10 Hot Wireless Products From Interop Las Vegas

Wireless networks are to the point where they're no longer just for the big boys and they no longer have to play little brother to the wired network. A host of vendors used Interop Las Vegas 2008 as a platform to show off their latest wireless wares. Here are 10 that caught our eyes and the airwaves.

D-Link unveiled a variety of access points using the draft of the new 802.11n wireless standard for better bandwidth and coverage, multiple operations modes, flexible management and PoE capabilities.

The desktop DAP-2552 and the plenum-rated DAP-2590 (pictured) are designed for SMBs seeking a switchable dual band -- 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz -- access point that is backward compatible with older wireless standards.

Aruba released the AP 124ABG and AP 125ABG Access Points. The pair of APs are designed to help companies future-proof their networks for when 802.11n becomes the mainstream. The devices offer a/b/g/ connectivity and can be upgraded to 802.11n via a software key loaded into wireless controllers.

Aerohive Networks showed off its HiveAP 300 Series with 802.11n. The 300 series is designed for placement in carpeted indoor environments, harsher indoor conditions or outdoor deployments. Members of the series offer dual concurrent 2.4 and 5 GHz 3x3 MIMO antennas and also features dual 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports.

Meru Networks evangelized its latest 802.11n wireless access point, the AP440: a four-radio 802.11n AP that can support up to 300 Mbps for 1.2 Gbps capacity. The radios are backward compatible for older 802.11 a/b/g deployments. According to Meru, one radio is configured for 2.4 GHz, two for 5 GHz and the fourth for both 2.4 and 5 GHz, meaning up to four channels can be layered with all channels running at 40 MHz channel width.

Trapeze Networks evangelized its latest 802.11n access point, the MP-432. This smoke-detector form factor dual-band access point features two physical radios that run on both 2.4 and 5 GHz simultaneously. This AP has six internal antennas -- three each for 2.4 and 5 GHz -- and supports 802.3af Power over Ethernet. It also features dual uplink Gigabit Ethernet ports, which are both PoE capable.

Netgear debuted its new ProSafe 802.11n Dual Band Wireless Access Point (WNDAAP330). The SMB access point operates on 5GHz for 802.11n while also supporting legacy 802.11 a/b/g devices. The access point supports 802.3af PoE to eliminate cables. Security features WPA, WPA2, rogue AP detection and 802.1x with RADIUS support. The WNDAAP330 features 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet port with Auto Uplink, a console port for local configuration and monitoring.

Motorola demonstrated the latest access point in its wireless enterprise portfolio, the AP-7121 802.11a/b/g/n Access Point. The tri-radio modular access point offers high-speed wireless for voice and data services, mesh networking and non-data application such as IPS. The 802.11n access point can offer up to 600 Mbps per access point and the Adaptive AO architecture allows the device to offer two modes of operation, without a firmware change, either as a stand-alone access point or as a wireless switch adopted access point for centralized management.

It wasn't only access points that took center stage at Interop. Several vendors also released other wireless gear designed to keep the WLAN running smoothly.

AirMagnet, which took home the Best of Interop award for mobile and wireless, showed off its 802.11n WLAN Suite, which consists of AirMagnet Analyzer 8.0 and AirMagnet Survey 6.0. Both will be available next week in a special bundle with a custom-built AirMagnet 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless PC card or as a standalone solution.

AirMagnet Laptop Analyzer PRO 8.0 and Survey PRO 6.0 offer mobile tools designed for pre-deployment planning and ongoing management of 802.11n networks, cluing users in on how to get true 11n performance and how to phase 11n gear into established WLANs without having to rip and replace.

Along with its new access point D-Link also showed off its latest wireless switches, including the xStack family that includes the DWS-3227P 24-port Gigabit unified wireless switch with 10 Gig uplinks (pictured), the DWS-3227P with Power over Ethernet and the 48-port DWS-3250. The switches all support management through the GUI CLI and most are stackable.

Aruba also unveiled its AirWave Wireless Management Suite 6, building on its acquisition of AirWave from earlier this year. The suite manages 802.11n devices from Aruba along with other wireless vendors like Cisco, Motorola and ProCurve all from the same console. The suit also features an interface to BMC Ready support software, the ability to monitor wired routers and switches, RADIUS authentication servers and NMS services to simplify end-to-end troubleshooting.