Extreme Networks Boosts BYOD Offerings with Altitude APs

Ethernet switching specialist Extreme Networks (NASDAQ: EXTR) announced the expansion of its Intelligent Mobile Edge (IME) bring-your-own-device (BYOD) campus solution, with a new line of 802.11n wireless LAN access points (APs).

IME includes a converged data plane based on the Motorola WiNG 5 architecture, and includes smart identity management, providing user, device and location awareness to network administrators to track mobile users.

The Altitude 4021, a single radio dependent access point that delivers 802.11n performance, retails for $274, while the Altitude 4521 ($422) enables controller-less operations at small to medium sites by serving as a virtual controller and coordinating the operation of up to 24 neighboring access points for mobility and QoS services.

The flagship Altitude 4532 ($722) is a dual radio independent access point targeted at the need for medium density deployments, and is designed to run if its connection to a local or remote controller is interrupted and serves as a virtual controller to coordinate the operation of up to 24 neighboring APs.

Extreme Networks’ SmartRF system for APs helps ensure uninterrupted user access by sensing weak of failing signals, moving users to alternate APs and boosting signal power to fill in coverage gaps.

The switches support power over Ethernet plus, SummitStack stacking and IPv6, and come packaged with ExtremeXOS, a modular software platform supporting edge and core network switches.

As the growth of wireless traffic and new devices has organizations struggling with the costs of upgrading their networks to meet user demand, additional concerns brought on by BYOD initiatives require increasingly robust wireless solutions — with an emphasis on mobile device management. A flexible, scalable wireless infrastructure is the first step for VARs to ensure their customers’ business stays online all the time.