Fixed Wireless Equipment

Aironet 1100 WLAN AP Debut

The Cisco Aironet 1100 Series will initially operate under the 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, standard, which provides 11Mbps throughput in the 2.4-GHz unlicensed frequency band. But the device will be upgradable to the 802.11g standard early in 2003.

by ISP-Planet Staff [October 8, 2002]

Cisco Systems, Inc. recently unveiled its latest 802.11-based wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP). It's the first wireless device that features Cisco's Internetwork Operating System (IOS) software.

The Aironet 1100 Series AP is capable of supporting intelligent networking services, including virtual local area networks (VLANs), Quality of Service (QoS) and Proxy Mobile IP functions. The IOS software also allows for faster and easier deployments for Cisco-based wireless solutions because most service providers are already familiar with IOS functions from deploying Cisco routers.

Joel Conover, Current Analysis principal analyst, said introducing Cisco IOS software to the Aironet 1100 Series is a watershed mark for both the company and the wireless industry.

"In a market characterized by rapid growth and commoditization, Cisco is delivering a solution that gives enterprise customers a strong reason to choose Cisco over the competition," Conover said. The Aironet 1100 Series offers greater ease of deployment, scalability, and manageability, and ultimately greater investment protection when deploying enterprise WLAN infrastructure."

Unlike Cisco's previously released Aironet 1200 enterprise-class AP, the Aironet 1100 (right) is designed to be a low-cost wireless solution. Available now, the device is list priced at $599.

While the 1200 can be used indoors or outdoors, supports both 802.11a and 802.11b standards, and comes with several antenna options. The 1100 device is an indoor-only solution that supports 802.11b with an integrated omni directional antenna.

Using Cisco IOS Software, customers can deploy up to 16 VLAN segments to differentiate services, such as security and QoS for different users. Enterprise customers can, for instance, use different VLANs to segregate employee voice, video and data traffic from guest traffic, or educational institutions can secure faculty and administration traffic differently from student traffic, even while it travels over the same infrastructure.

In addition, with Proxy Mobile IP, IS professionals can segment their wireless network in much the same way as a wired LAN, improving performance, manageability and scalability while still providing seamless roaming between Cisco access points.

The Cisco Aironet 1100 Series is UL2043 certified for installation in the plenum air spaces above ceilings that are subject to local fire codes. For maximum investment protection, the Aironet 1100 Series is designed for field upgradeability with its Mini-PCI form factor radio, the same form factor used in Notebook PCs, to provide next generation features like 54 Mbps (IEEE 802.11g) and more robust advanced encryption standard (AES) security encryption.

The hardware platform also provides processing power, memory, and storage for future feature enhancements through firmware upgrades. The Aironet 1100 Series access point features an integrated omni-directional antenna and secure mounting system, designed for trouble-free installation in a variety of locations like ceilings, walls, cubicle walls and desktops.

Pricing and availability
The Cisco Aironet 1100 Series AP, equipped with an 802.11b radio and integrated antennas, has a U.S. list price of $599. Units begin shipping this month.

The Cisco Aironet 1200 Series is scheduled to support Cisco IOS early in 2003. Both the 1100 and 1200 access points will be upgradable to the faster 802.11g standard when Cisco releases 802.11g products in mid-2003. Existing 1200 customers will be able to upgrade to IOS at no charge.

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