3Com Corporation has announced two new wireless LAN products, the Access Point 8000 and the Access Point 2000. The wireless solutions complement the recently announced Access Point 6000 offering and are designed to provide alternatives for larger organisations (Access Point 8000) and smaller companies and Soho enterprises (Access Point 2000).
The Access Point 8000 is compatible with 3Com`s existing AirConnect 11Mbps Wireless LAN and all other 3Com wireless LAN products facilitating a seamless transition from one system to another.
"Users can easily migrate as new access points are required in their wireless networks," says 3Com SA country manager, Chris van Niekerk. "For example, the Access Point 2000 can be set up in minutes - by simply plugging into a power source and the wired LAN."
From a technical perspective, the Access Point 8000 offers a full-featured security solution for the enterprise network with support for 40-bit WEP and 128-bit shared key encryption, IEEE 802.1x, RADIUS authentication, and Extensible Authentication Protocols (EAP). In addition to support of Windows XP, 3Com`s unique 802.1x agent extends RADIUS/802.1x capabilities to legacy Windows OS.
For organisations without a RADIUS server but which support a large user base, 3Com`s Access Point 8000, when deployed with the 3Com 11Mbps Wireless LAN PC Card with XJACK antenna, offers Dynamic Security Link.
"This added security feature - also available on the Access Point 6000 - gives each user a unique key and changes the key with every session, making it a resilient security solution. Each Access Point 8000 can support up to 1 000 usernames and passwords," notes Van Niekerk.
Turning to the product strategy, Van Niekerk says the provision of networking solutions is a key focus area for 3Com, as channel partners are increasingly faced with customer demands to minimise costs and achieve more in terms of network efficiency with few resources.
"These new offerings are targeted at these requirements, reaffirming our commitment to deliver industry-leading solutions for enterprises. 3Com combines advanced functionality on scalable infrastructures with affordable, easy-to-use products to drive down total cost of ownership," he adds.
The range
3Com now offers customers of all sizes the widest range of wireless solutions, 3Com`s portfolio of wireless LAN infrastructure products now includes:
* 3Com 11Mbps Wireless LAN Access Point 8000 for larger networks with a high level of scalable security capabilities, 3Com 11Mbps Wireless LAN Access Point 6000, originally launched in early 2001, for organisations that have limited IT staff.
* 3Com 11Mbps Wireless LAN Access Point 2000 for simple and affordable installation in, for example, remote branch offices.
* 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN Building-to-Building Bridge for connecting hard-to-wire sites, multiple buildings within a campus setting or temporary networks to the LAN.
* 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN Workgroup Bridge for wired-to-wireless bridging of any Ethernet-enabled device to any Wi-Fi certified wireless LAN infrastructure. 3Com`s variety of wireless LAN PC Cards for all sizes of business.
As previously announced, 3Com plans to offer 5GHz wireless LAN solutions based on the IEEE 802.11a specification with products expected to become available worldwide in 2002.
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