New CPE delivers greater uplink performance while lowering operator capital and operating expenses

The Networks business of Motorola announced the latest WiMAX device added to its extensive portfolio of customer premises equipment (CPE) and USB dongles.

The new CPEi 825 wireless broadband modem supports data and voice with an integrated voice over IP (VoIP) port. It builds upon the functionality of earlier CPEs in the portfolio to deliver improved uplink performance, network operations, management and self diagnostics, meaning a better experience for customers and decreased expense for operators due to the unit’s remote management capability.

The CPEi 825 also features multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) functionality, a highly sensitive receiver, omni-directional performance, high-power output and high-gain polarized antennas with switched transmit diversity. These factors stretch the service level areas of the network, improve cell-edge performance, reduce uplink overhead on the access points and increase uplink efficiency, which is the limiting factor in most WiMAX network deployments. Together, these factors improve the end-user experience and enhance the overall site capacity.

“The CPEi 825 is based on Motorola’s proven WiMAX CPE experience gained from the performance of our devices in dozens of networks operating around the world,” said Bruce Brda, senior vice president, Motorola Networks. “This is our fourth-generation WiMAX CPE platform, and with each generation, we build in more functionality while driving down the prices so our operators can compete more effectively.”

The CPEi 825 has one data port and one voice access port. It also features a firewall for security, providing an effective solution for residential communication needs. The desktop unit can be mounted on a wall with an optional accessory that lets users position the unit in the best possible location for improved indoor performance.

Motorola’s latest CPE features easy-to-read signal strength indicators and WiMAX network, data and voice status indicators on the front of the device that are visible from a greater than 240-degree view angle. This feature makes it easier for users to check the status of the device.

In addition, the Motorola CPEi 825 supports remote management capability, allowing management and health monitoring of the devices from a standards-based centralized device management server, such as OMA-DM or TR-069 platforms. Network operators may further benefit from using Motorola’s NBBS remote device management software platform – built on industry-standard protocols, providing maximum flexibility for the operator with multi-vendor CPE support – allowing effective, reliable management of all configurable devices, including support for TR-069, OMA-DM, SNMP, WIB, Telnet and HTTP DL Server – streamlining operations, improving customer care and delivering enhanced services.

The CPEi 825 will be available in the 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz bands beginning in Q3 2010.

For more information about Motorola’s WiMAX solutions visit www.motorola.com/wimax.


NASA extends the World Wide Web out into Space

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station received a special software upgrade this week – personal access to the Internet and the World Wide Web via the ultimate wireless connection.

Expedition 22 Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer made first use of the new system Friday, when he posted the first unassisted update to his Twitter account, @Astro_TJ, from the space station. Previous tweets from space had to be e-mailed to the ground where support personnel posted them to the astronaut’s Twitter account.

“Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s”

This personal Web access, called the Crew Support LAN, takes advantage of existing communication links to and from the station and gives astronauts the ability to browse and use the Web. The system will provide astronauts with direct private communications to enhance their quality of life during long-duration missions by helping to ease the isolation associated with life in a closed environment.

During periods when the station is actively communicating with the ground using high-speed Ku-band communications, the crew will have remote access to the Internet via a ground computer. The crew will view the desktop of the ground computer using an onboard laptop and interact remotely with their keyboard touchpad.

Astronauts will be subject to the same computer use guidelines as government employees on Earth. In addition to this new capability, the crew will continue to have official e-mail, Internet Protocol telephone and limited videoconferencing capabilities.

To follow Twitter updates from Creamer and two of his crewmates, ISS Commander Jeff Williams and Soichi Noguchi, visit: http://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts


First-of-its-Kind Wireless Management Suite Sets New Bar for Price/Performance for Businesses with Up to 1,500 Users

NETGEAR®, Inc. introduced a unique family of ProSafe® Wireless Management solutions to meet the demands of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), schools, and enterprises with up to 1,500 users. As the first solution set in the market designed specifically for growing businesses, this NETGEAR family of products will, for the first time, enable growing businesses to easily and affordably manage their wireless network from one place, with a clear upgrade path as their company grows and their needs change.

The suite of ProSafe Wireless Management Products includes:
– ProSafe 5-AP Wireless Management Software WMS105;
– ProSafe 16-AP Wireless Management System WMS5316;
– ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520.

The NETGEAR ProSafe Wireless Management Suite will be on display for the first time this week at BETT, the world’s largest educational technology trade show, opening today at the Olympia exhibition center in London.

“Most wireless networking vendors offer either expensive solutions designed for the FORTUNE 500 or single AP solutions – neither of which is suitable for a growing business,” said Laurent Masia, NETGEAR product line manager for managed infrastructure products. “The management of wireless networks has been identified as a top priority for growing businesses, and NETGEAR has responded to this request with leading price/performance solutions. We are now the only company delivering a family of wireless management products that exceed the requirements of the majority of businesses worldwide.”

The ProSafe Wireless Management Suite of products enables growing businesses and mid-size enterprises to easily and affordably deploy a scalable, secure, feature-rich wireless network. They deliver enterprise-class connectivity and secure wireless LAN functionality, as well as the ability to configure, control and manage seven different access points (APs) ranging from SOHO-class IEEE 802.11g APs to professional-caliber dual-band IEEE 802.11n APs. The ease-of-use simplifies wireless deployments and network expansion with best-in-class wireless reliability, coverage, bandwidth and performance. These new management products also provide centralized management and robust security, but are installable in minutes.

“As the IT administrator of a growing business where wireless networking is critical, I need a lot more than standalone AP vendors can provide in terms of management. On the other hand, previous solutions designed for a much larger environment have not been cost-effective to implement,” said Chris Hemmings of Penguin Internet. “NETGEAR has bridged the gap between the ‘all or nothing’ choice I previously had to make, with a very easy to manage solution. At this affordable price point, a centrally managed solution will very quickly pay for itself due to the immediate labor savings in routine maintenance and management of access points.”

ProSafe 5-AP Wireless Management Software WMS105

Installable in minutes with automatic wireless access point discovery, the WMS105 Software is specifically designed for small businesses with five to 50 users. Features include:

– Centralized configuration for up to five APs, including Wireless-N;
– Easy to set up and use, APs are automatically discovered anywhere on the network;
– Mass firmware upgrade for APs;
– Extensive support for existing NETGEAR access points, including WNDAP350, WNDAP330, WNAP210, WG302v2, WG103, WN802Tv2, and WG602v4.

The ProSafe 5-AP Wireless Management Software WMS105 will be available worldwide in May at an MSRP in the U.S. of $50.

ProSafe 16-AP Wireless Management System WMS5316

At approximately one-third the price of a typical wireless controller meant for larger businesses, the ProSafe Wireless Management System offers reliable, secure and simple central wireless management for businesses and schools with 50 to 200 users. Features include:

– Central wireless management system for up to 16 APs, including Wireless-N;
– Easy to set up and use, APs are automatically discovered anywhere on the network to facilitate configuration of the central wireless network;
– Load-balancing of clients across the wireless network, so that no one AP is overwhelmed;
– Rogue AP detection;
– Guest access enables restricted access to the network, ensuring protection of sensitive data;
– Intuitive web-browser interface offers central wireless network management, making it a snap to monitor wireless performance with network mapping and AP firmware upgrades;
– Extensive support for existing NETGEAR access points, including WNDAP350, WNDAP330, WNAP210, WG302v2, WG103, WN802Tv2, and WG602v4.

The ProSafe 16-AP Wireless Management System WMS5316 will be available worldwide in March at an MSRP in the U.S. of $910 — one-third the price of competing products.

ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520

NETGEAR designed the enterprise-class, ProSafe Wireless Controller specifically for mid-size enterprises, and it scales up to 1,500 users. The WC7520 Controller enables businesses to grow their wireless network as needed with a high return on investment. Features include:

– Central wireless management based on full-featured enterprise-class wireless controller;
– Expandable to support up to 50 APs on a single unit;
– Stackable up to three controllers and 150 APs; features controller redundancy;
– Enterprise-class wireless security with rogue AP detection, heat maps and triangulation;
– Guest access enables restricted access to the network, with a captive portal;
– Voice over Wi-Fi® support with fast roaming and SpectraLink Voice Priority (SVP) QoS compliance;
– Support for existing NETGEAR access points, including WNDAP350 and WNAP210.

The ProSafe 20-AP Wireless Controller WC7520 will be available worldwide in July at an MSRP in the U.S. of $6,280, up to 30 percent less than typical competing wireless controllers. The Wireless-N License upgrade WC75NL and 10-AP Incremental License upgrade WC7510L for the ProSafe Wireless Controller will be sold for $4,200 each.

“Wireless solutions have rapidly become the most convenient and cost-effective network connectivity method for employees and guests alike,” said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst of enterprise voice and data at Infonetics Research, an international market research and consulting firm specializing in data networking and telecom. “But for many SMBs, centrally managing this infrastructure is simply cost-prohibitive. NETGEAR’s new wireless management offering changes that, by providing the right price/performance ratio even for small-scale access point deployments.”

Source: NETGEAR, Inc.


31 Monitors Operate Simultaneously on One Computer

Bringing advanced networking and monitor technology to the business-to-business computing arena, LG Electronics is introduced new N+(plus) Network Monitors at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

LG’s innovative N+ monitor technology supports up to 31 desktop LCD monitors on a single computer. This offers a superior space-saving solution, because it doesn’t require each user to have an individual desktop PC, helping provide a cleaner office environment without the unsightly mess of wires.

“As businesses and schools look to increase productivity and reduce power consumption, LG Electronics is dedicated to offering products that help our customers meet their needs,” said Jeff Dowell, vice president, business solutions, LG Electronics USA. “With our new N+ Monitors, LG is leading the way in providing an elegant, convenient, energy-saving technology solution.”

Offices are able to maximize investment of their computing technology through lowering purchasing and hardware costs, and reduced maintenance. The LG N+ system allows for easier access to computers when it’s needed most.

Advanced Display for the Masses

These N+ monitors (model N224WA) can be installed in just a few minutes and reduce the amount of maintenance and IT support needed for a typical office or classroom environment that requires the operation of multiple computers. The N224WA also offers USB ports for a keyboard and mouse, providing users with increased flexibility for placement and positioning. All of LG’s N+ monitors render clear, crisp images and 5-millisecond response rate. Additionally, this system offers consumers straightforward management including easy software and hardware set up, and central control support. The system can be secured and maintained by those with basic PC knowledge.

Energy Savings

In most office environments, a small percentage of the computing power of each PC is utilized effectively. LG’s N+ series provides consumers with a green advantage by saving energy. These monitors connect to an existing PC and redistribute the remaining resources to multiple users simultaneously, using the monitors’ virtual desktop software.

The software is able to divide a computer’s resources into 31 independent sessions so that all users can share the processing power of a single PC, maximizing the bandwidth to the fullest extent. Using one main PC to run all 31 N+ monitors enables consumers to save on the cost of energy used that extra PCs would have consumed, reducing noise and generating less heat. By reducing the number of PCs needed for a multi-user setup, the LG N+ solution also minimizes E-waste.

Source: LG Electronics USA, Inc.


Ideal for the SMB Seeking Enterprise Quality, the D-Link(R) DES-1210 Series Comes With 24 or 48 Ports, Advanced Security Features, and Comprehensive Voice-Ready Integration

D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, announced two new Web Smart(TM) Switches – designed for SMBs/Enterprises seeking to upgrade from unmanaged switches to smart switches – that offer affordability, an easy-to-use interface with a variety of management options, advanced security, and an auto-voice VLAN feature.

The D-Link(R) DES-1210 series comes with 24 and 48 10/100 ports with two Combo 1000Base-T/SFP ports and two 1000Base-T ports. The flexible uplink ports design helps the SMB to deploy network connections between client PC, servers and core network backbones.

With advanced, eco-friendly hardware design, the DES-1210 series Smart Switches include a fan-less feature that is ideal for offices with open spaces that require silent operation and low power consumption. A single LED per port provides at-a-glance port status and achieves low power consumption compared with traditional multi-LED per port design.

The DES-1210 switches feature a SmartConsole Utility, a program for discovering multiple Smart Switches within the same L2 network segment.

Users can easily enable initial settings of multiple Smart Switches without the need of changing the IP address of PCs, allowing hassle-free multiple device firmware upgrades. The switches also offer ease of setup with a default-enabled configuration to allow plug-and-play.

Offering strengthened security, the DES-1210 series has ACL filtering to permit or deny traffic based on MAC and/or IP addresses. The switches provide a complete step-by-step configuration of even the most complicated Access Control List (ACL) settings in a straightforward and simple format. With an ACL wizard and more intuitive setup, users can enable easy and flexible ACL field assignment to block unauthorized access. In addition, DES-1210 series features 802.1x port-based security to keep unauthorized users off the network.

“The D-Link DES-1210 Smart Switch series provides many of the features typically found in managed switches without adding complexity or cost.” said Harrison Albert, Regional Sales Director at D-Link Middle East. “With comprehensive management options, advanced security features and voice network-ready, the DES-1210 is the right choice for the SMB looking for an affordable price with essential components to upgrade from unmanaged switches to managed switches,” Harrison concluded.

With an Auto Voice VLAN feature, the switches seamlessly integrate with the SMB/Enterprise voice network, delivering optimal voice quality, and guaranteeing VoIP bandwidth without complicated settings. They offer DSCP-based QoS to classify voice, data and multicast into different levels to prioritize network traffic and IGMP Snooping to optimize the performance of multicast streaming between servers and clients.

For high reliability, the switches offer Loopback Detection (LBD) to enable the shutdown of loop ports and prevent packet storm from overwhelming the entire network. The DES-1210 series also includes cable diagnostics to troubleshoot basic connectivity problems and simplify network installation.

The DES-1210 Smart Switch series also includes friendly tips, offering the ability to add an example and description on each page to help remind users of the correct setup. Easy to maintain, the switch links to a support website and User Guide with the click of an online help navigation button.

Source: D-Link Middle East