Cisco Business Dashboard with CWB150AX WiFi 6 - Unifi Killer?

Cisco have launched a "Cheaper" than Unifi WiFi 6 AP that can be centrally managed, but is it a replacement for Unifi or have is Cisco trying too hard?
Note apologies for the quality of things in this video.... very unwell partner at the moment so bit distracted and things didn't exactly go as planned because.....well watch and see
Cisco Business Dashboard - www.cisco.com/...
Affiliated links below
Cisco Business CWB150AX - amzn.to/3DD1ESs
Find me on:
Discord: / discord
Tiktok: / jimtheitguy
Facebook: / jimtheitguy
Instagram: / jimtheitguy
Twitter: / jimtheitguy
Twitch: / jimtheitguy
If you are a business looking for a Sophos partner or IT support, please get in touch with us over at Https://www.influx-sol... with any requirements you have
Looking for New/Refurbished Servers and equipment for your Business? Homelab?
Then have a look over at Https://www.bytestock.com and use Code JIMITGUY for money off at checkout, 10% off for first 5 people and 5% off for anyone else after that upto £500

[@lordcarnorjax8599]

The CWB150AX WAP's run a version of the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller software which forms a management cluster across multiple WAP's, hence why your WAP has two IP's and is very slow to boot. One IP is the WAP itself and the other IP is the management virtual IP of the cluster. If you add more WAP's to the network the existing WAP will detect them and you can add them in to the cluster. After that you'll see a WAP acting as the secondary controller. Once you've got two, reboots are much quicker because the management role will move. So if your just using these Cisco WAP's in isolation on a single LAN you don't need the "Cisco Business Dashboard" software just centrally manage the WAP's on the LAN. There's also a mobile app for them too. CBD only comes if you want to centrally manage multiple deployments of these WAP clusters and switches. CBD is designed for MSP's to use to sell as services to their clients. You can install a remote CBD probe on a Raspberry Pi to call home to the central deployment server. But when I tested CBD it's terrible, like most Cisco in house developed management products and couldn't recommend it at all let alone even pay for it. I tested 2.5 before it consumed all the disk space on the partition I had the VM on. 2.5.1 is available now but I haven't run it up yet to test if it's any better.

[@JimtheITguy]

Very much so, the issue is it was being pushed to reviews as a somthing that was better than Unifi when it's a rushed out hacked up mess that almost looks like they grabbed a few bits from Meraki Go, some of the old Linksys line and then said to the team make it more Cisco.....so it became overcomplicated and then broke

[@DarthReacher]

I installed a CBW150ax and a CBW151axm (mesh extender). I use the WebUI and the mobile app. They work fine. The boot time for the APs does test your patience, but the instructions do say it is lengthy. I have never used the Cisco Business Dashboard. When I started using Cisco Small Business routers and switches I was planning on using it. But, after reading a couple of reviews and all further references to it, it sounds like a real disaster.

[@JimtheITguy]

At some point i will buy a CBS250/350 and try again, hopefully they have improved the system but its unfortunate that Cisco really cant let go of making things......difficult for no reason

[@mikescott4008]

Certainly interested in the CBS 250 or 350 range. Just looking at pricing of a CBS350 24 port PoE switch atm.

[@JimtheITguy]

The 250 looks reasonable, just finding the routers seems to be a bit awkward

[@mikescott4008]

Looking at that too, but prob 24 port 350 and 250 for 16 port and 8. Then flog off a bunch of UniFi switches

[@mikescott4008]

I had a CBS350 24 port PoE delivered over Christmas and nice piece of kit!

[@JimtheITguy]

@@mikescott4008 the kit is good, the management is the bit that Cisco have dropped the ball on which is a shame

[@mikescott4008]

@@JimtheITguy running CBD in a Vm and it’s ok tbh

[@JasonsLabVideos]

What are your final thoughts on this so far JIm ? You like or ?

[@JimtheITguy]

I can see a use for it, going to get a switch from the range to see how well it behaves and will investigate the PnP aspect, but it's very much a "Cisco" system and doesnt flow as nice as Unifi/Omada/Etc, its like they took the Meraki software and cut out all the ease of use bits or deliberately made it awkward

[@JasonsLabVideos]

@@JimtheITguy Been told many many times, its just Lynksys stuff with lipstick. :)

[@JimtheITguy]

It's Meraki Go with an on prem console but none of the good bits of Meraki

[@chopperpl]

It is interesting how you talk about Cisco strategy with this product without a principle knowledge of the operating system used in these devices. If you had any experience with Cisco business products (especially Cisco Mobility Express), you would know they come with the WLC container, which is enabled by default (this is why you had two IPs). If you then take another new AP and plug in to the same network, it would automatically join the WLC and configure itself without any input on your part. BTW, the dashboard you initially connected to was not of the AP, but of the WLC. Cisco APs don't have dedicated dashboards. Now, if you want to talk about Cisco strategy then you missed very important point. It is called "The Mesh". Obviously you have ignored that part and took the point of view from the home user perspective. This is wrong and has nothing to do with the purpose of this product line. Therefore, I suggest you educate yourself about the product before making faulty statements. Cheers,

[@JimtheITguy]

This product was being pushed as an alternative to Unifi, listed to be manageable from a centrally controlled console the Cisco Business Dashboard., not an on device console, it failed at that, I was not the only creator to find out that. This was so long ago that I will be re visiting it but if Cisco want to launch a product that was priced to compete and launched to leverage the CBD then when multiple people found it was just a glorified AP connecting to a buggy mess, maybe it's got better.....maybe I missed some amazing feature of this product line, I shall revisit when I get time

[@benwhittle7204]

​@@JimtheITguy I am curious how well it would all work now with 2.7.x and the latest firmware, how it all works together and if there are still any big issues with the management side of things.

[@jrr851]

I had Cisco Business Dashboard running for a site that has about 18 CBS / SG switches. It was nice until it started messing up my VLANs and taking switches offline. I ripped out the dashboard and replaced it with LibreNMS and Oxidized. It doesn't do configuration from a centralized portal, but it handles monitoring well. It seems like Cisco Business Dashboard is too nerfed to prevent taking market share away from other Cisco.products.

[@JimtheITguy]

Indeed, it's a product designed to try and grab market back without impacting on the existing range and still keep Cisco people happy