Dual Access Points for Wireless Networking
As the popularity of wireless LANs (WLANs) increases, access points, those
little boxes that connect the wired world to wireless devices, are popping up
all over campus. Access points are what keep WLAN clients connected as they
roam about a facility. But choosing the right hardware from among the wide array
of vendors and product lines can be challenging. To complicate matters further,
a new higher-speed wireless standard, 802.11a (or WiFi5), is now available,
and an even newer one (802.11g) is coming. Network managers have to choose to
comply with the old 802.11b (WiFi) standard, which supports users at up to 11Mbps,
or the new WiFi5, which offers support for high-bandwidth applications like
streaming video. Or they can put in dual access points, which comply with both
standards, while simultaneously planning for the next wave. Because dual access
points seem to offer a solution to this problem, we’ve decided to profile
the major vendors.
Cisco Aironet 1200 Series
Cisco promises secure and reliable management of the current WLAN configuration
while setting the stage for a smooth migration to WiFi5. The modular design
of the Cisco Aironet 1200 Series allows for both single- and dual-band configuration,
plus field upgradability to modify these configurations as user requirements
change and the technology evolves. The product can accommodate one radio for
WiFi and another radio for high-speed WiFi5 clients. In other words, it’s
possible to use the slower standard for some purposes and the higher standard
for others, without having to purchase two types of access points. Instead,
users would purchase the additional radio module as bandwidth needs grow. Extra
memory is there to support further upgrades down the line. Cisco secures the
connection with its Wireless Security Suite, which is based on the IEEE 802.1X
standard and its Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). The company promises
reliability through its time-tested fourth-generation radio and its redundant
hot-standby backup access point. A rugged case and mounting and locking features
are designed for durability and theft resistance. Contact: Cisco, www.cisco.com
Intel Pro/Wireless 5000
Named a 2002 product of the year by Networking magazine, the Intel Pro/-Wireless
5000 LAN Dual Access Point promises to deliver reliable connectivity for high
bandwidth applications. Full IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b compliance simultaneously
supports wireless LAN users at up to 54 Mbps and up to 11 Mbps. With the product,
organizations can preserve their investments in WiFi technology while simultaneously
migrating over to WiFi5. As with the Cisco system, organizations can add WiFi5
modules as needed. Eight non-overlapping channels and three for WiFi provide
access for more users, with up to 432 Mbps network capacity in a particular
area. The product comes with a software-configurable antenna and site survey
tools to facilitate placement and configuration. The device can be mounted or
placed on a table. Contact Intel, Santa Clara, Calif; (800) 538-3373; www.intel.com/network/connectivity.
Proxim Harmony Series
The multi-standard access point product, which offered the first 802.11a products
available, won the Network World Editor’s Choice Award, primarily because
it offered greater WiFi5 roaming range than most of its competition. Proxim
also claims to have the industry’s fastest wireless LAN, with a WiFi5 speed
of 108 Mbps, facilitating conference room collaboration, classroom networking,
and hot spots. Additionally, 802.11a (WiFi5) has 8 channels to support more
users and higher bandwidth applications. The product is designed to accommodate
WiFi, WiFi5, and the future 802.11g standard. As with the other dual access
points profiled here, users simply add modules to comply with the new standards.
The centralized configuration, security, and management setup lower costs of
ownership. The Harmony solution also offers the highest level of security available
with support for 802.1x. Contact: Proxim Corporation, Sunnyvale, Calif.; (800)
229-1630; www.proxim.com.
Symbol Technologies
The company d'es not market dual mode access points, believing that dual-mode
access point strategies will add significant deployment and maintenance costs
to large deployments over time. However, the company offers two cost effective
strategies for co-adopting 802.11a with 802.11b. Existing Symbol customers looking
to immediately adopt 802.11a should consider the Mobius 5224 Access Point, which
is designed to snap onto already installed Spectrum24 frequency hopping and
Spectrum24 High Rate Wi-Fi access points to instantly create dual-mode wireless
access. For customers looking for a single system to manage multiple standard-based
wireless networks, Symbol offers the Mobius Axon Wireless System, the first
wireless networking switch and access port system designed to deliver and manage
IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, and Bluetooth wireless technologies. Delivering
wireless through Mobius Axon Access Ports, the Mobius Axon Wireless Switch houses
all the network management, security, network services, and other intelligence
of high performance, standard-based wireless networking into a scalable system
that resides at the core of the network. Symbol says the new system delivers
a much lower total cost of ownership when compared to deploying and maintaining
enterprise-class, intelligent 802.11b and 802.11a dual-mode WLAN access points.
Contact: Symbol Technologies, Holtsville, N.Y.; 800.722.6234; www.symbol.com.
D-Link AirPro
The DWL-6000AP Wireless Network 2.4GHz/5GHz Multimode wireless access point
offers 11 non-overlapping channels, boasting transfer rates of up to 72Mbps
with D-Link AirPro adapters in the 5GHz frequency range and 22Mbps with D-Link
AirPlus adapters in the 2.4GHz frequency range. Up to eight units can be installed
in any location. In addition to bridging 802.11a and 802.11b wireless networks,
the D-Link AirPro DWL-6000AP can bridge to wired networks with its integrated
10/100 Ethernet port. The DWL-6000AP supports user-selectable encryption settings,
up to 152-bit WEP on the 5GHz band and up to 256-bit WEP on the 2.4GHz band.
Contact: D-Link, Irvine, Calif; (800) 326-1688; www.dlink.com.
