Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) is the industry leading platform for wireless LAN planning, configuration, and management. It provides a powerful foundation that allows IT managers to design, control, and monitor enterprise wireless networks from a centralized location, simplifying operations and reducing total cost of ownership.With Cisco WCS, network administrators have a single solution for RF prediction, policy provisioning, network optimization, troubleshooting, user tracking, security monitoring, and wireless LAN systems management. Robust graphical interfaces make wireless LAN deployment and operations simple and cost-effective. Detailed trending and analysis reports make Cisco WCS vital to ongoing network operations.
Cisco WCS runs on a server platform with an embedded database. This provides the scalability necessary to manage hundreds of Cisco wireless LAN controllers, which in turn can manage thousands of Cisco lightweight access points. Wireless LAN controllers can be located on the same LAN as Cisco WCS, or across a wide-area connection. This makes Cisco WCS the ideal wireless LAN management platform for even the largest enterprise environments.
Cisco WCS is available with an option that adds location features to the core WCS feature set. These advanced location tracking features enable IT staff to accurately track the location of wireless devices, including Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and PDAs, voice handsets, and mobile assets equipped with 802.11 transceivers. IT staff can isolate and contain wireless intruders, control access to wireless resources based upon geographic location, track assets, and support enhanced 911 (e911) requirements for voice services.
By incorporating location tracking into the wireless LAN infrastructure itself, Cisco Systems reduces the complexities of wireless LAN deployment and minimizes total cost of ownership. In addition, Cisco WCS is the only wireless LAN management system to use patent-pending RF fingerprinting technology for the highest level of location accuracy. By comparing the known RF characteristics of a building to real-time data collected by Cisco lightweight access points, the Cisco wireless infrastructure can accurately track mobile devices to within a few meters.