Comparison of Cisco AP 2600 and Aironet 3600 Series

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The Cisco AP 3600 has a modular design that offers future protection with optional .11ac and security modules. The AP 2600 does not support optional modules. However, the Cisco AP 2600 does have a slightly higher antenna gain in the 2.4 GHz band.

The AP3600 and the AP2600 are the same size, but it is easy to identify each one by noting whether the Cisco logo has an embossed frame (AP 3600) or not (AP 2600).

Front View of the AP2600 and the AP 3600

The Cisco AP 2600 is a 3X4:3SS, so ClientLink does not beamform to 3SS clients; however, it does beam form at legacy, one, and two spatial stream rates. The AP 3600 is a 4X4:3SS, supporting an extra transmitter chain for additional down link performance for all bands and clients. The AP 3600 has slightly higher performance and beamforms to legacy, one, two, and three spatial stream rates and .11ac rates when using the optional .11ac module.

The two series use the same mounting hardware and antennas.

Back View of the AP 2600

Cisco 2600 Series AP vs. Cisco Aironet 3600 Series

Cisco Aironet 802.11n G2 Series Indoor Access Points	2600 Series	3600 Series
Ideal for	Small, midsize, large enterprises and mid-market	Midsize or large enterprises
Site type	Indoor office, medium-sized warehouse	Large office, midsize or large warehouse
Application performance profile	Any Device/BYOD optimized Client scalability RF interference mitigation	High client density HD Video/VDI 802.11ac^*migration Comprehensive security
Future-proof modularity	–	Yes 802.11ac Module or WSM (Wireless Security Module) or 3G Small Cell Or 802.11ac Wave 2^* Module
Crowded areas	Yes	Yes
Number of radios	Dual (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz)	Tri Radios 2.4GHz for 802.11g/n 5GHz for 802.11a/n 5GHz 802.11ac Module for 802.11a/n/ac
Max data rate	450 Mbps	1.3 Gbps (with 802.11ac module)
MIMO radio design: spatial streams	3×4:3	802.11n: 4 x 4:3 802.11ac: 3 x 3:3
Client count/ClientLink client count	200/128	802.11n: 200/128 802.11ac Module: 50/7 (ECBF)
Autonomous access point option	Yes	Yes
ClientLink 2.0	Yes	Yes ECBF with 802.11ac clients
CleanAir	Yes	Yes
VideoStream	Yes	Yes
BandSelect	Yes	Yes
Rogue access point detection	Yes	Yes
Adaptive wireless intrusion protection system (wIPS)	Yes	Yes
OfficeExtend (Integrated- antenna models only)	Yes	Yes
FlexConnect	Yes	Yes
Power	802.3af, AC adapter	802.11n: 802.3af, AC adapter 802.11ac^*: Enhanced PoE, 802.3at or Universal PoE (UPOE)
Temperature range	2600i: 0 to 40°C 2600e: -20 to 55°C	3600i: 0 to 40°C 3600e: -20 to 55°C 3600p: -20 to 55°C
Antennas	2600i: Internal 2600e: External	3600i: Internal 3600e: External 3600p: External (US only)
Wi-Fi standards	802.11a/b/g/n	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Government certifications
Limited lifetime warranty	Yes	Yes