Alcatel-Lucent introduces a line of WLAN products to drive the Mobile Enterprise

Alcatel-Lucent is extending the portfolio of products for building WLAN solutions with the new line of OmniAccess 4550, 4650 and 4750 controllers and the 220 series OmniAccess access point, supporting the future 802.11ac standard. Together with the new products, a number of useful features has been added to the software, including the ClientMatch technology, which increases performance and stability of connections from devices, also those using legacy 802.11 standards.

The 4x50 line of OmniAccess controllers consists of three models: the 4550, 4650 and 4750, offering unique performance and functionality. A single controller can support up to 2048 access points and 32 thousand connected WiFi devices. This has the ability to provide WiFi coverage across the entire Pentagon complex or three Empire State Buildings. One device can meet the needs of a large university, where students would be likely to stream HD videos.

In the OmniAccess 45x0 line of controllers strong emphasis was placed on security and traffic optimization. The devices offer efficient built-in security mechanisms, e.g. an on-the-fly encryption module processing at a speed of 40 Gbit/s and support for up to two million firewall sessions. In terms of intelligent traffic management, the controller analyses it in all layers – from the lowest (physical) to the highest (application).

ClientMatch radio frequency management technology introduced in the new version of the software ensures full control over WiFi clients, optimisation of connections and roaming between access points. In the solutions presently offered on the market, the WiFi client software decides which access point the smartphone, tablet or laptop will connect to and determines the parameters of the connection. Access points offering the strongest signal and standard frequency are usually selected. Since the devices are unaware of the limitations of the network or how many devices are connected to the given access point, it is impossible to ensure adequate quality of the connections for the given type of the device or application. In the case of the ClientMatch technology, to ensure optimum quality it is the WiFi network which monitors the traffic and analyses the profile of the device requesting for a connection as well as the current state of the network. On the basis of this information the frequency bands in use are dynamically adjusted. The software is compatible with WiFi clients of various vendors, which are based on market standards.

The 802.11ac technology – why and what for?
The introduction of the 802.11ac standard, whose final version is expected to be accepted towards the end of this year, is a response to the increasing loads of WiFi networks. The network must be able to transmit a constantly increasing volume of data from an increasing number of devices, and given the specific nature of data and applications, stability and quality requirements are also becoming more and more demanding. At the same time, the problem cannot be solved by installing additional access points, since this is uneconomical and multiplies operational issues for IT personnel. The 802.11ac standard compared to the present 802.11n (or previous standards) enables:

· An increase in the volume of data transmitted through a single access point (theoretically up to 1.73 Gb/s to a single client) or to significantly more clients (devices/applications) at the current speeds. This is of key importance in environments with high user density (offices, shopping malls, universities, airports, etc.);
· Much greater stability of connections, thanks to adding extra antennas to access points and user devices. This reduces the risk of losing coverage in areas where radio communication is difficult (e.g. elevators, staircases, rooms which are difficult to reach in view of obstacles);
· Transmission of various data streams to selected WiFi clients through the access point. So far, transmission was only possible in point-to-point or point-to-multipoint configurations. The new functionality optimises transmission and aligns it to the parameters of the various antennas used in mobile devices, while simultaneously minimising the interference between them.

Alcatel-Lucent's end-to-end portfolio is strengthened by this announcement with the ability to provide best in class wireless access, cost effective LAN access and POE, combined with best in class 10 GigE core architecture to drive an end-to-end Mobile Enterprise with a right sized network.