The company also introduced a stand-alone mode for the 1140, available in a five-pack for $4,975 ($995 each) that can run unmanaged or be managed by Cisco's Wireless Control System (WCS) software without requiring a controller, says Greg Beach, a Cisco director of product management.

With 802.11n-capable enterprise-class APs at $995, the "big guys" are rivaling the pricing of aggressive Wi-Fi system makers Ruckus Wireless and HP ProCurve, which both have offered 11n APs for a list price of $999. In addition, Motorola, which announced its tri-radio AP-7131 802.11n indoor AP in March 2008, offers the AP in a variety of configurations. In a dual-radio, 3x3, two-spatial stream scenario, the controller-based AP began listing for $949 in May, according to Motorola.

Other Moto configurations include adding 3G cellular backhaul as the third radio ($1,299) and adding a wireless intrusion prevention services, or WIPS security monitor as the third radio, for $1,649, according to the company.