Cisco® Wireless LAN Controllers work in conjunction with Cisco Aironet access points and the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) to provide systemwide wireless LAN functions. As a component of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, the Cisco 2100 Series enables administrators to securely manage WLANs and mobility services, such as enhanced security, voice, guest access, and location services.

These controllers are part of a Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified architecture, and are well suited for retail customers who deploy transactional data applications such as scanners and kiosks. With performance up to 100 Mbps, the Cisco 2100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers also enable small and medium branch offices to deploy collaboration applications such as guest access and mobile voice.

While Cisco 2100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers support transaction-oriented wireless environments such as handheld scanners in retail, the Cisco 4400 Series Wireless LAN Controllers are recommended for high-data-rate and multicast-intensive applications such as large data files, video, push-to-talk.