14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless access points are usually nothing more than devices that transform a wired connection into a Wi-Fi one. The one that Linksys has just released does a bit more than that, however. Or, some may say, does the usual job a lot better than its peers.
You see, the new Wireless-AC Dual Band Access Point, part number LAPAC1750PRO, doesn't just take a normal LAN connection and convert it into Wireless. Sure, the core principle is the same, but there's more to it.
For one thing, there are two Gigabit Ethernet ports on the thing. They, thanks to link aggregation, can be used as a single access to the network and/or Internet.
This provides twice the usual bandwidth that Wi-Fi access point usually have available to distribute between whatever PCs, laptops, tablets and phones link to the web through it, wirelessly.
Another core asset here is the use of Wireless-AC technology, which allows for at least 1 Gbps throughput over the air.
In other words, Wi-Fi technology has matched the standard wired performance, so that link aggregation was kind of necessary. It would have been weird if the physical network access was poorer than Wi-Fi.
No wonder that the consortium watching over LAN is hard at work enabling 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps wired Ethernet. Too bad Wi-Fi will probably advance at the same pace from now on.
The newcomer even possesses VLAN Mapping, Wi-Fi Spectrum analysis & RF optimization, AP clustering (for simplified link management) and support for up to 16 different SSIDs (system IDs).
Altogether, the Linksys Wireless-AC Dual Band Access Point, via the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, should be able to move 1750 Mbps of data constantly.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2) security and data encryption are, of course, included in the spec sheet, along with Web Interface or Simple Network Management Protocol and IPv6 support.
802.1X Supplicant Authentication is even more important, as it verifies that your access point is a trusted AP on your network, and can restrict rogue APs from accessing all or part of the network.
Other features that business network administrators might be able to appreciate include WDS Bridge and Workgroup Bridge Support, and Dual Image Support.
Finally, the Linksys Pro Dual-Band Series Wireless-AC Access Point can be mounted on the ceiling or a wall. It's shaped specifically for it in fact. Too bad the price is every bit as high as you might expect after such a description: $499.99 / €369 (probably €499.99 given how rarely exchange rates actually matter when it comes to such things).