Wireless networking is evolving at a rapid pace, transforming into an increasingly viable solution for enterprise networks. Performance boosts and security enhancements are among the forces pushing wireless deeper into the networking mainstream. Vivato is taking that evolution a step further with the introduction of indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi switches. Vivato expects to launch the products in early 2003. They'll be the first wireless switching products to hit the market and could have a significant impact on how organisations deploy wireless networks. A single switch installed indoors will offer network coverage for an entire floor, while an outdoor switch can connect buildings. Service providers will be able to take advantage of the several-mile range of the outdoor switch, and the indoor switches' shorter range of around two miles will give organisations much more flexibility in deploying wireless networks by replacing multiple access points. The technology Vivato is introducing could represent a significant step forward for wireless networking. Any organisation that has implemented WLANs or is planning a WLAN implementation this year should take note. Company and product background
Vivato is a two-year-old startup headquartered in San Francisco. Unlike other companies in the wireless market, Vivato is focusing on infrastructure products rather than client devices. To achieve wireless switching, Vivato combined existing smart antenna technology with existing wireless technology. "People thought that combination was impossible," said Vivato Vice President of Marketing Phil Belanger, "but we figured out how to make it work and we were able to accomplish it because we had multiple disciplines on our team." An important part of the knowledge necessary to combine the two technologies came from the founders' backgrounds in the cellular phone industry with Agilent. Belanger said that their experience building test equipment for the cellular phone industry and working with sophisticated RF equipment was instrumental in their work to marry smart antennas with wireless technology. Belanger said that Vivato's switches represent a big change in wireless networking products largely because, up until now, most of the devices introduced have been client adapters and access points. Belanger sees wireless switching as a sign that the market is maturing and believes that the introduction of these products represents a new architecture. He said that this evolution of wireless networking is analogous to that of Ethernet networking. "When Ethernet switching was introduced, it helped the explosion of Ethernet because it really scaled up the capacity so it could work in large installations." Another parallel is in the constant upgrading of the speed of Ethernet. Belanger said the same kind of thing is happening in wireless networking. The market is beginning to explode because of the rapid improvements being made. Belanger feels that Vivato's switches offer a more robust way to deploy wireless networks with a lower TCO because there will be fewer pieces of hardware to install. For example, organisations currently have to deploy a number of access points to provide network coverage on a single floor. But with the Vivato switches, they'll deploy just one device on a building floor to achieve the same connectivity. The switches will operate much like standard gigabit Ethernet switches, and the devices include support for VPNs, VLANs, and 802.1X security. Because the switches will operate in a familiar manner and because they will replace many devices that would otherwise have to be installed, Belanger said that the Vivato wireless solution will be easier to manage. The range of the outdoor switch Vivato has developed also makes it a solution well tailored for broadband delivery. "We have phenomenal range. We've taken the range of Wi-Fi from something that operates at tens of meters to something that operates at kilometer distances." Belanger said from the service-provider perspective, this solution presents a potential alternative for delivering broadband to the home more cost effectively. Instead of a DSL or cable modem/router that costs $100 or more to act as an Internet gateway, Belanger said the gateway in users' homes could be a Wi-Fi card (or a newer notebook with Wi-Fi built in). The cost of the client equipment would be lower, and it would be much easier to implement.