight Built-In 10G Ethernet Interfaces

The C9800-80-K9 includes eight built-in 10G SFP+ interfaces for high-speed connectivity to aggregation, distribution and core network infrastructure. Cisco documentation identifies the platform as supporting eight built-in 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, with specified ports also supporting 1G SFP connectivity.

This high-speed interface architecture provides the bandwidth required for large wireless deployments and enables flexible connectivity to enterprise switching infrastructure.

EPA Modular Uplink Expansion

In addition to its fixed interfaces, the C9800-80-K9 provides an Ethernet Port Adapter (EPA) bay. Compatible Cisco uplink modules can be installed to expand connectivity according to network requirements.

• 10G Ethernet modular uplink options
• 40G Ethernet modular uplink options
• 100G Ethernet modular uplink options
• Field-replaceable modular architecture
• Flexible connectivity for aggregation and core networks

Wireless Capacity

Flexible Wireless Deployment

The Catalyst 9800-80 supports multiple deployment architectures, allowing organizations to use centralized wireless control while supporting distributed branches and software-defined networking.

• Centralized Wireless: Central controller architecture for enterprise campuses.
• Cisco FlexConnect: Distributed branch wireless with centralized management.
• Fabric Wireless: Cisco SD-Access integration for policy-based wireless networking.

High Availability

The C9800-80-K9 is designed for enterprise environments where wireless availability is critical. Cisco high-availability technologies help minimize service disruption and maintain wireless operations during supported maintenance and failure scenarios.

• Stateful Switchover (SSO)
• N+1 controller redundancy
• Redundant power architecture
• Field-replaceable hardware components
• In-Service Software Upgrade capabilities

Enterprise Security

Cisco Catalyst 9800 controllers integrate enterprise security capabilities designed to protect wireless infrastructure, users and network traffic.

• Secure Boot
• Cisco Trust Anchor technologies
• Wireless intrusion prevention capabilities
• Encrypted Traffic Analytics
• WPA2 and WPA3 enterprise wireless security
• 802.1X authentication
• MACsec support
• Cisco Identity Services Engine integration

Cisco IOS XE Platform

Cisco IOS XE provides the software foundation for the Catalyst 9800 platform. It delivers programmability, automation, telemetry and centralized configuration while providing a consistent operating environment across Cisco enterprise networking products.

Administrators can use CLI, WebUI, NETCONF, RESTCONF, YANG data models and model-driven telemetry to automate configuration and monitor wireless infrastructure.

Management and Monitoring

• Cisco DNA Center integration
• Integrated WebUI
• Command-Line Interface
• SNMP management
• NETCONF and RESTCONF
• YANG data models
• Model-driven streaming telemetry
• Network automation and programmability

Hardware Design

The C9800-80-K9 uses a 2RU rack-mount chassis designed for enterprise network racks and data-center environments. The platform provides front-panel access to its network, management and console interfaces and supports field-replaceable hardware components.

Memory and Storage

The C9800-80-K9 supports up to 64 GB DDR4 ECC-protected field-replaceable memory. The platform also provides 32 GB internal bootflash and an embedded USB flash module for nonvolatile storage.

• Up to 64 GB DDR4 ECC memory
• 32 GB internal bootflash
• 32 GB embedded USB flash storage
• SATA storage support
• Two USB 3.0 ports

Power and Environmental Specifications

ideal Applications

• Large enterprise campus wireless networks
• Universities and higher-education campuses
• Large hospitals and healthcare networks
• Government and public-sector wireless infrastructure
• Large hospitality environments
• High-density corporate wireless deployments
• Large distributed branch networks
• Cisco SD-Access Fabric Wireless environments
• Mission-critical enterprise wireless infrastructure

End-of-Sale and Replacement Information

The C9800-80-K9 may remain relevant for existing Cisco wireless infrastructure, installed-base expansion, replacement requirements and refurbished-equipment deployments. For new installations, customers should review the CW9800H1 and CW9800H2 platforms and confirm feature, capacity and licensing compatibility.

Why Choose Cisco C9800-80-K9?

The Cisco C9800-80-K9 combines large-scale wireless capacity, high-speed 10G connectivity, modular uplink expansion, enterprise security, high availability and Cisco IOS XE programmability in a 2RU platform. With support for up to 6,000 access points, 64,000 wireless clients and 80 Gbps throughput, it is designed for demanding enterprise wireless infrastructure.