Can you build a mesh 802.11n backbone yet?

Wireless in the Enterprise This newsletter is sponsored by Motorola Good Technology Group Enterprise Mobile Adoption - A Corporate Conundrum Business' ultimate need to work seamlessly around the globe has fueled the growth and driven the demand for wireless devices and mobile solutions. Led by the consumer-driven adoption of mobile phones with enhanced data access, business organizations are forced to examine how they leverage the value of these solutions and create processes around device usage, access and security. Click here to download now! Network World's Wireless in the Enterprise Newsletter, 10/31/07 Can you build a mesh 802.11n backbone yet? By Joanie Wexler High-speed aggregate core networks built from a mesh of intercommunicating Draft 2.0 802.11n nodes could alleviate having to cable every wireless LAN access point to an Ethernet switch. Such an approach could conserve significant resources as Wi-Fi deployments grow. And 802.11n mesh APs could be deployed in small enough numbers so that eventual upgrades to final standards in a year or so, if needed, would not be overwhelming. This potential application of the technology begs the question: Where can you get Draft 2.0 802.11n products that also support mesh? Wireless LAN Security: A to Z From buying tips to peer discussions. From case studies to market trends. Network World's newly enhanced Wireless Security Buyer's Guide has everything you need to stay current, research technology, compare products and implement solutions - all in one convenient location. Visit the Wireless LAN Security Buyer's Guide now. Perhaps the first available such animal will come from WLAN-maker Ruckus Wireless. A spokesman says Ruckus will ship an 802.11n Draft 2.0-compatible version of its ZoneFlex AP—a mesh-capable AP used with a Ruckus WLAN controller—in December. Ruckus has traditionally focused on high-quality, high-speed Wi-Fi consumer applications such as streaming media but branched out in May to embrace small and midsized enterprise wireless networking requirements with its business-class ZoneFlex line. In addition, Colubris says it will ship its MAP-625 802.11n access point later this quarter and that it will support Colubris’s existing Local Mesh Protocol for backhaul applications. A sampling of other 802.11n mesh plans in the industry: * Aruba Wireless: All currently shipping Aruba APs support meshing. The company says its mesh product line will include 802.11n on or before first-quarter 2008. * Cisco: A version of the enterprise market leader’s Draft 2.0-compatible Aironet 1250 802.11n access point that supports mesh “will be coming soon, by year-end or early next year,” according to a company spokesman. * Firetide: Focused on radio-agnostic mesh networking for indoor and outdoor use, the company is “evaluating both 802.11n and WiMAX modules” for its systems, says Manish Chandra, product manager. He adds that, because of Firetide-proprietary technology, the company’s existing 802.11a and 802.11g products can achieve 70Mbps speeds from one AP to another (across a single hop) or sustained 35Mbps end-to-end speeds today. He indicated that these higher-than-average Wi-Fi speeds have tempered the need for 802.11n’s 100Mbps-and-up speeds among its customer base. * Meru Networks: VP of strategic marketing Rachna Ahlawat says the company’s new AP-300 802.11a/b/g/n series AP will support mesh sometime during the first quarter of 2008. * Motorola/Symbol: Will be beta testing Draft 2.0 802.11n in the first quarter of 2008. It plans to ship 802.11n mesh-capable products in the first half of 2008 in what Sujai Hajela, VP and GM of Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility business, describes as “adaptive WLANs,” which allow the AP to be part of a mesh-only or combination mesh-WLAN controller network. * Trapeze Networks: Director of product marketing David Cohen says the company’s Draft 2.0 802.11n AP, integrated with its RingMaster network management and system features, “should all come together by the end of Q1” 2008. He says, “Our 802.11a/b/g AP already supports mesh network, and our .11n AP will also support mesh.” Editor's note: Starting Nov. 12 week, you will notice a number of enhancements to Network World newsletters that will provide you with more resources and more news links relevant to the newsletter's subject. Beginning Monday, Nov. 12, the Wireless in the Enterprise Newsletter, written by Joanie Wexler, will be merged with the Wireless News Alert and will be named the Wireless Alert. You'll get Joanie's analysis of the wireless market, which you will be able to read in full at NetworkWorld.com, plus links to the day's wireless news and other relevant resources. This Alert will be mailed on Mondays and Wednesdays. We hope you will enjoy the enhancements and we thank you for reading Network World newsletters.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future article topics. Reach her at joanie@jwexler.com. This newsletter is sponsored by Motorola Good Technology Group Enterprise Mobile Adoption - A Corporate Conundrum Business' ultimate need to work seamlessly around the globe has fueled the growth and driven the demand for wireless devices and mobile solutions. Led by the consumer-driven adoption of mobile phones with enhanced data access, business organizations are forced to examine how they leverage the value of these solutions and create processes around device usage, access and security. Click here to download now! ARCHIVE Archive of the Wireless in the Enterprise Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE 90% of IT Managers are leaving their company at risk for a DNS ATTACK. Get the tools and resources you need to keep your DNS healthy and secure. Run a DNSreport on your domain today - 56 critical tests run in 8 seconds. Visit www.dnsreport.com to learn more. (apply coupon NWW2007NLA for a 25% membership discount) PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007