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In a bid to modernize outdoor wireless networks, the well known cloud networking company Meraki announced the launch of its two new outdoor 802.11n cloud controlled wireless access points (APs)---the Meraki MR62 and MR66.

Designed to provide integrated management, security, and performance to WiFi (News - Alert) networks in harsh outdoor and industrial indoor environments, Meraki MR62 and MR66 have been selected for 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival, the sources at the company proudly revealed in a press release.

The new wireless access points will help connect tens of thousands of attendees at the mega event, which starts September 16th in Monterey, CA (News - Alert). When tens of thousands of fans at the 20-acre Monterey Fairgrounds will be busy connecting to the WiFi network from iPads and smartphones to access festival information, stream audio feeds, and share photos throughout the three-day event, the Meraki APs will support them in their efforts.

In the release, Meraki explained that the Meraki MR62 and MR66 are designed for the challenges of modern outdoor wireless LANs, including high client density, insecure devices, bandwidth-intensive applications, rugged conditions and limited Ethernet cabling.

The APs reportedly feature powerful radio platform: up to 600 Mbps throughput, Gigabit Ethernet ports (802.3af PoE compatible), and extra CPU and memory to handle over 100 clients per AP. Its built-in network access control (NAC) helps secure the network from viruses and intrusion. They also feature water and dust sealed ruggedized enclosure.

Two concurrent radios, with speeds up to 600 Mbps make MR66 the perfect fit for the most demanding environments. The single-radio MR62, with speeds up to 300 Mbps, is designed for value-oriented outdoor WLANs.

The sleek, attractive industrial design and a complete mounting kit come as added bonus.

As compared to previous outdoor wireless APs, which  lacked the capacity, management and security sophistication of their indoor counterparts, the MR62 and MR66 provide complete and cloud based enterprise-class centralized management and security but without sacrificing performance.

The MR62 (list price $699) and MR66 (list price $1299) are available for immediate order through Meraki authorized resellers, the company announced in the release.

A couple of month back, Meraki, announced results of a study of mobile data consumption on WiFi networks, showing that iPads use significantly more Wi-Fi data than the average mobile device.

Want to learn more about cloud communications? Then be sure to attend the Cloud Communications Summit, collocated with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. The Cloud Communications Summit will address a growing need of businesses to integrate and leverage cloud based communications applications, process enhancement techniques, and network based communications interfaces and architectures. To register, click here.