Of all the controversies within the 802.11n marketplace, nothing quite rivals the "he said, she said" vendor debates around Power over Ethernet (PoE) support in 802.11n access points. Because MIMO requires multiple radio chains to work its magic, the power requirements of dual-band 802.11n APs generally exceed that which 802.3af PoE can provide, forcing vendors to come up with a variety of creative remedies.
Cisco's solution involves injecting additional wattage onto an access point's wired connection, either through 1250-specific power injectors or the enhanced PoE capabilities available in its Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E switches. Cisco also offers the option to run the 1250 platform with local AC power or a single radio module on PoE.
On the hardware front, the Cisco 1250 has a utilitarian design with a hardened white exterior accommodating two modular LWAPP radios when fully loaded. Although radio choices are limited to 2.4-GHz or 5-GHz 802.11n Dra2.0 modules supporting MIMO 2x3:2 (two transmit, three receive, with two spatial streams), additional options sporting enhanced MIMO capabilities may be available in the future. For our tests, we used three omnidirectional antennas on each radio module, but Cisco also offers a variety of compatible high-gain directional antennas.
Bottom line, at $1,299 for the dual-radio version, the 1250 is a bit costlier than current offerings, but the price/performance ratio is weighted in 11n's favor, especially if you've invested in 11n clients or are piloting voice over WLAN. Discounts will keep the price under the $1,000 mark, but the highly recommended, more-powerful 1250 PoE injectors add cost. Despite a few quirks with beta code, our experience with the product was positive, and we were impressed with its performance.
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