"As the demand for wireless continues to surge, enterprises are beginning to extend WLAN services to more and more facilities," said Richard Webb, Directing Analyst, Wireless LANs at Infonetics Research, Inc. "In addition, we are seeing strong wireless growth in new markets, like retail and warehousing, which require the same caliber of WLAN services as larger enterprises but at lower capacities. Larger WLAN systems are too expensive for these environments, traditional access points are too difficult to manage, and consumer and SMB products lack enterprise-grade features, such as security and RF management. With the 3500, Airespace is able to hit a nice sweet spot in the enterprise WLAN market."
The Airespace Wireless Enterprise Platform was designed to support enterprise-wide wireless applications. This includes wireless deployments in corporate campuses and large buildings, served by the Airespace 4000 and 4100 families of WLAN controllers; small and medium facilities, serviced by the 3500; and remote offices, served by the Airespace 1200R Remote Edge Access Point. All Airespace equipment is centrally managed by Airespace Control System (ACS) software, recognized as the industrys premier platform for WLAN systems management. From one access point to several thousand, Airespace offers the only WLAN system that enables uniform intelligent WLAN services to be cost effectively delivered and centrally managed to any location, supporting all business critical wireless services.
We require an end-to-end WLAN system to support our key business applications, not a collection of disparate access points, said Talbot Harty, CIO of net.com, a worldwide communications equipment manufacturer. Airespace offers the most complete platform on the market, enabling us to deliver intelligent WLAN services in our main campus in California. With the new 3500, we can cost effectively deliver the same WLAN capabilities to employees at smaller net.com locations throughout our global enterprise network.
Big Functionality; Small Package
The 3500 supports up to six access points using the Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP). Given the range and capabilities of these devices, the 3500 is ideal for locations that are anywhere form 10,000 to 60,000 square feet.
The 3500 is deployed as an RF overlay on top of existing LAN infrastructures, connecting to wireline equipment via four 10/100 Ethernet PHY interfaces located on the device. Integrated DHCP services, plug and play access point configuration, and zero-touch management make the 3500 ideal for environments with limited onsite IT staff, such as enterprise branch offices.
The Airespace 3500 supports Airespaces award-winning AireOS embedded software. This includes the following WLAN functions that have differentiated Airespace from alternative WLAN solutions, including stripped down branch office switches from competing WLAN vendors:
Real-time RF management - Airespaces patent-pending AireWave Director Software provides dynamic interference detection and avoidance, coverage hole maintenance, and proactive AP load balancing to optimize performance and automate capacity management. Airespace is the only WLAN system to perform this in real time - no site survey tools or manual pushes are required.
Highly accurate Location Services - Airespace is the only WLAN system to integrate RF fingerprinting directly into its WLAN platform for extremely accurate location tracking. This improves WLAN security and enables new applications, such as Voice over WLAN, asset tracking, and inventory management.
Real-time Intrusion Protection and WLAN Security - The Airespace WLAN system is the only platform that can monitor the air for security threats while simultaneously delivering traffic - no extra monitoring devices and software are required. When coupled with Airespaces other robust security features, including WFA-certified 802.11i and real-time Network Access Control (NAC), Airespace ensures the highest level of WLAN security and performance while keeping capital expenditures and design complexity to a minimum.
Guaranteed Bandwidth Management - Airespace is the first WLAN system to tie the above capabilities in with over the air QoS and bandwidth management. This includes traffic shaping and dynamic bandwidth provisioning, that enables real-time applications, such as voice, to be deployed in conjunction with other business critical services.
(For more information on Airespaces intrusion protection service and enhanced QoS capabilities, see Airespaces accompanying release entitled, Airespace extends award-winning platform to support value-add wireless services.)
Enterprises require an end-to-end WLAN system that allows them to deliver consistent wireless services to all users, regardless of location, said William Terrill, Senior Analyst at The Burton Group. Things like RF management, mobility, and security cannot be sacrificed when deploying a WLAN in smaller enterprise facilities. With the new 3500, the Airespace WLAN platform appears to have all angles covered; intelligent WLAN services can be cost effectively extended throughout an entire distributed enterprise.
Best-in-Class WLAN Management
As part of a complete WLAN system, the 3500 is managed via the award-winning Airespace Control System (ACS) Software. ACS enables centralized visibility and control of the air space, including device monitoring, the creation of enterprise-wide security and QOS policies, and detailed reporting tools for service assurance and Return on Investment (ROI) analysis. With the Airespace WLAN system, uniform WLAN services can be delivered to any enterprise facility, regardless of size or location. From remote offices to corporate headquarters, Airespace puts mobility to work.
Airespace is constantly revolutionizing the enterprise WLAN space with technical innovations and industry firsts, such as the first WLAN appliance and the first WAN-enabled Lightweight Access Point said Alan Cohen, vice president for marketing and product management. With the 3500, we are now the first vendor to offer a complete, end-to-end enterprise WLAN system, addressing all deployment scenarios for wireless enterprises.
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