D-Link releases Draft N base stations for corporate environments

D-Link has introduced the DAP-2590 and DAP-2553 wireless access points. The devices have three detachable antennas to comply with the proposed IEEE 802.11n standard and provide coverage in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Both devices can run off Power over Ethernet (PoE, IEEE 802.3af) and are housed in a chassis that has been Plenum rated – in other words, is suitable for integration into suspended ceilings and panelled walls.

The APs prioritise voice, video and VoIP (QoS, WMM), encrypt wireless data with WPA and WPA2 (802.11i), authenticate wireless clients using a RADIUS server and provide wireless network security via Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP), which defines and checks security guidelines for wireless clients. The devices use Multi-SSID and VLAN technology to divide wireless LANs into up to eight segments, they detect neighbouring APs that cause interference and can use a timer to power the wireless network up or down. They control the occurring network traffic (load balancing) and support the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).

The base stations can also establish a wireless backbone via WDS or work as a wireless client or bridge. In parallel with WDS they can also operate as APs to provide network access to wireless clients. The included AP Manager II administration software can centrally control and manage base stations such as the DWL-3200AP, DWL-8200AP, DWL-2700AP and DWL-7700AP across subnets. This task can also be handled via SNMP (v1, v2c and v3), a command line via Telnet or SSH as well as a browser interface via HTTP or HTTPS. D-Link plans to launch the DAP-2590 and the DAP-2553 in Germany towards the end of 2008. Prices in Euros have not been determined. In the US, the DAP-2553 costs $180, and the DAP-2590 $410.

(lghp)