Siemens Enterprise Communications has released the HiPath Wireless Outdoor Access Point (OAP) and V5 of the HiPath Wireless Convergence Software.
The new weather-proof Access Point enables wireless connectivity for voice and business processes in outdoor, temporary and hard-to-cable locations. With Siemens' new release, 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. 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.
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: First: WDS, which enables the OAP and existing HiPath Wireless access points to operate without a wired Ethernet network connection – delivering wireless backhaul capabilities. Second: 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. And third: 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 Marcus Birkl, Vice President Sales HiPath Wireless, Siemens Enterprise Communications. "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.