Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco Wireless Controller Migration
Migrate Cisco wireless to a supported controller platform, checking access-point compatibility, configuration changes and client behaviour.
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 wireless controller migration needs to preserve the services users rely on while changing the platform that controls them. Configuration conversion is only one part of that work. Access-point compatibility, identity, forwarding, roaming and operational ownership can all affect the result. MCI Network Services plans and carries out controller migrations with an explicit target design, representative pilots and a rollback route that remains practical throughout the cutover.
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.
Establish what the existing system really provides
We start with an inventory of controllers, access points, software, wireless services and management integrations. The review also identifies client groups and applications, including devices that may be absent during a normal office-hours survey. A rarely used scanner or specialist handset can still be business-critical. Its requirements should be considered before the old platform is removed.
The current configuration is compared with the services the customer intends to retain. Obsolete WLANs, temporary exceptions and historical workarounds should not automatically become part of the new standard. Equally, an unfamiliar setting should not be deleted merely because its purpose is unclear. We record the evidence and owner for each important dependency, then agree what will move unchanged, what will be redesigned and what can be retired.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
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Translate behaviour rather than just commands
Different Cisco controller generations use different configuration models. A migration to Catalyst 9800, for example, requires the relevant service relationships to be represented through its profiles and tags. A conversion utility may assist preparation, but its output still needs review against the target release and the intended client behaviour. Syntactically acceptable configuration is not sufficient acceptance evidence.
We map authentication, VLAN allocation, forwarding, guest access and radio policy to the target platform. Certificates, trust relationships and management integrations receive separate checks. Licensing and hardware support are confirmed before committing to the cutover sequence. Where a required function has no direct equivalent, the proposal explains the alternative and its consequences instead of silently changing the service during deployment.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Decide how the two systems will coexist
Most migrations benefit from a controlled period in which the old and new systems are available. We define which access points belong to each controller and how users move between those areas. Supported mobility arrangements are reviewed where needed, but cross-platform roaming should not be assumed merely because both networks advertise the same name.
Physical rollout planning matters. An unplanned mixture of old and new access points in the same working area can make diagnosis difficult and create unpredictable client movement. We choose pilot and migration boundaries that can be tested sensibly. The plan also identifies any temporary routing, authentication or firewall changes required during coexistence and assigns a removal point for those exceptions.
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 ↗Prove the target with real clients
The pilot includes representative operating systems, authentication methods and business applications. We test fresh connections, address assignment, roaming and access restrictions, as well as ordinary browsing. Devices with cached credentials or established sessions can hide problems that will affect users arriving the next morning. The acceptance record therefore distinguishes existing-client continuity from new-client onboarding.
Evidence is collected with timestamps and the relevant controller, access point and policy context. Material defects are resolved before expansion, or explicitly accepted with their impact understood. The customer should know which tests passed and which remain outstanding. A green controller dashboard does not replace validation by the teams responsible for the applications that make the wireless network useful.
Keep rollback achievable
Rollback planning covers more than restoring a text configuration. We consider access-point software, join behaviour, certificates, VLAN paths and the availability of the previous controller. The old platform must remain capable of accepting the devices that may need to return. We also define the decision point beyond which a rollback would require a different recovery procedure.
The cutover sequence includes checkpoints and stop conditions. Engineers should not continue moving sites while an unresolved issue is spreading simply because a maintenance window is running short. We agree who can authorise a pause or rollback and how users will be informed. Backups and alternative management access are verified before changes affect the normal operational path.
Finish the transition, including retirement
After migration, we compare the final estate with the approved design and remove obsolete temporary settings. Monitoring, configuration backups and escalation records are updated for the new platform. The old controller is retired only when its remaining dependencies have been checked, including any guest anchoring or management function that was not part of the main access-point move.
MCI’s Catalyst 9800 deployment service can provide the target implementation within a wider migration programme. Share the existing platform inventory, site schedule and critical client requirements. We will define a realistic transition scope, supported coexistence plan and acceptance evidence that allows the business to move forward without relying on an untested assumption that the new controller behaves exactly like the old one.
Technical references
- Migration from AireOS to Catalyst 9800 — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
- Catalyst 9800 configuration model — 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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