D-Link Extends Unified Wireless Portfolio For SMBs

D-Link extended its unified wireless solutions for small and midsize businesses (SMBs).

The expansion includes the DWC-1000 Wireless Controller, the DWL-6600AP Dual-Band Unified Wireless Access Point and DWL-3600AP 2.4 GHz Single-Band Unified Wireless Access Point, and the DWS-3160-24TC and DWS-3160-24PC Unified Wireless Managed Switches.

Remote Management

Designed to help businesses deploy, manage and secure a wireless network across multiple locations, D-Link’s portfolio of wireless solutions offers remote management and scalability for expanding wireless applications.

The D-Link DWC-1000 Unified Wireless Controller is designed to centrally manage and control a wireless infrastructure while addressing the demands of a growing organisation, featuring one-time configuration and dispatch to manage wireless access points (APs). It can configure and control up to 24 APs and cluster up to four controllers, enabling users to manage up to 96 APs. As new APs are added, the DWC-1000 can automatically detect and configure new channels, eliminating the need to manually assign a new radio frequency (RF) channel for each AP. In addition, the DWC-1000 provides remote management capabilities, including the changing of encryption keys and passwords, fast roaming between APs and delivering automatic channel adjustments without the need to reconfigure each AP.

The DWC-1000 also automatically adjusts radio channels and power to avoid interference and keep the wireless network in an optimized state and offers centralised management for six APs, upgradeable to 24, with an optional VPN, router and firewall license to add remote access connectivity with secure site-to-site tunnelling. The appliance supports WEP, Dynamic WEP, WPA/WPA2 Personal/Enterprise security, Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems (WIDS) and Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems (WIPS).

Offering speeds of up to 300Mbps and Wireless N technology, the DWL-6600AP and DWL-3600AP Unified Wireless Access Points are designed to provide enhanced signal quality, high data throughput and increased connectivity with less interference for businesses requiring high-bandwidth services, such as video streaming and video conferencing. Both APs feature 2X2 embedded antennas and IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE).

The appliances also support AP clustering for management and configuration, allow integration with the DWC-1000 controller, DWS-3160 wireless switch and other D-Link network devices, are backward-compatible with previous-generation wireless standards, feature a Gigabit Ethernet port with 802.3af PoE and 64-/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2 Personal/Enterprise security protection.

The DWS-3160-24TC and DWS-3160-24PC Unified Wireless Managed Switches combine the functionality of a wireless controller with an L2+ managed switch, with the ability to manage up to 48 APs or up to 192 APs in a switch cluster. The DWS-3160 series offers centralised security to ensure maximum network reliability, including WIDS to detect rogue APs and clients, Radio Frequency Scan to detect potential network security breaches, and 802.1X Network Access Control.

Price And Availability

D-Link’s portfolio of unified wireless solutions will be available in April through D-Link’s network of channel partners, including value-added resellers, solution providers and distributors.

The DWC-1000 Wireless Controller DWC-1000 retails for $799.99 (£504). The DWL-6600AP Dual-Band Unified Wireless Access Point is listed at $549.99 (£346). The DWL-3600AP 2.4 GHz Single-Band Unified Wireless Access Point carries a price of $349.99 (£220), and the DWS-3160-24TC and DWS-3160-24PC Unified Wireless Managed Switches come in at $2,241.99 (£1,413) and $4,013.99 (£2,531), respectively.

“As small-to-medium businesses continue to implement wireless network systems, centralised management becomes critical to saving precious time and money and ensuring overall ROI,” said Mark Prowten, vice president, enterprise and channel sales for D-Link North America. “D-Link’s expanded unified wireless portfolio allows businesses to cost effectively deploy and manage wireless infrastructures, offering a robust feature set typically offered in more expensive systems, and provides the flexibility to scale as business needs grow.”

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