ALE Introduces New APs, Edge Switches
October 04, 2017
By Paula Bernier
Executive Editor, TMC
Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) Enterprise has unleashed an array of new mobile campus products. That includes access points, edge switches, and new network management capabilities.
The Wi-Fi products are being sold under the OmniAccess Stellar WLAN brand. These solutions are based on 802.11ac Wave 2 technology and can be used indoors or outside. They leverage a controllerless architecture; feature integrated guest management; and have built-in deep packet inspection, which can be used for analytics.
OmniAccess Stellar WLAN is offered via two options. WiFi (News - Alert) Express is a cluster-based solution that supports up to 64 access points and is suitable for small and medium business use; and the WiFi Enterprise, which employs the OmniVista 2500 NMS for network management.
Speaking of the OmniVista 2500, it allows for monitoring and control of applications, devices, and users in LAN and WLAN implementations. And it
keeps policies consistent on the entire network and simplifies operations.
As TechRepublic reported in a piece last year, 802.11ac Wave 2 technology enables gigabit-level connectivity, supports more connected devices, and offers better performance and flexibility, among other benefits.
“One of the biggest updates that comes with 802.11ac Wave 2 is that it supports additional 5 GHz channels,” TechRepublic said. “If these channels are designated for Wi-Fi use, it could help support more users and devices overall. Most devices (65% according to the Wi-Fi Alliance (News - Alert)) now are dual-band, meaning they can operate in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies.”
ALE is also promoting its OmniSwitch 6560 switch. This is a multi-gigabit 2.5 gigabits per second solution. Additional 10gbps uplink ports and 20G stacking ports allow it to scale.
“The most recent addition to the access switch family is the OmniSwitch 6560 with Multigigabit 2.5Gbps access ports to enable high-speed Wi-Fi and high PoE ports to power IoT devices,” Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise says. “Additional 10Gbps uplink ports and 20G stacking ports offer the option to address the expected growing demand in terms of network traffic.”
Edited by Mandi Nowitz
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