Sharp Brains Solutions

This is a Smart Hands / Network Deployment field-engineer job description for installing and replacing two Cisco 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) at a site.

What you would actually do

Before the cutover

• Stage the Cisco equipment.
• Confirm the rack space, power, switch ports, cables, and SFPs are available.
• Have your laptop, console cable, Ethernet/fiber cables, USB drive, and other tools ready.

During installation

• Rack and secure 2 × Cisco 9800 WLCs.
• Connect power.
• Install SFPs and connect fiber/Ethernet.
• Perform network cross-connects.
• Verify switch ports and physical connectivity.
• Use the console connection and PuTTY if the remote network engineer needs you to access the WLC locally.

During the cutover

• Work under direction of a remote network/engineering team.
• Report port/link status and troubleshoot basic physical connectivity issues.
• Confirm that the equipment is properly connected and powered.

Afterward

• Remove the old WLCs if they're being replaced.
• Label and package the old equipment for shipping.
• Take site photographs if requested.
• Send the remote team a completion/status report.

Skills they are mainly looking for

You don't necessarily need to be a Cisco WLAN engineer who designs the configuration. This role is heavily focused on physical installation and Smart Hands support:

• Rack & stack
• Ethernet and fiber cabling
• SFP installation
• Basic networking
• Console access
• Physical/link troubleshooting
• Following instructions from a remote engineer
• Documenting the work with photos and completion updates

Important equipment to bring

The posting specifically expects you to have:

• Laptop with PuTTY + TFTP Server
• USB-A → USB-B console cable
• 4 Ethernet cables
• 1 crossover cable
• USB drive with the required IOS image
• Internet access/hotspot
• Standard toolkit
• 6-foot ladder