Needham, Massachusetts-headquartered Aironet Wireless Communications Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of hand-held terminal specialist Telxon Corp of Akron, Ohio, has introduced the Arlan 630 Series of Ethernet access points and the Arlan 640 Series of wireless Ethernet multipoint bridges. Among the features offered by the products are standard 10Base-T connectors, Telnet configuration capability, Spanning Tree protocol support, and Flash memory, according to Aironet. The new products replace the company’s Arlan 610 Series of Ethernet hubs – which were claimed to be the industry’s first Ethernet access points – and the Arlan 620 Series of Ethernet bridges. According to the company, the new products are based on direct-sequence spread-spectrum radio technology and can be equipped with either 900MHz radio, offering data transfer rates up to 860Kbps, or 2.4GHz radio, offering data rates up to 2Mbps per channel. The 630 Series provides wireless access to wired Ethernet local area networks for devices equipped with Arlan wireless network adaptors or OEM radio modules. An individual 630 access point can apparently be placed anywhere along an Ethernet network to provide wireless devices transparent with access to the wired network within its coverage area. Aironet says that the 640 Series enables two or more local area networks to be connected together wirelessly. The product also provides transparent, wireless data communications between the Ethernet and fixed, portable, or mobile devices equipped with Arlan wireless network adaptors or OEM radio modules, according to Aironet. The company adds that any combination of the Arlan 630 and Arlan 640 can be used to create multiple-building, indoor or outdoor wireless networks while providing mobile users with seamless roaming and power management throughout the covered area. Roaming enables users to remain connected to their host computer as they leave one area covered by an Ethernet access point and enter another, according to Aironet. In addition, multiple 630s and 640s can be placed in the same cell to form a fault-tolerant wireless local network, says the company. Both products can also be configured as wireless repeaters, and used to extend the range of other Arlan devices. List pricing for the Arlan 630 Series starts at $1,800 with a 900MHz radio and $2,000 for 2.4GHz radio. The Arlan 640 Series starts at $2,500 with a 900MHz radio and $2,700 for 2.4GHz radio. Both are already available.
