Proxim, today announced immediate availability of a Wireless Controller that enables voice and data roaming when using their ORiNOCO AP-4000. The highly regarded WiFi vendor, recently declared chapter 11 and was acquired by Moseley Associates.
The Smart Wireless Controller ($2,999), provides mobility for voice and data applications and Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) mobility when using their ORiNOCO AP-4000.
Proxim’s ORiNOCO Smart Wireless Controller makes it possible for large campuses or municipal networks to ensure roaming throughout an entire coverage area. The Smart Wireless Controller’s client information database allows clients to roam from one VLAN to another without risk of network connections being dropped or networked applications disrupted.
The ORiNOCO Smart Wireless Controller provides fast roaming and data prioritization by eliminating traffic duplication and networking bottlenecks via distributed tunneling. The result is a fast, smooth handoff of clients for latency-sensitive applications such as voice over Wi-Fi.
Inclusion of a redundant dual 10/100 Ethernet ports is said to provide protection from outages due to network failure. Redundancy is also built-in between Smart Wireless Controllers in the event of service interruption, ensuring no single point of failure.
“The key features of Proxim’s Smart Wireless Controller — VLAN roaming through distributed tunneling and Ethernet redundancy — are especially of benefit in the types of municipal/public safety installations we deploy,” said Tyler van Houwelingen of Azulstar, a company that recently launched the world’s first metro-wide voice over Wi-Fi phone service in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
The Azulstar-built, city-wide Wi-Fi network (right), was designed from the ground up to be a converged voice, data and video network and is the worlds largest and highest performing network yet constructed.
Some 200 high performance Wi-Fi access points provided by Meru Networks provide a seamless “cellular” Wi-Fi cloud across the city. Unlike other WLAN systems in which access points (APs) work independently and must be configured to deliver adjacent, non-overlapping coverage, Meru s family of WLAN products use this coordinated, cellular architecture in which all APs are coordinated and work together.
End to end Quality of Service to standard Wi-Fi clients, 802.11a/b/g client access, and seamless mobility across the city at speeds up to 55mph with handoffs under 3ms are available in the nearly completed “city cloud”.
Proxim gear is also used to span nine cities in Northeastern Oregon and Washington State. Covering 700 square miles, it brings new public safety and emergency response applications to the region’s police, fire and medical first responders. Proxim Tsunami backhaul and ORiNOCO Access Points are deployed in one of the country’s largest broadband wireless networks in Eastern Oregon.
Proxim is getting competition from vendors who smell blood:
- Colubris Networks is providing rebates for existing Proxim customers through the end of the year. Previous Proxim customers can upgrade to the Colubris InMotion MultiService Controller 3200, InMotion MultiService Controller 3300, MultiService Access Point 330 or the MultiService Access Point 320 with a per device rebate. The InMotion 5200 MultiService Controller (MSC-5200) is for small offices and remote locations, supporting up to 25 wireless access points and hundreds of users. It’s $4,799. Their InCharge Colubris Network Management System (CNMS) has managed Proxim access points for over two years. A program offers Proxim customers a smooth migration path.
- Meru Networks says companies using the AP-4000 and AP-2000 can go through its commercial migration program to get trade-in credits toward purchasing new Meru products.
- Trapeze Networks says its Mobility System switch has a “new level of interoperability” with the popular ORiNOCO AP-4000 and AP-2000 access points. Using Trapeze’s Open Access Point Initiative (OAPI), the AP-4000 will now work like a Trapeze AP for everything from secure roaming to AAA, all the while controlled by the Mobility Exchange switches or planned for in the Ringmaster software tool. The support doesn’t require a change to the Proxim equipment it’s a free upgrade for the Trapeze Mobility System software.
