Enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) coverage can now extend outdoors
between campus buildings situated in university and government settings
and in industrial environments like warehouses, factories and
construction sites. Siemens Communications, Inc. has released the HiPath
Wireless Outdoor Access Point (OAP) and V5 of the HiPath Wireless
Convergence Software. These new Siemens WLAN offerings further extend
the company's commitment to creating an open, wide-ranging wireless
network environment for Voice over WLAN and Mobility- Enabled Business
Processes - delivering Fixed Mobile Convenience (FMC) to the enterprise.
Now users can roam across corporate, industrial, government and
educational campuses without any break in their WiFi connection and
WiFi- supported voice calls. By extending WLAN coverage across the
entire physical footprint of an enterprise, business communications and
procedures can continue unabated, offering greater efficiency,
responsiveness and performance.
"The HiPath Wireless Outdoor AP will allow us to break outside
the classroom and cover our campus in a blanket of wireless LAN
coverage," said Russell Diaz, Executive Director of Information
Technology, Dominican College. "Such wireless availability will not
only afford greater anytime, anywhere collaboration to students, faculty
and guests, but it will also allow us to maximize our investment by
adding innovative wireless applications such as asset tracking, Voice
over wireless LAN and an enhanced surveillance system."
The Siemens HiPath Wireless OAP is designed for outdoor and
industrial environments and supports Wireless Distribution Service (WDS)
technology, which enables the OAP to operate without a wired Ethernet
network connection. The solution is resistant to both freshwater and
saltwater, fog, humidity, dust, and dirt and has a broad operating
temperature range. Installation is plug-and-play. No Ethernet cabling is
needed, so it's also useful for situations not suited for pulling
data cable, such as historical buildings, campuses with large geographic
distances between buildings and complex manufacturing environments.
In addition to supporting the new OAP, the release of HiPath
Wireless Convergence Software V5 supports other important voice and
security features. The new software offers three key elements:
-- WDS, which enables the OAP and existing HiPath Wireless access
points to operate without a wired Ethernet network connection -
delivering wireless backhaul capabilities. -- Opportunistic Key Caching
(OKC), a secure, fast-roaming technique that allows access points to
share authentication credentials to accelerate client roaming and
prevent delays in voice calls. -- 802.1x AP authentication, which
provides secure wired network integration through access point
authentication.
The Siemens HiPath Wireless OAP and V5 of the HiPath Wireless
Convergence Software are the seventh and eighth major releases to the
HiPath Wireless portfolio in 24 months, continuing Siemens'
enhancements to its FMC offerings. The benefits of FMC and multi-vendor
interoperability reflect the Siemens Open Communications architecture
that is the foundation of the entire Siemens HiPath portfolio of
enterprise communications solutions.
"This newest release will help our enterprise customers close
the gaps that may exist in their wireless LAN coverage, creating
comprehensive wireless connectivity for information access and
communications anywhere on the company premises," said Luc Roy,
vice president, product planning, Enterprise Mobility, Siemens
Communications, Inc. "By extending the WiFi footprint, our
customers can gain that much more efficiency, collaboration and
responsiveness in their day-to-day operations."
The Siemens HiPath Wireless OAP is available now in two models -
the 2650, which has an internal antenna, and the 2660, with an external
antenna. HiPath Wireless Convergence Software V5 supports the HiPath
Wireless portfolio of WLAN controllers, access points and management
software.
About Siemens
Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and
engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $96 billion in
fiscal 2005. Founded nearly 160 years ago, the company is a leader in
the areas Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation,
Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water
Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate
headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $18.8
billion and employs approximately 70,000 people throughout all 50 states
and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based
in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG
and its subsidiaries employ 460,000 people in 190 countries.
About Siemens Communications, Inc.
Siemens Communications, Inc. is an affiliate of Siemens Enterprise
Communications GmbH & Co. KG, one of the world's leading
vendors of Open Communications solutions for enterprises of all sizes,
enabling business processes to be more productive, faster and more
secure - with any device, network or information technology
infrastructure. Siemens Communications Inc., and Siemens Enterprise
Communications GmbH & Co. KG are wholly owned subsidiaries of
Siemens AG with about 15,000 employees globally and headquarters in Boca
Raton, Fla.
For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com or call
561/923-8347.
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