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.
Hey Jiri,
Thank you for nice post.
Would you be able to provide your expert advice around below case please?
‘Wireless survey engineer surveyed one of our site and suggested to use Cisco CW9163E outdoor access point along with external dipole antennas CW-ANT-O1-NS-00. As dipole antennas are omni directional in RF characteristics, the concern is that engineer mentioned in the survey report to place AP horizontally facing towards the floor, with this type of AP orientation the dipole antennas directly connecting to AP would not face the floor and therefore the antenna signal propagation would not be horizontal towards the floor where it is needed. Could you advise all achievable AP and antenna orientation when dipole antenna is connected for various mounting conditions.’