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.
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.
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
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.
