Vendors Flood Market With New Wireless Gear

By Jennifer Hagendorf Follett, ChannelWeb

9:49 AM EDT Tue. May. 22, 2007
Page 3 of 3

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Nortel, which OEMs wireless technology from Trapeze, is also beefing up its WLAN portfolio with new architecture and products, including the WLAN Security Switch 2382 and WLAN Access Point 2332. Under the new architecture, based on Trapeze's Smart Mobile technology, access points can forward traffic between themselves, eliminating the need to constantly send data back to the network core. Traffic to the WLAN switch can be reduced by up to 90 percent, the company said. The new products are slated for general availability in the third quarter.

Netgear is entering the WLAN controller market with the unveiling of its ProSafe Smart Wireless Switch. The new switch, targeted SMBs deploying five or more access points, includes eight powered Fast Ethernet ports and one Gigabit Ethernet port. It also includes enterprise-class features such as centralized management, built-in RF planning tools and integrated location-based services that can enable customers to track users or RFID-tagged assets. New access points include the WGL 102 and dual-radio WAGL 102. Netgear's existing standalone access points can also be upgraded to work with the controller.

Aerohive, which came out of stealth mode earlier this month, plans to show off its HiveAP 20 ag access points. Unlike traditional, standalone access points, Aerohive's work as a "hive," or a group of access points that discover each other, work together via mesh networking, automate RF management and support full-state roaming and best-path routing. If one goes down, the others can pick up the slack so users don't lose connectivity, according to the company.

Adtran is jumping into the wireless market with the launch of its first line of WLAN gear. The NetVanta 1335 is an all-in-one box that combines Layer 2/3 switching, IP routing, firewall, VPN and 802.11a/b/g wireless capabilities. The unit comes with an optional integrated access point or can act as a WLAN controller for the vendor's new NetVanta 150 lightweight access points.

Meru is expanding its E(z) RF application suite by adding High Fidelity Location Manager, a module that enables asset tracking within five to 15 feet, according to the company. In addition, IT managers can sketch out zones on their coverage maps to prevent any access from outsize the designated perimeter

Aruba is rolling out "follow-me" security for mobile users via the latest version of its software-based Mobile Access Point, which adds stateful firewall, enables local printing and features HotelConnect, a feature that makes it easier for users to connect via hotel connectivity portals.

Bluesocket is launching version 6.1 of its WLAN operating software, which for the first time unifies its entire product line on a single software platform.

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