D-Link launches 802.11n access points for SMBs

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 07:58

Business IT - Networking

D-Link says its APs support both the Personal and Enterprise versions of WPA and WPA2 (802.11i) with support for a RADIUS server backend, and Microsoft’s Network Access Protection (NAP) that “restricts access based on a client PC's identity and compliance with corporate governance.”

Additional safety measures also include “MAC Address Filtering, Wireless LAN Segmentation, Disable SSID Broadcast, Rogue AP Detection, and Wireless Broadcast Scheduling.”

They also come with “multiple operation modes, such as AP, Wireless Distribution System (WDS), WDS with AP, and Wireless Client, so they can be configured to optimize network performance and can be configured to bridge with one another while also providing network access to additional clients.”

As these are business-class devices, both also include “advanced features such as Load Balancing for managing traffic volume, and Spanning Tree Protocol.”

Also included in the package as a standard feature is D-Link’s “AP Manager II software that allows management across subnet boundaries”.

AP Manager II’s benefits include “ease of management, allowing the user to manage the new DAP-2590 and DAP-2553, but also legacy APs including the DWL-3200AP, DWL-8200AP, DWL-2700AP and DWL-7700AP, providing users with the option to mix and match these models and monitor at a central point.”

The non-Plenum-chassis-rated DAP-2553 retails for US $179.99, while the Plenum-chassis-rated DAP-2590 retails for US $409.99 – you can expect Australian dollar prices to be higher, as always.