SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 23, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Foundry Networks(r), Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced the addition of the IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0-enabled IronPoint Mobility Series AP300 access points (AP) and MC5000 Mobility Controller to the company's extensive mobility portfolio. These products broaden Foundry's intelligent wireless LAN (WLAN) offering, an important component in Foundry's broader advanced intelligent edge solution set, extending high-performance and scalable networking to the wireless edge. Wireless LANs have become a more integral part of the enterprise infrastructure; Foundry's advanced IronPoint Mobility products provide a comprehensive solution, with a lower total cost of ownership, for delivering high-value services throughout the mobile enterprise.
The IronPoint Mobility AP300 is a technically advanced family of 802.11n access points providing deployment flexibility, high-bandwidth connectivity, high-density client support and a high-quality solution for converged IP applications. These access points provide sustained and increased capacity through large WLAN deployments by their unique "all available" channel layering capabilities to simultaneously serve any given area at any particular time, without increasing network complexity.
Other technology highlights include: * Over-the-air Quality of Service (QoS) delivers full speed 802.11n Draft 2.0 while still supporting legacy 802.11a/b/g devices simultaneously * Delivers up to 300 Mbps data throughput with configuration flexibility * Hardware flexibility enables multiple deployment options with both radios dual-band enabled (2.4GHz and 5GHz) * Radios can be powered by 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) or 802.3at PoE Plus, utilizing existing wired infrastructure and protecting network investment The IronPoint Mobility AP300 family is available in four models: * AP320: dual 802.11n radio with 3x3 MIMO antenna array * AP310: single 802.11n radio with 3x3 MIMO antenna array * AP311: dual radio with one 802.11n radio with 3x3 MIMO and one 802.11a/b/g radio (a/b/g radio is field upgradeable to .11n via software) * AP302: dual 802.11a/b/g radios, field upgradeable to 802.11n via software
"Wireless infrastructure and solutions will continue to gain traction as an integral component of enterprise networks with the adoption of 802.11n technology," said Michael Brandenburg, enterprise analyst for Current Analysis. "The increased throughput and range of 802.11n allow businesses to augment their wired networks with a mobile medium to enable business-critical applications to be accessed and maximized by employees untethered from their desks."
The IronPoint Mobility MC5000 Mobility Controller is a modular and resilient wireless system providing enterprise organizations flexibility and scalability when deploying their distributed wireless edge network. The MC5000 is a multi-gigabit, five-blade chassis controller that supports up to 1000 APs per chassis. It is designed to meet the higher bandwidth and scalability demands of the 802.11n wireless LAN infrastructure.
Technical highlights for the IronPoint Mobility MC5000 include: * Quality of Service (QoS) for upstream and downstream traffic prioritization to allow latecy-sensitive applications, such as VoIP, to the network * Auto discovery and configuration of APs with no need for manual tuning to select the ideal power and channel settings * Advanced multi-layer security with the automatic detection and prevention of rogue APs, and allowing security policies to follow roaming users without re-authentication * Intelligent contention management to enable the highest density of wireless clients
"The IronPoint Mobility AP300 family and MC5000 controller are important additions to Foundry's wireless LAN offering," said Bob Schiff, vice president and general manager for Foundry's Enterprise Business Unit. "These products enhance Foundry's intelligent edge offering for the enterprise, enabling organizations to deploy high-speed wireless services with the assurance that the network can scale to meet the bandwidth and quality of service requirements of the wireless applications. By implementing an IronPoint Mobility 802.11n solution, organizations can be confident that their business-critical applications can be accessed away from the desktop, allowing increased productivity anywhere and anytime."
Availability and Pricing
The IronPoint Mobility Series AP300 family access points and MC5000 Mobility Controller will be generally available June 2008. Starting U.S. list prices are shown below:
* IronPoint Mobility Series Access Point AP320: $1,795 * IronPoint Mobility Series Access Point AP310: $1,595 * IronPoint Mobility Series Access Point AP311: $1,495 * IronPoint Mobility Series Access Point AP302: $1,245 * IronPoint Mobility Series Controller MC5000: $31,095
About Foundry Networks
Foundry Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY) is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing, security and Web traffic management solutions, including Layer 2/3 LAN switches, Layer 3 Backbone switches, Layer 4-7 application switches, wireless LAN and access points, metro and core routers. Foundry's customers include the world's premier ISPs, metro service providers, and enterprises, including e-commerce sites, universities, entertainment, health and wellness, government, financial and manufacturing companies. For more information about the company and its products, call 1.888.TURBOLAN or visit www.foundrynet.com.
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