ZyXEL and D-Link Announce 802.11n Solutions for SMBs

Two of the industry's leading providers of networking products, ZyXEL and D-Link, have recently announced the introduction of new enterprise and business-class access points, designed to take advantage of the features enabled by the latest wireless 802.11n specification. Both solutions are designed to provide support for SMB customers and deliver the performance of the new 802.11n WLAN technology.

“This new exterior 802.11n wireless solution provides all the extended coverage and advanced performance of the AirPremier Series including multiple operation modes and flexible management, while delivering a solution for locations where weather is a challenge,” said A.J. Wang, chief technology officer, D-Link. “It is designed for the SMB looking for the benefits of a selectable dual band access point while maintaining backward compatibility to 802.11a or 802.11g networks and devices - and the embedded directional antenna with optional external antenna connectors makes it ideal for point-to-point and multi-point applications.”

D-Link's AirPremier N Selectable Dual-Band Access Point, or DAP-3520, integrates 802.3af PoE support and provides maximum signal rates of up to 300Mbps in dual 2.4GHz or 5GHz wireless band. The solution offers support for WiFi Multimedia Quality of Service features (WMM) and for security reasons, the DAP-3520 also comes with support for Personal and Enterprise versions of the WPA and WPA2 standard, including support for RADIUS server backend and NAP. The solution has been designed to provide customers with a number of operation modes, including AP, Wireless Distribution System (WDS), WDS with AP, and Wireless Client. Also featuring a built-in heater and rugged exterior chassis for outdoor use, the access point is available at an MSRP of US$659.99.

Dana Patrick, director of North American channels for ZyXEL said, “ZyXEL’s 11n dual-band APs provide SMBs with a high-value product combined with advanced enterprise-class features and flexible deployment options. Network admins benefit from the built-in WLAN controller giving enterprises the ability to centrally manage all deployed Aps.”

ZyXEL's NWA3166 product also comes with a number of features, specifically tailored to the needs of the SMB customers. Such features include the integrated MIMI technology with speeds of 300Mbps and the possibility of setting up the AP in three different operating modes, including WLAN Controller, Managed AP or Stand-alone AP. Other product highlights include the WMM and Auto Traffic Classifier (ATC), load balancing by user limit or bandwidth and multiple ESSID for VoIP, Data and Guest VLANs. According to ZyXEL the NWA3166 is available for an MSRP of US$399.99.