Motorola Adds 802.11n Gear To Wireless Vision

Additionally, to assist with 802.11n rollouts, Motorola is set to launch the 802.11n edition of its LAN Planner tool later this year. The LAN Planner offers views of 11n AP placements and performance maps. The included Automated Migration Wizard can simplify migration to 11n by giving an overview of mixed network coverage and determining the exact number of 11n access points needed.

Both the AP-7131 access point and the RFS6000 wireless LAN switch will be available next month, Goulet said.

Motorola's adding 11n to its lineup is a sign that the trend toward 11n is going to continue and enterprises and their VARs need to take notice, Goulet said.

"Whether IT administrators like I tor not, N will make its way into the enterprise," he said.

Hajela agreed. "If you look at the wireless enterprise, foremost on their minds are reliability, security and cost," he said, adding that 11n performance is equal to the performance of wired networks. Hajela said companies should also consider 11n now because chipsets have dropped in price; Wi-Fi-enabled cell phone user is on the rise and the sale of notebooks is eclipsing the sale of desktops.

Hajela said a recent study conducted by Motorola found that a greenfield all wireless deployment for a company of 5,000 would cost just over $230,000, while a greenfield wired deployment would run in the neighborhood of $2.8 million. Operating expenses for an all-wireless network run roughly $12.51 per user, compared to $88 per user for a wired network.

"A WLAN is 1/5 to 1/10 the cost of its wired equivalent," Hajela said.

Goulet said it is up to channel partners to get customers on board with 11n, whether through phased approaches or broader deployments. Goulet added that VARs offering 11n can make a strong ROI argument over wireless network upgrades.

"The channel can under bid with an all wireless option," he said. "That is a much better competitive story."

Darrell Alfaro, president of Moonblink Communications, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based wireless solution provider, agreed that Motorola's jump into 11n gives a competitive advantage. Moonblink serves several verticals, including education, service providers and government, Alfaro said, and the ability to offer an end-to-end wireless solution gives him an edge. He said other wireless vendors he's dealt with can't match the end-to-end offerings, despite Motorola joining 11n late in the game.

"First to market isn't necessarily always the best thing," he said.

Alfaro said he's seen increasing interest in 11n, especially in education where higher throughput enables schools to leverage video and more interactive learning tools. He said most start with a phased approach to 11n, launch a pilot and then upgrade the entire network.

"11n offers higher throughput, and people are waiting for it," he said. "It gives our clients better solutions because 11n is going to be easier to deploy, less expensive and easier to manage on their networks."