Renasis Gives WLANs a Boost

Company:

Headquarters: Lehi, Utah

Technology Sector: Networking

Key Product: Renasis Super Access Point (SAP) 36G

Year Founded: 2003

Number of Channel Partners: 5 in the U.S.

Ideal Channel Partner: Volume-oriented reseller partner

Why You Should Care: Renasis offers high-powered wireless connectivity through its Super Access Point (SAP) 36G, which it says comes in at about 30 percent of the cost of competing access points and can cover 400 percent of the area.

The Lowdown: Renasis CEO Ki Chun developed a mission statement around his company and its (SAP) 36G access point. But he never got to use it. Instead, he threw that mission statement out the window, deciding on a four-word mantra instead: "Provide affordable enterprise networks."

The simplicity of that mantra is at the heart of what Renasis offers: Affordable wireless networks that ultimately lower the price and offer reliable, long-range performance.

According to Chun, Renasis is bent on lowering the capital expense of wireless networks and

offering products that use fewer resources to deploy and maintain. Renasis also works to give its partners a simple and speedy product to deploy, meaning more jobs can get done faster.

Take the (SAP) 36G access point, for example. The access point lists for about $185, a much cheaper alternative than competing access points. And, Chun said, the access point offers a larger coverage area, meaning one access point can replace three or four from the competition.

The (SAP) 36G is a high-powered access point that ties in advanced security and sophisticated software controls. The 800 mWatt access point can be configured as a client device, bridge or wireless distribution system-plus-access point. The 802.11b/g device includes an integrated amplifier and support for Power over Ethernet. On the security side, it ties in WPA and WPA2, 802.1x/RADIUS and MAC. It also offers Wireless Multimedia QoS, transmit power control and connection quality monitoring.

Currently, the sweet spot for Renasis lies in the hospitality industry, and Chun said he wants hospitality VARs to pay attention.

"More and more companies, hospitality especially, are moving from the paid Internet model to the free Internet model," Chun said, which means hospitality companies will turn to VARs and integrators to see that model through, introducing new market and revenue opportunities.

Chun said Renasis is currently looking to broaden its channel reach to find new markets through systems integrators and is looking at 2009 to expand business.