Wavelink Tackles Multivendor WLANs

Most wireless access points are difficult to manage on a large scale and difficult to secure, so they're often a chink in the armor when it comes to securing a network. What's more, access points in enterprise environments are often located on different subnets and sometimes geographically dispersed.

Solution providers looking to solve a host of enterprise wireless management dilemmas will be well-served by Wavelink's Mobile Manager, a software-based management package that eases the administration of multivendor wireless networks. The product's primary strength is its ability to configure and deploy multivendor WLANs rapidly and enforce wireless security settings. The product also supports access points from the big-name vendors, including Cisco Systems, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Proxim and Symbol Technologies.

The key to implementing Mobile Manager successfully is using enterprise-class access points vs. those designed for the home or small business, which often lack the management capabilities and support hooks needed by this product.

CRN Test Center engineers installed Mobile Manager on a server-class system running Windows 2000 Server. Installation was straightforward and simplified by well-timed prompts.

Like most network management products, Mobile Manager uses a two-tier approach. A management console is installed on a PC designated as a management station, and software agents are deployed throughout the network to servers connected to wireless-enabled subnets. The agents are responsible for monitoring and controlling the various access points, while the management console acts as the central point of administration for Mobile Manager.

Once the product is installed and the agents are deployed, administrators can start building a map of the wireless infrastructure. Mobile Manager eases the primary steps of that process by using a discovery wizard that finds all supported access points via the existing wired network. Discovery can use SNMP, Telnet, HTTP and other communications protocols to locate and identify access points, so adding more access points at a later date is no problem.

Access points found by the wizard can then be added to the wireless network map and fully administered. Solution providers will find the management console easy to navigate and will appreciate the granular control they get over access points. Being able to drill down into an individual access point's settings offers a level of control not available in the past.

Solution providers can create policies to control critical features of the access points, such as radio-transmit strength, transmit channel and preamble length. Furthermore, policies can be created to push new firmware to selected access points, which is an important feature when it comes to maintaining access points and associated security capabilities.

Mobile Manager simplifies the application and control of wireless security standards, so solution providers can define and deploy basic security elements quickly and enforce more complex security settings, such as RADIUS authentication or the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) standard.

Solution providers troubleshooting or performance-tuning WLANs will find Mobile Manager's logging and reporting capabilities a valuable feature. Complex reports generated from the program's logging capabilities can be created quickly, allowing solution providers to make fast work of identifying performance bottlenecks or suspicious security events.

Administrators will appreciate Mobile Manager's alert-profile capabilities. Profiles can be created to monitor the wireless infrastructure for uncommon or out-of-bounds events and then used to alert administrators via e-mail, pager or network management console.

In the never-ending battle of deploying and managing complex wireless networks, solution providers will find a valuable ally in Wavelink's Mobile Manager.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
>WAVELINK MOBILE MANAGER
CRN TEST CENTER RECOMMENDED
PRICE: $500 per console, $110 per access point
MARGIN: 35 percent
DISTRIBUTORS: Avnet, Nimax, ScanSource, Terrawave, WVA
TECH RATING:

CHANNEL RATING:

CHANNEL OVERVIEW: Wavelink, Kirkland, Wash., will soon be launching its first channel program, which will include MDFs and other marketing support, joint sales, on-site technical training and a solution provider Web site with technical and sales resources, technical support materials and presentations.

Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.