3Com Targets Wireless Deployments

Despite its continued bottom-line financial struggles, 3Com continues to expand its product portfolio to capitalize on emerging markets. It recently announced a new, enterprise-class wireless-switch system that simplifies the deployment of secure, wireless connectivity at branch and remote offices.

More specifically, the mobility solution targets enterprises with branch offices, schools, universities, health-care facilities and government-run public-access locations. It also integrates advanced, secure, wireless roaming, rogue detection and RF management technology into existing, wired networks without disruption.

Rohit Mehra, 3Com's director of enterprise wireless solutions, says the partner-friendly solution is appropriate for a variety of deployments. "For the SMB space, it fits well as an overlay for wireless access structures, and it's a good way of leveraging wireless technology in a campus environment," he says. "Partners are hungry for these types of products because they shorten sales cycles."

The system includes the WXR100 Remote Office Wireless LAN Switch ($999), which has a Web Quick Start function that enables small-office installations to work without complex configuration tools. It supports one to three managed access points per site and does not require preconfiguration. The $499 Wireless LAN Managed Access Point (MAP) 3750 is a dual-radio managed access point that supports 802.11a and 802.11b/g simultaneously with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) security.

3Com's wireless switch system supports access-point models from Cisco and Proxim, which means customers can leverage existing access points from other vendors.