Motorola Introduces Industry’s First Tri-Radio 802.11n Access Point

March 12, 2008

Motorola, Inc. today announced its AP-7131, the industry’s first tri-radio 802.11n access point (AP) featuring Motorola’s new adaptive AP architecture. The unique tri-radio design integrates three 802.11n radios that simultaneously support high-speed client access, mesh backhaul and dedicated dual-band intrusion protection for enabling the all-wireless enterprise. Using an expansion slot, the third radio can be field upgraded to enable next-generation 3G/4G technologies like WiMAX for primary or redundant WAN connectivity.

Motorola and Moonblink Communications, a partner providing Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and other broadband wireless solutions, also announced today that San Marino Unified School District will be the first customer worldwide that will combine an 802.11n WLAN deployment using the new AP-7131 along with Motorola’s award-winning Point-to-Point (PTP) solutions to connect four school campuses – delivering an end-to-end wireless network.

In a new enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) survey commissioned by Motorola, the research results of more than 550 enterprise WLAN decision-makers found that nearly four out of 10 respondents are planning to deploy 802.11n technology in the next 12 months. More importantly, the number of enterprises planning to use WLANs as their primary network will more than double in the next 12 months, growing from 8 to 17 percent. Gartner predicts that “by year-end 2011, 70 percent of all new worldwide voice and data client-to-LAN connections will be wireless.”

Motorola’s new AP-7131 access point has been engineered for flexibility and ease-of-use for wireless enterprise deployments. It can be used as a stand-alone AP within small to medium businesses. In adaptive mode, the AP-7131 combines the benefits of central management and site-survivability to help reduce the complexity of deployments in remote offices. In a campus WLAN switch environment using the thin AP mode, the AP-7131 can be centrally managed for large scale deployments. This unique multi-mode operation is supported by the same firmware version to greatly simplify the task of building a large scale multi-site wireless enterprise.

“The mesh-enabled AP-7131 provides the security and performance that enterprises require at a fraction of the cost of wired networks and realizes the long promised vision of the wireless enterprise,” said Sujai Hajela, vice president and general manager of Enterprise WLAN, Motorola Enterprise Mobility business. “Leveraging the industry’s first tri-radio 802.11n AP, users will be able to unleash the full-potential of 802.11n for superior performance of data, video and voice applications along with mesh backhaul and security on the network.”

The AP-7131 provides 24/7 intrusion protection, which can significantly lower the cost of building a secure wireless enterprise. Traditional solutions time-slice the radio for both access and intrusion protection, limiting 802.11n performance and security capabilities. Motorola’s new AP-7131 with the third radio eliminates the need for time-slicing or the need for a dedicated sensor AP for security thus reducing the cost of secure and manageable deployments. Featuring a fully Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS2)-compliant chipset, a fast MIPS network processor with hardware-accelerated encryption and dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, the AP-7131 delivers full 600Mbps connection speeds, while simultaneously providing enterprise-class security.

To help customers with AP-7131 802.11n network rollouts, Motorola will launch its industry-leading LANPlanner tool with 802.11n capability in the second quarter of 2008. The LANPlanner will allow customers to view 802.11n AP placements along with AP-7131 MIMO performance maps for the first time. In addition, an Automated Migration Wizard will greatly simplify migration to 802.11n by allowing businesses to specify migration paths, view mixed network coverage and determine the exact number of AP-7131 AP’s required in the final network design.

Motorola’s AP-7131 also includes an innovative industrial design that allows the same AP to work in both carpeted areas and industrial environments by attaching an aesthetically appealing “snap-on facade” with integrated antenna elements. The AP-7131, designed by renowned Italian designers Giugiaro Design, delivers an elegantly fashioned MIMO AP suitable for installation in hospitality and carpeted office environments.

Source: Motorola