CW9176I vs CW9178I
Specs, US list prices, licensing and support dates side by side, from official Cisco documentation.
Main differences
The CW9178I lists for $500 more than the CW9176I: $2,995 against $2,495 (US list prices).
- Best fit
- CW9176I: Dense office, campus, advanced indoor deployments vs CW9178I: Large offices, education, collaboration-heavy spaces
- Radios
- CW9176I: Tri-band 2.4/5/6 GHz (2.4/5 GHz flex: 2.4/5/6 or 5/5/6) vs CW9178I: Quad-radio 2.4/5/5/6 GHz (tri-radio 2.4/5/6 GHz default)
- Spatial streams
- CW9176I: 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 vs CW9178I: 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 + 4×4:4
- Max data rate
- CW9176I: 18 Gbps vs CW9178I: 24 Gbps
- Uplink
- CW9176I: 1 × 100M/1/2.5/5/10 GbE RJ45 vs CW9178I: 2 × 100M/1/2.5/5/10 GbE RJ45
1 more row differs in the table below.
The same on both: Wi-Fi standard: Wi-Fi 7; Environment: Indoor.
Both are available to order, with no end-of-sale date announced.
Full comparison
| Attribute |  CW9176I$2,495 |  CW9178I$2,995 |
|---|---|---|
| Best fitDiffers | Dense office, campus, advanced indoor deployments | Large offices, education, collaboration-heavy spaces |
| List priceDiffers | $2,495 | $2,995 |
| Wi-Fi standardSame | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| RadiosDiffers | Tri-band 2.4/5/6 GHz (2.4/5 GHz flex: 2.4/5/6 or 5/5/6) | Quad-radio 2.4/5/5/6 GHz (tri-radio 2.4/5/6 GHz default) |
| Spatial streamsDiffers | 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 | 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 + 4×4:4 |
| Max data rateDiffers | 18 Gbps | 24 Gbps |
| UplinkDiffers | 1 × 100M/1/2.5/5/10 GbE RJ45 | 2 × 100M/1/2.5/5/10 GbE RJ45 |
| PoE for full operationDiffers | 802.3bt (UPOE) | 802.3bt Class 6 (UPOE) |
| EnvironmentSame | Indoor | Indoor |
| HardwareDiffers | Tri-radio 4x4:4 plus scan and IoT radios; internal omni; GPS/GNSS | Quad-radio 4x4:4 (2.4, dual 5 and 6 GHz) plus IoT and UWB; internal omni |
| LicensingSame | Co-term MR Enterprise or MR Advanced (add-ons: MR Upgrade); subscription LIC-CW-E or LIC-CW-A | Co-term MR Enterprise or MR Advanced (add-ons: MR Upgrade); subscription LIC-CW-E or LIC-CW-A |
| AvailabilitySame | Available | Available |
| All portsDiffers | 1 × 10G RJ45 (Uplink) | 2 × 10G RJ45 (Uplinks) |
† US list price recorded from Cisco’s Meraki catalog on Jul 14, 2026. Cisco has since retired that catalog and publishes no newer public list prices, so recorded prices can’t be re-checked. Licenses are priced separately.