D-Link Offers SMBs WLAN Solution

Communications company D-Link announced it is now shipping its latest 802.11n wireless LAN product geared specifically to small and midsize businesses. The Selectable Dual-Band Access Point features multiple operation modes and flexible centralized management.
“The DAP-2553 is a versatile and affordable solution for growing businesses seeking to deploy a next-generation 802.11n WLAN,” said D-Link Chief Technology Officer A.J. Wang, in a statement. “It is designed specifically for SMB environments to provide secure, scalable and manageable dual-band wireless LAN options for network administrators.”
As security concerns among SMBs rise along with their need to work with Wi-Fi, D-Link wants midmarket companies to know it is providing a locked-down access point, shipping the DAP-2553 with personal and enterprise versions of WPA and WPA2 (802.11i) encryption with support for a back-end RADIUS server.
In addition, its Microsoft NAP (Network Access Protection) restricts access based on a client PC’s identity and compliance with corporate governance. Additional safety measures include MAC address filtering, wireless LAN segmentation, the ability to disable SSID broadcast, rogue AP detection and wireless broadcast scheduling.
The DAP-2553 also supports POE (power over Ethernet), so the device can be mounted where power outlets may not be readily available, and can be combined with POE switches, also available from D-Link. Three detachable antennas give the DAP-2553 optimal coverage with maximum wireless signal rates of up to 300M bps, selectable in either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz wireless band, according to the company. The DAP-2553’s support for Wi-Fi multimedia quality-of-service features gives it the capability to handle data, video and voice applications.
The AP offers a variety of operation modes, like WDS (Wireless Distribution System) and Wireless Client, which can be configured to bridge with one another while also providing network access to additional clients. Load balancing and Spanning Tree Protocol (an OSI layer-2 protocol that ensures a loop-free topology for any bridged LAN) round out the feature set.
Available immediately through resellers and D-Link’s Web site, the DAP-2553 carries a suggested retail price of $179.99.