Aruba will today launch its pre-draft 802.11n Unified Mobile Network system, which the firm said would enable “true wireless connectivity”.
The launch features the 3000 series of hardware multiservice mobility controllers, a new family of high-performance multiple input-multiple output (Mimo) access points (APs), and new ArubaOS system software. The tools will let workers use voice-over-WLAN phones seamlessly, according to the vendor.
Aruba’s European marketing director, Roger Hockaday, said the systems feature second-generation Atheros chipsets, which should allay any concerns about their ability to supply enough power to the APs through the current Power over Ethernet (PoE) 802.3af standard.
Another benefit is the cost of such systems. “To wire up a desk and provision services for the standard one to two Ethernet ports costs £200 per desk. Per-user wireless AP connectivity for 20 to 30 people per-access point is about a quarter of the cost,” Hockaday explained.
Aruba has been criticised for running large amounts of data through a centralised switch architecture, rather than distributing the data at the edge of the network and switching it there.
“If we can build gigabit wired networks, why can’t we run 200-300Mbit/s from an AP? That’s Aruba’s preferred route,” Hockaday said.
