Even just a few years ago, having an in-house WiFi network was seen as a luxury by many businesses, restaurants, and hospitality businesses. However, with the boom in mobile devices, that's simply not the case any more. WiFi is coming to be expected by consumers and employees alike, who rely on their smartphones and tablets throughout the day for both business and pleasure.
Previously, this left smaller businesses with few good options for meeting this sudden new market demand. WiFi networks can be difficult and time-consuming to set up, as well as often requiring dedicated IT staff which many small-to-medium sized operations simply cannot afford.
This is why Cisco has developed the Cisco Mobility Express option, a WiFi option aimed specifically at smaller businesses who need modern WiFi with an absolute minimum of hassle.
A Look At Cisco Mobility Express
Mobility Express is a combined hardware and software initiative designed to make installing WiFi networks as easy as humanly possible. In fact, for most small businesses, they only take around ten minutes to install, with no need for any expertise beyond basic computer usage.
The setup is truly a three step process:
1 - Plug in one or more Mobility Express-compatible WiFi routers.
2 - Use the included Cisco WLAN Express Setup Wizard to register your system with Cisco and activate it.
3 - Log into any of the routers with a standard desktop or mobile browser and customize your network IDs and security settings.
That's it! The custom wireless interface AireOS allows simple and easy access to your Mobility Express WiFi network, with the ability to monitor and oversee its operations. They can even be fully managed from a smartphone.
Additionally, Mobility Express is a pay-once system that requires no licenses. You buy the hardware and software once, then it's yours to use for as long as you need with no further purchases required.
The Hardware
Mobility Express is based around Cisco Aironet 1850 and 1830 access points, which are top-of-the-line 802.1ac Wave 2 APs capable of Gigabit speeds or better. This is the same technology being used by large businesses around the world to power their WiFi networks. Thanks to proprietary Cisco HDX (High Density Experience) systems, they also offer unparalleled speed and responsiveness, even in an environment with many WiFi devices.
Additionally, Cisco Mobility Express can support Aironet 1600, 2600, 3600, 1700, 2700, and 3700-series access points. However, an 1850 or 1830 is still needed to act as a controller. In the future, Cisco plans to have all their 802.1ac Wave 2 APs support Mobility Express.
Cisco Mobility Express can expand as you need. Up to 25 Aironet APs can be added to the system as your business grows, with a maximum total of 500 concurrent users. (20 per AP.) Need more users than that? You can add a Mobility Express hardware controller that boosts the upper limit to 75 APs and 1500 users,
Who Is Mobility Express For?
Virtually any small-to-medium sized operation which is either installing a new WiFi network, or upgrading an older one, is a perfect candidate for Mobility Express. The combination of power, expandability, and sheer ease-of-use makes it a great option for small offices, restaurants, cafes, private medical facilities, and even smaller hotels or schools.
If you've been holding off on implementing WiFi, Mobility Express might be exactly what you've been looking for.
Hummingbird Networks is a fully-certified Cisco partner and reseller, with over a decade of experience building networks large and small. To find out if Cisco Mobility Express is right for your operation, just contact us for a free consultation.
