Siemens Addresses Power Over Ethernet Challenge for 802.11n Deployments

Siemens Communications introduced its new HiPath Wireless 802.11n solution aimed at solving the Power over Ethernet (PoE) challenge for 802.11n deployments.


Whereas 802.11n offers substantial benefits over previous wireless standards, with speeds up to five times faster than traditional WLANs, greater range and improved reliability, enterprises seeking to power 802.11n access points using their PoE infrastructure have discovered that additional power is required for dual-band 3x3 radios (those functioning in both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands) to work at optimum performance levels. Most enterprise WLANs rely on 802.3af switches, but the six radios used by 802.11n access points tend to draw more power than these switches can provide over a single connection. Some existing 802.11n solutions use a reduced number of radios or frequency bands, or force customers to simultaneously upgrade to higher-wattage, proprietary non-standard PoE switching infrastructure, resulting in significantly reduced performance and more complex and costly deployments.


Siemens said its HiPath Wireless is the first solution to provide full dual-band 3x3 MIMO and 802.11n functionality that complies with the 802.3af Power-over Ethernet (PoE) standard. The Siemens 802.11n solution features a Virtual Network Services (VNS) architecture that provides performance optimization by intelligently routing network traffic between the edge of the network and the core, depending on the application and available network capacities, to maximize the bandwidth that can be achieved on the network. The architecture was designed to achieve optimal high-bandwidth performance without requiring upgrades to the existing wired network controllers.


Siemens' 802.11n solution includes two new 802.11n HiPath Wireless Access Points, AP3610 (internal antenna) and AP3620 (external antenna), a new version of HiPath Wireless Convergence Software (V5 R1) that enables controllers to recognize and manage 802.11n access points, and a new version of HiPath Wireless Manager HiGuard that delivers advanced management and WIPS security for 802.11n-enabled networks, another key advancement from Siemens.


Siemens' HiPath Wireless solution will begin shipping in March 2008. The new HiPath Wireless Access Points will sell for $1,300. Upgrades to the HiPath Wireless Convergence Software will start at $349 and HiPath Wireless Manager HiGuard upgrades are available free of charge.http://www.usa.siemens.comhttp://enterprise.usa.siemens.com/home.html