Networking gear giant Cisco Systems is making a big push into the market for low-cost wireless Internet access devices that are geared for the enterprise but can be adopted by service providers for home users in Asia.
Officials said the company's 1100-series Aironet access point, based on the 802.11b or Wi-Fi wireless local area networking (WLAN) standard, was released in the mainland and Hong Kong this month and will be introduced in Singapore next month.
The new Cisco product sells for US$599 and comes with an integrated antenna and secure mounting system, designed for trouble-free installation in a variety of locations, such as ceilings, walls, cubicle walls and desktops.
Ralf Buettner, Cisco product manager for wireless networking, said the latest Aironet device extended the company's offering of access points with standards-based radio technologies for a range of wireless applications.
Cisco's first Aironet product, the 1200 series, is a dual mode device that sells for US$999 and complies with the 802.11a and 802.11b WLAN standards.
Developed by the global standards group Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 802.11 represents a family of technical specifications for WLAN use. There are four specifications, the latest of which end with the letters a, b and g.
Both Cisco's 1100- and 1200-series Aironets offer the industry's highest data transmission speeds at 54 megabits per second.
