CISCO AIR-CT5508-25-K9 Wireless Controllers

Twenty-five-AP branch replacement

AIR-CT5508-25-K9 is the Cisco 5508 Wireless Controller order for up to 25 access points. The AP count is part of the exact purchasing identity; another capacity SKU must not be treated as equivalent without license and estate review.

Capacity-specific acceptance

Reconcile the running controller's permanent AP count, active joins and license file before replacing it with this 25-AP order. Keep a rollback copy of the configuration and test a representative AP on the intended AireOS release.

Lifecycle boundary

Cisco's product bulletin lists 2018-05-04 as the 5508 hardware end-of-sale date and 2023-07-31 as the last date of support. This order does not restore software maintenance, vulnerability fixes or TAC eligibility. Use it only with a documented business reason and migration owner.

Receiving and cutover evidence

Verify the exact PID, hardware condition, power supplies, rack hardware, software image and recoverable license state. Before service cutover, test configuration restore, AP join, RADIUS or directory authentication, DHCP/DNS reachability and mobility behavior with the actual legacy AP population.

Migration decision

Cisco's original bulletin named newer controller platforms as migration options, but those recommendations have their own lifecycle. Select the current supported target through a fresh architecture review; do not assume that an old replacement PID remains the correct long-term destination.

Official sources: Cisco 5500 Series data sheet and Cisco 5508 lifecycle bulletin.