Although it didn't deliver all the functionality of its competitors, Cisco's solution was one of the priciest proposed, largely a result of the higher cost for Cisco's APs. And beyond the initial capital cost of equipment, operational costs for a Cisco WLAN are likely to be higher than the competition, at least until SWAN is fully baked. However, for sites with large Cisco wired installations, there's also a significant benefit associated with looking to the leading enterprise network vendor for wired and wireless.
Cisco Aironet Series of Wireless LAN Solutions. Cisco Systems, (800) 553-6387. www.cisco.com
Enterasys Networks, known chiefly for its enterprise wired infrastructure gear, responded to our RFP with a system built around its RoamAbout R2 dual-slot-capable "smart" AP. The RoamAbout R2's ability to support two radio cards via an optional Mezzanine Adapter makes it versatile in that it can accommodate both 11b and 11a radios. The system will be able to support any combination of 11b, 11g and 11a radio cards once Enterasys releases its 11g radio cards later this year.
The RoamAbout is a solid product, but the overall system design can't compete with newer offerings. Nonetheless, if you're an existing Enterasys customer and your wireless needs don't call for advanced capabilities like subnet roaming, it's an effective solution.
Configuration and management of RoamAbout R2 is handled by Enterasys' RoamAbout AP Manager, which comes free with every AP. AP discovery is performed by entering an IP range to scan and the APs' management password. Once discovered, APs are entered into a managed list so that configuration attributes, such as channel, power output and security settings, can be set, either for a single AP or for a logical grouping of APs.
The RoamAbout AP Manager has no fancy bells or whistles, but it can configure all AP settings from one central location, all for the perfect price--free. Management can also be done through serial console, telnet, SSH, HTTP, HTTPS or integration with any SNMP-based network management software.
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