New York and Tel Aviv, March 25, 2008 - Extricom, a leading provider of high-performance enterprise-class wireless solutions for converged voice (VoWLAN), data, video, and location-based services, today announced its new suite of 802.11n draft 2.0 compliant products. Extricom's fourth-generation solution is the only system to enable disruption-free introduction of full-performance 802.11n in the enterprise, for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands, at the lowest cost-per-port.

It has become clear that, in order to achieve the promise of greater bandwidth, all solutions announced to date impose three disruptive and expensive conditions on any 802.11n implementation: limit ‘N' devices to the 5GHz band, leave the 2.4GHz band only for legacy devices, and install costly non-standard power-over-Ethernet (PoE) schemes to meet the increased energy demands of 802.11n access points (APs). In stark contrast to this, the Extricom WLAN System, based on the unique Channel Blanket™ architecture, avoids the technical and deployment obstacles presented by all other vendor solutions.

"The 802.11n standard promises to play a pivotal role in finally making the all-wireless enterprise a reality," commented Stan Schatt, vice president and director, Wireless Connectivity at ABI Research. "And to future-proof their business case, organizations must ensure that they select an architecture that can support both 802.11n as well as installed 802.11g with a premium placed on flexibility as well as ease of deployment  At the same time, an all-wireless enterprise will require a robust network with strong quality of service and roaming functionality.  Without the ability to support all enterprise applications and full mobility, the gains in bandwidth from 802.11n will only be incremental rather than a quantum leap."

Unlike any other vendor in the market, the Extricom WLAN system combines multi-radio APs to create parallel, simultaneous wireless networks from the same set of APs. These overlapping networks can operate on any combination of channels, modes, and frequency bands, and therefore give IT the ability to allocate each WLAN to specific user groups, applications, or device types. The result is an infrastructure that enables the organization to:

• Gradually introduce ‘n' devices into the existing environment, and do so at whatever pace is convenient for the business, without experiencing any conflicts with legacy devices. No "forklift" cutover of users is required.
• Choose to deploy ‘n' with 40MHz channel bonding in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and achieve the promised 300Mbps data rates even when legacy ‘g' or ‘a' devices are present.
• Enhance the existing wireless network with the benefits of 802.11n, without having to rework the number, location, and cabling for APs. In other words, deploy without redesign of the wireless layout.
• Continue with conventional 802.3af power-over-Ethernet. The unique UltraThin™ design doesn't require a power-hungry processor, which means that standard PoE will drive even a four-radio Extricom Access Point at full-rate and full-coverage.
• Eliminate the complexities of cell-planning. This not only makes deployment and maintenance dramatically simpler than any other solution, but also delivers the promised range benefits of MIMO, without the side-effects of unpredictable MIMO coverage.

"The 802.11n standard undoubtedly introduces some important benefits," commented Mike King, research director at Gartner. "But the solutions seen to-date must contend with drawbacks of frequency planning, power, and mixing of new and legacy devices, all of which drive implementation costs higher."

"The implementation of 802.11n should be about evolution, not revolution. Evolution means that 802.11n technology supplements and enhances your existing network infrastructure, rather than forcing you to change it entirely," observed Gideon Rottem, CEO of Extricom. "Gartner has previously noted that fourth-generation WLANs will be most effective in enabling the various modes of 802.11n¹ and we believe Extricom is absolutely proving this out. Our unique architecture not only unlocks the promise of 802.11n, but it provides the total set of business and technical traits to make the converged wireless enterprise a reality. In the end, the Extricom solution provides the highest performance at the lowest cost-per-port possible."

The Extricom 802.11n product suite is the broadest in the industry, encompassing new APs, new and updated WLAN switches, and a new external antenna bar.

• EXRP-40En Four-Radio UltraThin Access Point: The industry's only quad-radio 802.11n AP, incorporating two n/a/b/g radios and two a/b/g radios, which can be operated in any combination of channels and bands. All ‘n' equipped radios incorporate 3x3 MIMO (multiple-in, multiple-out) antenna configuration.
• EXRP-30n Three-Radio UltraThin Access Point: A tri-radio 802.11n AP with integrated antennas, for easy deployment of ‘n' on a large scale. The EXRP-30n is equipped with two n/g/b/a radios and one g/b/a radio, which can be operated in any combination of channels and bands. All ‘n' equipped radios incorporate 3x3 MIMO antenna configuration.
• EXSW-1200 and EXSW-2400 Wireless LAN Switches: Investment in existing switches is fully protected, as they will require only a firmware update to support the new 802.11n APs.
• EXSW-1600 Wireless LAN Switch: The newest member of the Extricom WLAN switch family, the EXSW-1600 provides additional flexibility in tailoring the Extricom WLAN to the organization's scale and requirements.
• EXAN-10 Antenna Bar: MIMO multiplies the number of antennas for each Wi-Fi radio, which leads to an unsightly and inconvenient number of external antennas being connected to each AP. By integrating up to twelve antennas into one assembly, the innovative EXAN Antenna Bar provides the convenience of connecting numerous antennas to the AP, simply by connecting a single cable to the bar that in turn mounts to the wall.

For more information on Extricom's 802.11n suite of products, visit www.extricom.com/80211n

¹"Key Challenges Arise for 802.11n Deployments," Gartner, 25 July 2007, Ken Dulaney.