Jiri Brejcha - Wi-Fi Technical Solutions Architect

Unboxing Cisco Wireless CW9172H wall plate Wi-Fi 7 access point

Wall plate access points provide both wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity. Cisco has just started shipping the latest CW9172H Wi-Fi 7 wall plate AP. Same as all other Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7 APs, it is designed for global use. The regulatory domain is no longer dictated by the SKU. The CW9172H can be managed either by Cisco Meraki Dashboard, or Catalyst 9800 controller and Catalyst Center.

It can be mounted onto an electrical wall plate. The twisted pair cable runs inside the wall and there are no visible cables.

Wall plate mounting with no visible cables

If no wall plate is available, you can mount the AP using a spacer accessory kit on the actual wall surface with cables clipped to the wall.

Back to unboxing. What is included in the box? Well, if you order multiple access points, select the 6-pack option referred to as “multi packaging”. Who wouldn’t want a six pack? 😊

The 6-pack box dimensions are about 33 x 20 x 25 cm and it contains 6 APs.

Inside are 6 smaller boxes with 1 access point each.

Each AP is wrapped in paper. No plastic bags anymore.

Mounting bracket and accessories are placed underneath the AP.

Accessories are packaged in paper bags. Let’s have a closer look.

Finally, there is the access point.

The passthrough port covered by a plastic cover. There is 1 PoE out port and 2 standard Ethernet downlinks for your devices.

On the side is a standard RJ-45 console port, also covered by a plastic cover mainly for aesthetics reasons. Let’s remove the cover, shall we?

The Ethernet passthrough port cover follows similar style.

Back side of the AP hosts the up to 2.5 Gbps Ethernet uplink and passthrough port.

Optional accessories

There are extra parts you can order depending on how you wish to use and mount the CW9172H.

The spacer kit is designed for mounting on the actual wall surface.

Desktop cradle accessory is another option if you prefer to place the AP on a desk.

The port lock prevents users from connecting or disconnecting cables to the ports on the bottom side of the AP.

As per usual, refer to the Cisco installation guide and data sheet for official guidance.

Check down tilt angle of Cisco Wireless Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 AP remotely

What if you were able to detect access point’s down tilt angle remotely? Perhaps that would have explained unusual client connectivity issues at a remote site, spot an AP which has been installed incorrectly, or bent AP mounting hardware in a warehouse damaged by a scissor lift.

Problem statement

If you have ever deployed an access point with directional antenna (be it external or inbuilt), you know that orientation matters. Directional antennas focus the energy towards their main lobe. Access points or antennas deployed at incorrect angle mean that coverage is going to be very different from the desired one.

Location-based services and asset tracking accuracy very much depend on AP placement and orientation. What if the AP that was supposed to be mounted on a wall with 30 degree down tilt is actually sat flat on top of a network cabinet pointed towards the sky?

What if the down tilt angle of the AP changed literally overnight while maintenance was going on, and some heavy machinery was present inside your venue?

Solution

Selected Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 APs ship with built-in accelerometer. It detects and reports down tilt angle of each supported AP.

Down tilt of 0° represents an AP mounted to the ceiling surface with its LED pointed straight down towards the floor.

AP sat flat on a desk with the LED pointed towards the ceiling reports 180°.

Supported AP models

Wi-Fi 6E: CW9166D1
Wi-Fi 7: CW9176I, CW9176D1, CW9178I

Cloud-managed AP by Cisco Meraki Dashboard

There is nothing you need to do on your part to enable this feature. As long as your AP is equipped with the accelerometer, you will see the down tilt angle on the Wireless > Access Points page.

It updates quite frequently. I would say every couple of minutes. So, if I remove the AP from its bracket and pop it on my desk, you can see that my desk desperately asks for about 2° of attention 😄

As of May 2025, the angle is not available via API yet. The product manager confirmed that this was already work in progress, and he asked me to let you know.

AP managed by Catalyst 9800 controller

In Catalyst mode, accelerometer is supported since 17.15.1. By default the sensor is disabled, and no angle is visible in the web UI. We can enable it on a per access point basis.

Either from the controller web UI:

Or by this CLI command – note the “no” keyword:

ap name CW9176 no sensor environment accelerometer shutdown

To verify that accelerometer sensor is now enabled, we use this show command:

show ap sensor status

We then view the angle from the web UI:

And “Show more” provides raw detail:

As of May 2025, there isn’t a CLI command available to display the angle yet. Stay tuned.

Refresh rate of the angle in my case was 15 minutes. Hand on heart, the refresh rate isn’t important. You mount the AP and by the time you get back to your desk, the angle updates. I was just curious. Just picture me refreshing the AP 360 View page for 15 minutes. Real story 😊

For reference

Nicholas Swiatecki presented on this very subject at the Mobility Field Day. Watch his session.

Kjetil Teigen Hansen built a nice Grafana dashboard that represents the angle visually.

Unboxing Cisco Wireless CW9176I Wi-Fi 7 access point

Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7 access points introduced new packaging, replaced plastic bags with paper, and introduced new ordering process. This particular AP is the CW9176I-RTG SKU. The RTG stands for Ready To Go. It is build to stock which means super fast shipping, 1 AP per box packaging, and mounting brackets are included with no option to customise it. This -RTG option is perfect if you just need a single AP urgently to perform an “AP on a stick” site survey for example.

Now, if you want to minimise the cardboard volume and storage space, I highly recommend you use the CW9176I-CFG SKU. It allows you to order a 10-pack (that’s 10 APs per box) and fully customise mounting hardware or even opt out from it and use your existing brackets. The CFG part stands for configurable and it is build to your order.

Where in the SKU is the regulatory domain?

It’s gone, and it’s great! Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7 APs are designed for global use. The SKU is no longer assigned to any particular region or country. Simply order an AP. It will detect its location, and set the right country code.

Is this the cloud-managed or Catalyst controller managed model?

It is whatever you want it to be. After you plug it in, claim in in your Cisco Meraki Dashboard inventory, and it will run in Meraki mode. If you don’t claim it, it will discover your Catalyst 9800 controller, and become a Catalyst lightweight access point. Same SKU, same hardware, you choose how you manage it.

You can even switch between the two modes at any point in time with no TAC support whatsoever.

Each Wi-Fi 7 AP consumes a Unified License. This license is the same for both modes. It gives you rights to either cloud-manage the AP in Cisco Meraki Dashboard, or you can join it to Catalyst 9800 controller, and manage it by Catalyst Center.

What’s in the CW9176I-RTG box?

This is the individually packaged RTG SKU, 1 AP per box.

Note the paper wrap around the AP. No more plastic bags.

Underneath the AP are the instructions, bracket, and ceiling grid clip.

Detail of the low profile AIR-AP-BRACKET-1 mounting bracket and bolts.

Detail of the AIR-AP-T-RAIL-R ceiling grid mounting clip.

Finally, there is the AP.

All Cisco Wi-Fi 7 APs ship with a white Console port cover by default. Its purpose is to prevent installers from plugging the twisted pair cable carrying Ethernet to the Console port. The cover can be removed without any extra tools.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide.

Unboxing external GPS antenna CW-ANT-GPS2-S-00 for Cisco CW9163E access point

Cisco CW9163E has an in-built GPS/GNSS antenna, and there is an option to attach an external one if signal strength is too weak. We are talking GPS only in this post. For Wi-Fi to work, this AP requires either omnidirectional dipoles or directional patch antenna.

Let’s peak inside the book.

There is a single hose clamp to attach the antenna to a pole, and the GPS antenna itself with directly attached cable.

Before you ask, the cable is about 3 meters long.

It’s now time to remove the GPS antenna port cap.

Detail for the GPS antenna port.

The rubber seal helps protect it from the weather.

Now, the last thing to deal with is how to mount the antenna. You can either use the 2 holes and screws (screws were not provided). Or run the provided hose clamp through the loop inside the antenna mount, pole mount the antenna, and point it towards the sky.

And here is our final setup before the AP gets mounted.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide.

Unboxing Cisco CW9163E outdoor access point

CW9163E is Cisco’s outdoor Wi-Fi 6E access point. It comes in external antenna flavor only, so make sure you order either 4 omnidirectional dipoles (in some cases 2 might do just fine), or one directional patch antenna along with the AP itself.

It has built-in GPS antenna. If you expect poor GPS coverage, you can order an optional external GPS antenna.

Note that there are no plastic bags anymore.

Underneath the AP we find the mounting bracket, hose clamps, and other accessories.

Let’s look closely at the acessories.

Inside the little cardboard box is a cable gland and grounding pad.

6 GHz ports A and B, along with the GPS antenna connector live on the top side of the access point.

The bottom side hosts antenna ports C and D shared by 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios, reset button, Console RJ-45 port, and up to 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port.

No 6 GHz outdoors in the UK yet

Ofcom, the UK regulator, doesn’t permit 6 GHz use outdoors, at least not yet as of May 2025. The 6 GHz radio of the access point is disabled in software.

Unboxing Cisco CW-ANT-D1-NS-00 directional patch antenna for CW9163E AP

Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6E outdoor CW9163E access point requires an external antenna. It has no built-in Wi-Fi antenna. The antenna is a separate purchase and is not included.

You can choose between either omnidirectional dipoles (make sure you order 4 of them), which we covered here, or an external directional patch antenna CW-ANT-D1-NS-00. That’s what we are going to talk about today.

CW-ANT-D1-NS-00 is a 2×2 self-identifying antenna (SIA). The AP detects its presence, model and gain automatically. No more manual antenna configuration needed on your part anymore, yay!

Here is what’s in the box.

After opening all little paper bags you will find these accessories.

Coaxial cable length is about 60 cm and it uses N-type connectors. On the antenna side, all coax cables are permanently attached and are not removable.

The thickest part of the N-type connector measures about 2 cm.

Don’t judge my cable management, please. Also, colour of the AP and antenna is the usual “Cisco outdoor AP grey”. White balance in these two photos is slightly misleading, my bad.

The cable length allows you to achieve about 20 cm distance between the AP and the antenna.

Ultimately, this is how the final setup looks like.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide

Unboxing Cisco CW-ANT-O1-NS-00 omnidirectional dipole antenna for CW9163E AP

Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6E outdoor CW9163E access point is an external antenna only model. It requires either 4 omnidirectional dipole antennas CW-ANT-O1-NS-00, or a directional CW-ANT-D1-NS-00 antenna (note the “D”) which we covered in this post.

The CW-ANT-O1-NS-00 antenna ships in a little recycled paper bag and it includes a single antenna. Please make sure you order this CW-ANT-O1-NS-00 SKU four times and connect antennas to all 4 N-type ports.

Note: If you have no plans to use 6 GHz, or can’t use 6 GHz outdoors in your country, scroll down. You might potentially get away with 2 antennas.

Here is a detail of the label.

If you are wondering what its dimensions are, here is a small UK banana for scale 😊

Joking aside, the antenna is about 23 cm long.

And its thickest point measures 2,8 cm.

Finally, here is the AP with all 4 antennas attached.

The whole set is about 65 cm tall.

These dipoles are self-identifying antennas (SIA) and the AP automatically detects their presence, model, and gain. In my setup I have 4 dipoles connected to the AP and since I am in the UK (where we don’t permit 6 GHz outdoor use yet), my 6 GHz radio has no channel assigned, and it is disabled in software on access points installed in Europe as of April 2025.

No plans for 6 GHz? No problem.

If your country has no plans to enable 6 GHz outdoors, you could only populate the bottom 2 antennas. These are connected to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios. The top 2 N-type ports marked 6 GHz technically don’t need an antenna if you don’t plan to use them. But we must protect them from weather by N-type connector caps. Simply order CW-ACC-KIT1-00 accessory kit which includes 4 caps as well as other accessories.

Install the connector caps on 6 GHz ports A and B. Please note I am using compatible caps I already owned. The official Cisco ones might look slightly differently.

Let’s have a quick look from the front.

Just keep in mind that if you change your mind and want to use 6 GHz later, you will have to purchase the missing 2 antennas, remove the caps, and connect the additional antennas. So, expect some extra installation efforts. It might well make your life easier if you attach all 4 antennas from the get-go.

As expected, the AP will detect the bottom 2 antennas serving 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands but not the top two 6 GHz antennas.

From physical footprint perspective, CW9163E equipped with the bottom 2 antennas is nearly as tall as MR76/MR86 with all 4 antennas attached.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide.

Does iPhone 16 support the optional 4096-QAM Wi-Fi 7 feature?

Apple has just published a new and very useful Wi-Fi specification document which answers this question.

What is 4096-QAM?

It is the latest modulation technique that allows the access point and Wi-Fi client to send even more data over the air than ever before. Effectively, it adds 2 new MCS indexes 12 and 13 and unlocks faster data rates.

4096-QAM MCS indexes, credit to http://mcsindex.net

Achieving it is challenging as it requires very high Signal to Noise Radio (SNR) – that’s very strong signal and low noise. So in practical terms, it is only used quite rarely.

For context, with another client device using Intel BE200 Wi-Fi 7 adapter, I hit MCS 12 with SNR about 60-62 dB. In other words, if my noise floor was -95 dBm, my signal would have to be about -35 dBm.

Does iPhone 16 support it then?

According to the above spec sheet, the maximum Extremely High Throughput (EHT) the iPhone can achieve is MCS 11. 4096-QAM only uses MCS indexes 12 and 13. Check the mcsindex.net site.

So, the answer is no, it doesn’t.

Is it a dealbreaker?

From data rate perspective, even without 4096-QAM, and using 160 MHz wide channel, we are talking 2000+Mbps! Obviously depending on how far you are from the access point.

So I personally can’t complain. I value access to the clean 6 GHz spectrum, low latency and low retransmissions rate over maximum throughput.

My WAN link speed of 900 Mbps is my personal bottleneck and I usually don’t transfer huge amounts of data from the phone.

High Tx (transmit) and Rx (receive) rates

On a laptop, I can imagine 4096-QAM to deliver much more value when it comes to performing backups for moving very large software image or video files. Having said that, don’t forget that there is 2.5, 5 or 10 Gigabit Ethernet for that.