Proxim Corp. today takes the wraps off a new trimode access point (AP) as well as a Wi-Fi switching system that delivers seamless mobility between cellular and Wi-Fi networks to customers with Motorola handsets, and that is designed to handle both data and the special requirements of voice.
“Voice is what’s next for Wi-Fi,” says Lynn Lucas, director of product marketing at Proxim. That’s because many business users frequently use their cell phones in buildings, but would like to reduce their cell phone bills, and because integrating end-user devices and networks makes for more efficient end-user communication, she says.
The ORiNOCO Switching System, which Proxim plans to make generally available next quarter, is very different from other Wi-Fi switch architectures introduced in the past, says Lucas, who would not comment on pricing for the new product.
Lucas explains the switch enhances standard voice over Wi-Fi solutions such as VoIP Wi-Fi phones from SpectraLink. For example, preauthentication for roaming based on today’s security standards can take about 200 milliseconds. That’s quite lengthy for voice applications, for which delay is a concern, says Lucas. So the ORiNOCO can see which AP the client is authenticated with, find neighboring APs and do preauthentication with those APs to reduce any lag time, she says.
The ORiNOCO Switching System also does subnet roaming with interswitch tunneling so that as a voice client roams from subnet A to subnet B, there’s communication between the two switches and the traffic is tunneled from switch A to switch B so the voice client is not interrupted. “We support pre-standard 802.11e quality of service,” says Lucas. “Today there is not an IEEE standard for QoS, so this is very important to allow vendor interoperability from a QoS point of view and also load balancing, which can ask clients to move to a neighboring AP in the event of congestion.”
Proxim’s new switching system also ties in with its partnership with Avaya and Motorola, says Lucas. Last March, the threesome unveiled an ambitious plan to deliver systems that marry cellular, wireless LAN and IP telephony technologies to provide enterprise users will contiguous voice and data service across corporate networks, public cellular networks and public Wi-Fi hotspots. Delivering seamless roaming between Wi-Fi and cellular networks takes a lot of cooperation among different players in both industries, says Lucas. Motorola is developing a product, which has not yet been announced, to handle the handoff between networks, she says, adding the companies expect to release more information on their products related to the partnership this spring.
Another area of close cooperation of the three companies, she adds, is for E911 services. “The wireless switch talks with the PBX to determine whether the next voice client is a 911 call,” she explains. “If it is, the PBX tells that to the switch and needs to make sure the 911 call goes through.”
Proxim and Motorola, meanwhile, are collaborating on power management, says Lucas. The companies are working together to create power protocols to allow Wi-Fi phones to have a battery life similar to that of GSM phones, which typically have a talk time of five to eight hours, she says.
As for the access point Proxim introduces today, that is called the AP-4000 and is Proxim’s highest performance AP to date.
It’s a trimode AP, meaning it supports the b, g and a versions of 802.11. That’s important for service providers because it equates to universal Wi-Fi client interoperability. Trimode also enables the detection of rogue access in the 2.4 and 5GHz band, she adds.
With trimode, service providers also can extend Wi-Fi coverage to areas where they don’t have Ethernet wiring. In this case, one AP-4000 can be used to backhaul traffic to another AP-4000 – a process called repeating.
The AP-4000 also has a built-in antennae design that allows it to be put up in any position (on a wall, ceiling or wherever) and deliver good vertical and horizontal coverage, Lucas says. That means the installer doesn’t require any specialized knowledge to set up the AP. Today’s APs, by comparison, always have specific mounting directions to get optimal coverage, Lucas says.
The automatic channel selection feature of the AP-4000 means that when the access point is installed, it automatically listens to the network and decides what channels are best for it to operate on.
The new AP is also plenum rated, meaning it can be installed safely in the airspace above tile ceilings. “Most access points are not plenum rated,” says Lucas.
Finally, the AP-4000 includes an assured software upgrade feature that checks new software before it is installed to make sure it’s not corrupted or invalid.
Available immediately, the AP-4000 is priced at $899.
