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WLAN Equipment: Enterprise Class

Wireless equipment intended for the corporate and enterprise markets have certain features and functions sought after by the IT staff of most corporationsthings such as 802.1x authentication, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) certification, VLAN capability, Power over Ethernet (PoE) and external antennas to name a few.

Airespace Networks

Founded in 2002 and originally known as Blackstorm Networks, Airespace Networks is headquartered in San Jose, California. The Airespace Wireless Enterprise Platform provides advanced RF management capabilities, comprehensive end-to-end security, and mobility. It supports both switched wireless and controller/appliance-based approaches. The product line includes wireless switches, security appliances, and access point (AP) hardware. Airespace products started shipping to the WLAN market in 2003.

For more information, visit http://www.bstormnetworks.com/.

Aruba Wireless Networks

Founded in late 2001, Aruba Wireless Networks, like so many networking companies, is also headquartered San Jose, California.

The Aruba Wireless Networks product line is based around its wireless switch products, with several switches for various applications, as well as a line of limited-feature APs. The Aruba product line started shipping in mid-2003.

For more information, visit http://www.arubanetworks.com/.

Cisco Systems

A well-known name in networking, Cisco moved into the WLAN market in 2000 with the acquisition of Aironet Wireless Communications. Aironet was founded in 1994, from a company with roots back to 1986 founded as Telesystems SWL, making this one of the oldest companies in commercial spread-spectrum communications.

The Cisco Aironet product line includes APs, clients, management and WLAN switching hardware, and wireless bridging products. Aironet products started shipping wireless products in 1988 under the previous company name of Telesystems SWL.

For more information on Cisco Aironet products, visit http://www.cisco.com and search for Aironet.

Enterasys

As a well-known networking company, Enterasys entered the WLAN industry by working with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vendor for WLAN hardware and adding features to the existing firmware and software. The Enterasys hardware line includes intelligent AP and client hardware, and management software.

For more information, visit http://www.enterasys.com/homel.

Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks was founded in 1996, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The primary target market for Extreme has been enterprise Ethernet switches. In 2003, Extreme introduced a line of WLAN gear, consisting of Ethernet switches for controlling their feature-limited (or sometimes called dumb) APs.

For more information, visit http://www.extremenetworks.com/.

Foundry Networks

Founded in 1996 in San Jose, California, Foundry Networks entered the networking business with Ethernet switch products. The same founders also previously started Centillion Networks (acquired by Bay N/W).

The Foundry WLAN products provide RF management capabilities, security, and mobility. Foundry supports both switched wireless and appliance-based approaches. The product line includes wireless switches, security appliances, and limited-feature AP hardware. Foundry WLAN products started shipping into the WLAN market in 2003.

For more information, visit http://www.foundrynetworks.com/.

Nortel Networks

Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Nortel Networks is one of the well-known networking companies providing all types of wired network gear from routers and switches to packet, optical, wireless, and voice technologies.

Nortel moved into the WLAN market several years ago, and has recently also signed a WLAN compatibility partnership agreement with Symbol Technologies.

The Nortel WLAN solution includes intelligent APs as well as switches that provide management and support of the APs.

For more information on Nortel Networks, visit http://www.nortelnetworks.com/indexl.

Proxim Corporation

One of the older companies in the WLAN market, Proxim, Inc. was founded in 1984 to develop spread-spectrum wireless technologies for military applications. Proxim entered the commercial market in 1989. The present Proxim Corporation was created by the merger between Proxim, Inc. and Western Multiplex Corporation in March 2002. Western Multiplex was founded in 1979, and has traditionally designed and manufactured point-to-point and point-to-multipoint licensed and unlicensed products for outdoor bridging applications. When Western Multiplex Corporation and Proxim, Inc. completed their merger of equals, the combined company took the name Proxim Corporation.

Very shortly after the Western Multiplex merger, Proxim Corporation completed the acquisition of Agere Systems' WLAN equipment business, adding the ORiNOCO product line in August 2002.

Proxim was the first to market an Ethernet controller-based (switched) wireless product with its Harmony product line using limited-feature APs and a centralized controller. With the addition of the ORiNOCO product line they also support the intelligent AP solutions as well as client and bridging products.

For more information, visit http://www.proxim.com/.

Symbol Technologies

Symbol Technologies started as a bar-code scanner manufacturer. With their acquisition of MSI Data Corporation in the late 1980s, Symbol Technologies moved into the bar-code terminal market. As wireless products were developed in the data-acquisition market, Symbol Technologies developed its own radio group and manufactured WLAN products geared for the retail and other bar-code markets.

In recent years, Symbol has moved from its traditional vertical markets such as retail, warehousing, and manufacturing, and has released new products geared for the more horizontal markets such as small and medium corporate offices, enterprise campus offices, and education facilities. Symbol provides intelligent APs and limited-feature APs, wireless switches, and client and wireless bar-code scanners.

For more information, visit http://www.symbol.com/.

3Com Corporation

3Com Corporation was founded in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay area by Bob Metcalfe, the principal inventor of the Ethernet technology, and primarily marketed wired network components from network interface cards (NICs) to routers and switches.

3Com moved from the traditional wired networking product market into the WLAN market initially by entering into an OEM partnership with Symbol Technologies and reselling Symbol's intelligent access point products. In 2002, 3Com released another generation of wireless products, no longer based on the Symbol radio technology. These new devices had limited security and options.

3Com offers APs and various client devices for both the enterprise and SOHO markets.

For more information on 3Com, visit http://www.3com.com.

Trapeze Networks

Trapeze Networks, located in Pleasanton, California, was founded in March 2002. Trapeze Networks is strictly a WLAN company, with the entire product line based on WLAN solutions. Its product line includes the wireless mobility switch, limited-feature APs, and management software.

For more information on Trapeze, visit http://www.trapezenetworks.com/HomePagel.