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Broadband networking, Internet access, connected home and routing specialist Zyxel announced the release of its NXC2500 wireless local area network (LAN) controller and NWA5120 series of ceiling-mount access points (APs).
Aimed at small and midsize businesses (SMBs), the NXC2500 WLAN controller supports up to 24 NWA3100 series APs or the latest NWA5120 series APs, and offers a range of features that include load-balancing capabilities, automatic channel selection and radio frequency (RF) optimization.
The NXC2500, NWA5121-NI and NWA5123-NI are available from authorized Zyxel distributors and channel partners. The NXC2500 is priced at $399, the NWA5121-NI is $169, and the NWA5123-NI is $199.
“The explosive growth of trends like BYOD {bring-your-own-device] and cloud services for SMBs have raised the bar on requirements for wireless networks,” Steven Joe, executive vice president of Zyxel Americas’ channel business division, said in a statement. “Zyxel’s latest WLAN controller-AP solution is designed to address these performance demands on wireless business networks with minimal effort and maximum control.”
Another key feature of the wireless local-area network (WLAN) controller is a built-in wireless optimizer, a WLAN deployment and management tool that helps plan WLAN deployments and also uses the deployed APs as WiFi sensors to map range and signal quality of the wireless network, creating a coverage map that can be monitored and optimized.
In addition, the NXC2500 comes with a built-in Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server for Internet service management, captive portal server and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, so businesses can provide secure access for employees and guests.
Finally, the NXC2500 can expand the existing WLAN network by adding APs without any preconfiguration using NXC2500’s built-in support for Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP).
The NWA5120 AP series includes the NWA5121-NI 802.11n AP and the dual-band, dual-radio NWA5123-NI AP. The NWA5120 series APs can function as a stand-alone AP or can be used with the NXC2500 controller, and both offer support for CAPWAP for deployment with the NXC2500 WLAN controller.
In addition, the NWA5123-NI comes with dual radios to support concurrent 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands for enhanced performance, and NWA5120 series APs are plenum-rated with support for Power over Ethernet (PoE), wireless application protocol (WAP) and WPA2 enterprise security, virtual local area networks (VLANs) and DHCP.
The company also offers technology bundles that come with product recommendations, quick-install preconfigured set-up files and assistance from Zyxel’s trained technicians. The program is intended to help channel partners leverage the company’s products to build and deploy complete network solutions for different vertical businesses.