Cambridge, UK-based LANart International Ltd, the 1992 spin-off from Chipcom Corp, has declared war on the stackable hub market with the introduction of its SegWay port switch. The company claims that although the product is price-competitive with stackables, unlike them it supports virtual local area networks and integrates into virtual local network management. It enables bandwidth to be prioritised according to user needs by a change in the setting of the device’s connection matrix, as opposed to manual intervention. In addition, LANart says the concept of port switching will enable network managers to create and reconfigure virtual local networks at will, and without extra cost. It consists of a master unit featuring 24 10Base-T ports, onto which up to four 24-port slave units can be stacked for a maximum of 120 ports in all. Within the port switch are eight network channels, giving a claimed 80Mbps total throughput on the device. The offering will enable managers to allocate power users with their own dedicated 10Mbps bandwidth channel, while grouping occasional users to other channels according to the estimated bandwidth they require – say 2.5Mbps for four users, or 30Mbps for 30 users. As users’ need change, they can be reallocated via a personal computer controlling the SegWay, said LANart. The offering features two interconnection options: an additional eight backbone ports with a 10Base-T interface, or a multiplexed eight channel fibre link with remote extension units. With the latter option, eight independent Ethernets can be multiplexed on a single link, enabling stack units to be remotely located, said the company. The remote extension can be up to 6,000 feet away using duplex fibre, or up to 300 feet distant using CAT-5 twisted pair. Master unit costs $3,480, slave units cost $2,850.
