Purple on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS wireless controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 and AireOS controllers hand guest sign-in to an external captive portal and staff authentication to RADIUS. Purple provides both, so the controllers you already run gain branded guest WiFi, first-party data capture and per-user staff access without new hardware. For multi-tenant buildings, Cisco iPSK with RADIUS attributes gives each resident or tenant their own key on a shared SSID.
What Purple supports on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS
Four capabilities are supported on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS, the same four we list for it in the hardware integrations directory. Each one uses settings the Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC already has, so nothing new is installed on site.
Guest captive portal
The Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC redirects guests on your guest SSID to a Purple splash page, where they sign in by email, social login or SMS. Every sign-in becomes a consented first-party record you can report on and market to.
802.1X staff WiFi
Add Purple as the RADIUS server for your staff SSID and each person signs in with their own credentials rather than a shared password, so a leaver loses access the moment their account is removed.
Multi-tenant WiFi: Cisco iPSK with RADIUS attributes
Each resident, tenant or device group gets a personal key on one shared SSID. Purple manages the keys and the Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC enforces them.
Dynamic VLAN steering
Purple returns a VLAN with each RADIUS decision, so a user or key lands on the right network segment without an SSID per group.
Supported Cisco Catalyst and AireOS platforms
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series WLC (9800-CL, 9800-40, 9800-80), AireOS (5520, 8540), Catalyst 9100 Series APs, Cisco ISE
RADIUS servers, ports and the walled garden allowlist are maintained by our support team and can differ per deployment. Get the current Cisco Catalyst and AireOS configuration from Purple Support.
How to set up Purple on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS
A guest WiFi rollout on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS follows the same five steps whatever the size of the estate. The step-by-step guides linked here cover the exact Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC screens.
Check your platform is on the supported list
Purple supports Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series WLC (9800-CL, 9800-40, 9800-80), AireOS (5520, 8540), Catalyst 9100 Series APs, Cisco ISE. If your controller or firmware is not listed, ask us before you start.
Point the guest SSID at Purple in the Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC
Set the guest network's captive portal or splash page to Purple's hosted portal and add Purple as its RADIUS server. The Cisco Catalyst and AireOS setup guide walks through each screen.
Add the walled garden and RADIUS details from Purple Support
The walled garden entries and RADIUS servers are set per deployment and change over time, so take them from the hardware guide on support.purple.ai, not from a summary page.
Build your splash page and choose sign-in methods
Design the splash page in Purple, pick the login methods and data fields you need, and set consent wording for your region.
Test on real devices, then roll out
Connect with an iPhone, an Android phone and a laptop before you open the network to guests. If the portal does not appear, the troubleshooting guides below cover the usual causes.
Start with these Cisco Catalyst and AireOS guides
Every Cisco Catalyst and AireOS guide, by task
14 published guides name Cisco Catalyst and AireOS in their title or cover it in depth. This list updates as new guides are published.
Captive portal and splash page setup (3)
- Cisco Catalyst WLC and guest WiFi: captive portal setup with Purple
How a Cisco Catalyst 9800 (IOS-XE) wireless LAN controller works with Purple guest WiFi: external web authentication, RADIUS and a walled garden, with a link to Purple's…
- DNS Filtering for Guest WiFi: Blocking Malware and Inappropriate Content
This guide provides IT managers, network architects, and venue operations directors with a definitive technical reference for deploying DNS filtering on guest WiFi…
- Legal Liabilities and Content Filtering on Public Guest Networks
This guide provides IT managers, network architects, and CTOs with a definitive technical and legal framework for deploying content filtering on public guest WiFi…
802.1X, RADIUS and network access control (5)
- Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco ISE: enterprise NAC platform comparison
Compare Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager and Cisco ISE. Evaluate multi-vendor RADIUS AAA, 802.1X policy engines, licensing costs, and guest WiFi integration.
- Cisco ISE vs. Purple WiFi: How They Compare and Work Together
This guide explains how Cisco ISE and Purple WiFi serve distinct but complementary roles in enterprise networks. It details how to use Cisco ISE for secure 802.1X…
- How to Configure WPA2-Enterprise on Common Access Point Platforms (Cisco, Aruba, Ubiquiti)
This technical reference guide provides senior IT professionals and network architects with a definitive, vendor-specific walkthrough for deploying WPA2-Enterprise on…
- Understanding Cisco SUDI: Hardware-Based Device Identity in Network Access Control
This guide details the technical architecture of Cisco SUDI, explaining how hardware-anchored identity secures network access control. It provides actionable…
- Mitigating RADIUS Vulnerabilities: A Security Hardening Guide
This guide provides a comprehensive, actionable reference for IT managers, network architects, and CTOs responsible for enterprise WiFi infrastructure across…
iPSK, PPSK and per-device keys (1)
- IPSK Explained: Identity Pre-Shared Keys for WiFi Access
This guide provides IT managers, network architects, and venue operations directors with a definitive technical reference on Identity Pre-Shared Keys (IPSK) for WiFi…
Architecture, comparisons and planning (5)
- Choosing Enterprise Access Points: Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus, UniFi Compared
Compare Cisco Meraki, Aruba, Ruckus, and UniFi enterprise access points. Evaluate WiFi 6E/7, TCO licensing, RF performance, and controller architectures.
- Cisco Meraki location analytics: what you get built in and where it stops
You will be able to decide which Meraki presence questions the built-in dashboard can answer, when to stream raw observations through the scanning API, and when you need…
- Network device management guide: SNMP, TFTP, and syslog without a full NMS
You will be able to manage a small switch and router estate with SNMP polling, TFTP config backups and a syslog and trap receiver run from one management host. You can…
- Network topology mapping guide: building a live device map from CDP, LLDP, and MTR
You will be able to build a network map that stays current by merging CDP and LLDP neighbor tables, MTR path hops and a LAN subnet sweep. You can then check the map for…
- Planning a WiFi 6 to WiFi 7 access point refresh when Cisco Meraki WiFi 6 reaches end of sale
This technical reference gives multi-site operators a decision framework for a Cisco Meraki WiFi 6 to WiFi 7 refresh before the 12/31/2026 last-order date. It pairs…
What you can run on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS
The integration is the entry point. These are the Purple products that run on top of it, each on the Cisco Catalyst and AireOS hardware you already have.
Running more than one vendor?
Purple is one platform across mixed estates. The other hardware hubs cover the same four capabilities:
Comparing Purple with another guest WiFi or RADIUS platform instead? See every Purple comparison or captive portal software compared.
Cisco Catalyst and AireOS and Purple: questions
Does Purple work with Cisco Catalyst and AireOS?
Yes. On Cisco Catalyst and AireOS, Purple provides the guest captive portal, cloud RADIUS for 802.1X staff WiFi, Cisco iPSK with RADIUS attributes for multi-tenant WiFi and dynamic VLAN steering. Supported platforms: Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series WLC (9800-CL, 9800-40, 9800-80), AireOS (5520, 8540), Catalyst 9100 Series APs, Cisco ISE.
Do I need to replace my Cisco Catalyst and AireOS access points to use Purple?
No. Purple runs on the access points you already own. You configure the guest SSID in the Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC to redirect to Purple's hosted splash page and add Purple as a RADIUS server; the hardware stays as it is.
Where do I find the RADIUS servers and walled garden entries for Cisco Catalyst and AireOS?
In the hardware guides on support.purple.ai. Those values are set per deployment and change over time, so we do not publish them on marketing pages or in guides. Always take them from Purple Support.
How does multi-tenant WiFi work on Cisco Catalyst and AireOS?
With Cisco iPSK with RADIUS attributes. Each resident, tenant or device group gets its own key on a shared SSID, and Purple returns the matching VLAN over RADIUS, so each unit gets a private network without an SSID per unit.
Which Cisco Catalyst and AireOS guide should I read first?
Start with "Cisco Catalyst WLC and guest WiFi: captive portal setup". It covers the Catalyst 9800 or AireOS WLC settings for the guest portal. The rest of the Cisco Catalyst and AireOS guides on this page are grouped by task: portal setup, 802.1X and RADIUS, per-user keys and troubleshooting.
Can I run Purple across Cisco Catalyst and AireOS and other hardware?
Yes. Purple is one platform across mixed estates, so sites on different vendors share the same splash pages, sign-in data, reporting and RADIUS policies. The hardware integrations directory lists every supported vendor.
See Purple on your Cisco Catalyst and AireOS network
Tell us what you run today and we will show you the guest, staff and multi-tenant setup on your own hardware.