10 Cool Network Infrastructure Products

Aerohive Networks has taken its "cooperative control" wireless LAN architecture into the fast lane with the launch of its HiveAP 320, a new access point that supports the 802.11n high-speed WLAN standard. The access point includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports that support Power over Ethernet, and it can be deployed alongside Aerohive 802.11a/b/g access points. It is priced at $1,299.

Netgear is treading into the wonderful world of open source with the launch of its latest wireless router. The Open-Source Wireless G Router WGR614L supports Linux-based firmware such as Tomato and DD-WRT and will soon support OpenWRT, the company says. The WGR614L is certified to work with Microsoft Windows Vista and features a 240-MHz MIPS32 CPU core, as well as 4 MB of flash memory and 16 MB of RAM. In addition to its external antenna, it also includes a second internal diversity antenna to boost performance and range. It is priced at $69.

D-Link is easing customers into the spy business with its new D-Life DHA-390 Internet Surveillance Starter Kit, which includes an Internet video camera and two PowerLine networking adapters. With the adapters, users can tap into their existing electrical wiring to network the camera and their router together. The company says set-up requires zero configuration, so it's pretty much plug-and-watch. The kit is priced at $499.95.

Cisco Systems recently plunged into the digital signage market with a number of new products, including the Cisco Digital Media Player 4400G, IP-based hardware for delivering content to digital displays. The box is built to bring video, motion graphics, Web and dynamic content to the screen, whether it's a high-definition live broadcast or on-demand. It includes up to 4 GB of local storage, as well as support for the MPEG-4/H.264 video standards and Adobe Flash 9. It is priced at approximately $1,000.

A10 Networks earlier this year overhauled its lineup of AX traffic management appliances, including the addition of policy-based server load balancing, enhanced e-mail security, SIP load balancing and support for IPv6. The vendor's high-end AX 3200 is aimed at large enterprises, ISPs and carriers. Independent testing revealed recently that the AX 3200 can process more than 1.5 million Layer 7 transactions per second, making it one powerful box. It is priced at $69,995.

Aastra Telecom is one of several vendors to jump on the Microsoft SMB VoIP bandwagon with products based on Microsoft's Response Point IP telephony software. Aastra's recently launched lineup includes its AastraLink RP 500 base unit and 540 Gateway, along with the Response Point Administrator Application and Response Point Assistant Application, all aimed at businesses with up to 50 users. The vendor also offers three IP phones, including the the 6757i RP, a nine-line phone that includes a cordless handset. Aastra's starter kit, which includes the base unit, an external analog telephony adapter and three phones, including one cordless model, is priced at $2,400.

Array Networks' SPX3000 network security appliance helps ensure that only the right people get access to all of this cool infrastructure technology. The SPX3000 provides SSL VPN technology for 50 to 2,500 concurrent users. It is priced at approximately $8,000.

With its ProCurve Switch 8212zl, HP last year introduced its first network core switch that comes with a lifetime warranty. It is the first core switch built entirely on technology developed in-house by HP, including its ProVision ASICs, and is priced starting at $23,999.

Juniper Networks recently revamped its line of application acceleration appliances, including the launch of its WXC 3400. The WXC 3400 improves application performance for branch offices and other users accessing them over the WAN by recognizing and eliminating redundant transmission, the company says. It also accelerates TCP and application-specific protocols and can allocate bandwidth according to application priority. It can accelerate WAN traffic up to 45 Mbps and is priced starting at $24,995.

Extreme Networks has brought Gigabit Ethernet and its ExtremeXOS operating system to the network edge in the form of its Summit X350 Series fixed configuration switch. The X350 comes in 24- and 48-port configurations. The switch was built with the resiliency, performance and security needed to support network convergence, the company says, including the modular capabilities of ExtremeXOS, quality of service features and threat detection. It is priced starting at $1,795.