Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controllers End-of-Life & EOSL Dates
The Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controllers is a hardware in Cisco's 8500 product line. End-of-sale and end-of-service-life dates are listed by part number below, each linked to the Cisco EOL bulletin.
Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controllers has mixed lifecycle status. Some SKU groups are already past Cisco end of service while others run until Jan 2027. Confirm the exact part number before any support or refresh decision. For past-EOSL units, weigh third-party maintenance, spares, replacement, or a documented run-to-failure.
End of sale
Jul 2018 – Jan 2022
End of security support
Sep 2021 – Jan 2025
Last date of support
Sep 2023 – Jan 2027
Part numbers
26
18
of 26 part numbers are past support
Why this score
- Past end of service life for the first part numbers 38 months ago; the last are supported to Jan 2027
- Vendor-published date, source-linked
- Mixed status across SKU groups: some past EOSL, some still supported
- Category: hardware
Support-lifecycle timing and source confidence only. Higher means more runway. It is not a risk, safety or compliance rating. How it is calculated
Part numbers in this family
Dates vary across 2 groups in this family, so every row carries its own. Find your exact part before you plan.
| Part number | End of sale | End of security support | Last date of support | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR-8580-AC-750W | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | |
| AIR-8580-DC-950W | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | |
| AIR-CT8540-CA-K9 | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | |
| AIR-CT8540-1K-K9 | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller Supporting 1000 APs-rack kit |
| AIR-CT8540-K9 | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller with rack mouting kit |
| C1-AIR-CT8540-K9 | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | Cisco ONE - Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller with 0AP Lics |
| AIR-CT8540-K9-PM | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller with rack mouting kit |
| LIC-CT8540-1AP-INT | Jan 2022 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2027 | Ending soon | Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller 1 AP Lic Integrated with AP |
| AIR-CT8510-100-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | |
| AIR-CT8510-100-K9Z | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 100 APs |
| AIR-CT8510-100K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 100 AP(TAA) |
| AIR-CT8510-1K-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 1000 Aps |
| AIR-CT8510-300-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 300 Aps |
| AIR-CT8510-300K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Support 300 AP (TAA) |
| AIR-CT8510-3K-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 3000 Aps |
| AIR-CT8510-500-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 500 Aps |
| AIR-CT8510-500K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Support 500 AP (TAA) |
| AIR-CT8510-6K-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller Supporting 6000 Aps |
| AIR-CT8510-CA-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | 8510 Wireless Controller with 0 AP License (RMA ONLY) |
| AIR-CT8510-HA-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8510 Series High Availability Wireless Controller |
| AIR-CT8510-HA-K9Z | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller for high availability |
| AIR-CT8510-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Base PID for Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller |
| AIR-CT8510-SP-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller with 0 AP included |
| AIR-CT85DC-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Base PID for Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller - DC |
| AIR-CT85DC-SP-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller with 0 AP (DC Pwr) |
| C1-AIR-CT8510-K9 | Jul 2018 | Sep 2021 | Sep 2023 | Past support | Cisco ONE - 8500 series WLAN Controller w/ 0 AP lics |
Options from here
18 Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controllers part numbers are past Cisco end of service while 8 remain supported (to Jan 2027). For the past-EOSL units, these are the usual paths:
Keep it in production past the OEM cutoff with an independent maintainer.
Buy spares now, while units still circulate on the secondary market. Current eBay listings for 8500 Series Wireless Controllers ↗
It is unsupported today. Set a migration timeline and budget.
Low-criticality role: document the risk, harden backups, retire on your terms.
Independent and informational. EOSL.ai sells no hardware and no maintenance, and lists no paid placements. Third-party maintenance keeps unsupported gear in production past the OEM cutoff; whether it fits depends on the role the asset plays.
8500 Series Wireless Controllers questions
Is the Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controllers end of life?
Partly. Some Series Wireless Controllers SKU groups are past end of service life while others are still supported. See the dates by SKU group below.
What is the last date of support for the Series Wireless Controllers?
Last dates of support across Series Wireless Controllers SKU groups range from Sep 2023 to Jan 2027.
When does Cisco stop releasing security fixes for the Series Wireless Controllers?
Between Sep 2021 and Jan 2025, depending on the SKU group. That is the End of Vulnerability/Security Support date in the Cisco EOL bulletin: the last date Cisco may release a remedy for a security vulnerability in the hardware.
Where do these Series Wireless Controllers dates come from?
Every end-of-sale and end-of-service-life date on this page links to the official Cisco EOL bulletin it was taken from.