Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco Controller Wireless
Design and operate controller-based Cisco wireless, covering Catalyst 9800 deployments, site policies, resilience and migration from older environments.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Cisco controller wireless services provide Wi-Fi through an agreed on-site control design. We plan and support the controller, access points and software around users, apps and failure needs. The combination must be supported for the features in scope. Tests cover the complete service, including its links to identity and the wider network.
Coverage and capacity
Design Wi-Fi around the spaces, devices and traffic that depend on it.
Secure access
Align authentication, segmentation and guest access with the wider network.
Measured performance
Validate roaming, interference and user experience instead of relying on signal bars.
Decide where control and traffic should sit
The controller’s role and the path taken by user traffic are related but distinct design decisions. A headquarters, a remote branch and a guest service may require different forwarding arrangements. We document where clients receive addresses, where their traffic leaves the wireless system and which firewalls or gateways enforce access. That makes the design understandable to the teams responsible for routing, security and apps.
We also establish which organisation operates the service. Some customers want an internal team to retain setup ownership while MCI handles a refresh or a difficult incident. Others need an agreed management service. Controller ownership, admin access and vendor escalation are settled clearly. Buying a controller does not by itself provide monitoring, change approval or an engineer responsible for responding when users cannot connect.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Match the platform to the operating requirement
We assess access-point counts, client demand, traffic, site layout and required features. Hardware and virtual controllers have different support needs. A virtual controller relies on its host, network and storage. Two virtual machines can still share one point of failure if they run on the same underlying platform.
We check access points, controller software, licences and management links together. Older access points may limit the upgrade route. We identify those limits before a purchase or change window and state which devices can stay. The proposal describes the supported target and any temporary overlap with the old system. Legacy features are checked individually rather than assumed to carry over.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Make wireless policy legible
A controller setup contains more than a list of network names. Authentication, forwarding, VLAN allocation, radio behaviour and access-point placement all contribute to the service. On Catalyst 9800 platforms, we structure the relevant profiles and tags around clear site needs. Names should help another engineer understand a policy without needing to reconstruct the original project discussion.
Security is designed around the users and devices that actually connect. Staff laptops, voice handsets, scanners and visitors may require different authentication and access treatment. We coordinate identity certificates, RADIUS services, endpoint setup and network enforcement. A successful association is not proof that the correct access policy has been applied, so acceptance includes both allowed app use and prohibited paths that should remain unavailable.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Build resilience into the service path
Controller redundancy needs a stated failure scope. We assess controller, uplink, power, identity and upstream service dependencies, then choose an appropriate supported arrangement. Our Catalyst 9800 high availability work examines the pair itself. The wider design also considers what happens when an access switch, site circuit or authentication service fails.
Tests distinguish an available controller from a usable wireless app. A gateway may recover while a voice call or transaction still needs to reconnect. We agree representative client tests and safe fault scenarios, record the observed behaviour and explain any untested conditions. Availability commitments belong in the service agreement and should reflect the complete architecture, not a single vendor feature name.
Deliver without losing sight of existing users
Implementation begins with a current inventory, setup capture and a practical cutover plan. We prepare management access, certificates, routing and identity dependencies before moving access points. A pilot should include representative devices and apps, not only an engineer’s laptop. Its results determine whether broader migration can proceed or whether a compatibility issue needs resolution first.
Where a previous controller remains in service during transition, we document access-point allocation and roaming boundaries. Rollback must account for software, credentials and the setup needed by the earlier platform. The controller migration service addresses those transition details separately from a new rollout. Removing the old system is a deliberate completion step after agreed validation, not the first action after a successful connection test.
Keep support evidence useful
Handover includes the topology, policy relationships, access-point inventory, admin duties and the checks needed during an incident. Monitoring should show meaningful service changes rather than simply collecting large numbers of alarms. We set out which evidence should be retained, who can access diagnostic information and how a problem is escalated between wireless, identity and app teams.
MCI provides Cisco and Meraki network services throughout the UK. For controller-based wireless, share the current platform, site layout and the business problem you need to solve. We can scope a design, rollout or support engagement with clear deliverables, planned testing and a supportable setup that your operations team can understand after the project has ended.
Technical references
- Catalyst 9800 configuration model — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
- Catalyst 9800 configuration best practices — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
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