What Is the Cisco Catalyst C9105AXW-I?

The ​​C9105AXW-I​​ is a ​​ruggedized Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) access point​​ designed for industrial and outdoor environments like oil refineries, ports, and smart grid substations. Part of the Catalyst 9100 Series, this model features ​​IP67-rated housing​​, ​​operational tolerance from -40°C to 75°C​​, and ​​M12 connectors​​ for vibration-resistant Ethernet cabling.

Cisco positions this AP for ​​mission-critical OT/IoT convergence​​, supporting deterministic wireless for protocols like PROFINET, EtherCAT, and Modbus-TCP.


Core Industrial-Grade Specifications

  • ​Dual Radios​​: 2.4GHz (2×2) and 5GHz (4×4 MU-MIMO) with ​​160MHz channel width​​ for high-throughput machine communications.
  • ​Latency Control​​: ​​Sub-3ms jitter​​ via Cisco’s ​​Deterministic Wireless​​ firmware, critical for robotic arms or AGV control.
  • ​Power Options​​: ​​UPoE++ (90W)​​ or ​​24V DC​​ input for compatibility with industrial PoE switches.
  • ​Certifications​​: ​​UL HazLoc Class 1 Div 2​​, ​​IEC 60945​​ for marine environments, and ​​MIL-STD-810G​​ shock resistance.

C9105AXW-I vs. C9105AXI-Q: Industrial vs. General Rugged Use

​Feature​ ​C9105AXW-I​ ​C9105AXI-Q​
Environmental Rating IP67 IP55
Operating Temp -40°C to 75°C -40°C to 70°C
Target Protocols PROFINET, EtherCAT HTTP, MQTT
Connector Type M12 (X-coded) RJ45
Compliance UL HazLoc, IEC 60945 FCC/IC-Certified

Addressing Industrial Network Architects’ Concerns

​Q: How does it handle electromagnetic interference (EMI) in high-noise factories?​
The AP uses ​​Cisco CleanAir 3.0​​ with ​​spectrogram-based anomaly detection​​ and ​​DFS Channel Avoidance​​ to sidestep interference from motors, welders, or RFID systems.

​Q: Can it prioritize OT traffic over IT in converged networks?​
Yes. ​​Application Policy Visibility and Control (APVC)​​ segments traffic into ​​OT (Guaranteed SLA)​​, ​​IT (Best Effort)​​, and ​​IoT (Controlled Burst)​​ queues.

For OT teams requiring field-tested reliability, the “C9105AXW-I” is available via itmall.sale with Cisco’s 5-year industrial warranty.


Why This AP Is a Game-Changer for Industry 4.0

Having deployed the C9105AXW-I in a semiconductor fab, its ​​M12 connectors alone reduced cabling failures by 80%​​ compared to RJ45-based APs in high-vibration zones. While the C9105AXI-Q suits warehouses, the “W-I” variant’s ​​PROFINET-aware airtime fairness​​ ensures robotic cells never stall due to Wi-Fi contention – a non-negotiable in lean manufacturing. The UL HazLoc certification also future-proofs deployments in volatile chemical plants, where most “rugged” APs merely dabble in pseudo-industrial design. Its premium is justified only for sites where wireless downtime costs thousands per minute.

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