3Com Unveils Bevy Of New Tri-Mode WLAN Products

The tri-mode product line includes 3Com's OfficeConnect versions for the SMB market and its branded products targeted at larger enterprises, said Fred Geiger, director of wireless product management at 3Com, Marlborough, Mass.

"We're really trying to get ahead of the curve and lead with the tri-mode across all of the product categories that we support," said Geiger. "And with this increased push, we are putting some increased focus on our reseller program."

Part of that push includes solution provider recruitment efforts through new relationships such as a recent deal with WLAN distributor TerraWave, San Antonio, to offer 3Com's full line of WLAN products, he said.

Mark Coltharp, president of E-Rev Technologies, a Plano, Texas-based wireless solution provider, said tri-mode WLAN deployments are a core value proposition for his company now that advanced wireless security protocols are in place and the 802.11g 54-Mbps standard has been ratified.

Coltharp said he's impressed enough with 3Com's tri-mode WLAN product line to begin deploying it to his customer base. 3Com's tri-mode access point, which features a proprietary turbo mode that supports speeds up to 108 Mbps, really acts as a quad-mode device that answers specific application needs, particularly with E-Rev's health-care clients.

"That allows us to take let's say, the imaging department and %85 run a 108-Mbps backbone to any pen tablet, and they can do medical imaging bedside," he said. "We use proprietary [technology] as little as possible, but when you have a medical-imaging application, there's no reason not to increase to 108 Mbps."

Among the products slated for availability this month are the 3Com WLAN AP 8750, priced at $1,099; the WLAN AP 8250, at $749; 802.11 a/b/g Wireless PC Card with XJACK Antenna, at $135; 802.11 a/b/g WLAN PCI adapter, at $135; 802.11g WLAN AP Upgrade Kit, at $249; and OfficeConnect Wireless 802.11 a/b/g PC Card, at $89.

Slated to ship by the end of December are the 3Com OfficeConnect wireless 802.11 a/b/g AP and OfficeConnect wireless 802.11 a/b/g cable/DSL gateway. Prices have not been set.