Cisco Unveils Cloud-Based 802.11ac Access Point

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Jeffrey Burt.

Cisco Systems is offering an 802.11ac wireless access point that can be deployed and managed through the cloud, enabling organizations to address the growing number of mobile devices connecting to the network in a faster, more secure and more manageable environment. Cisco officials Aug. 13 unveiled the Meraki MR34, the networking company’s latest offering to support the new 802.11ac wireless standard, which offers three times the speed of the current 802.11n WiFi standard and twice the bandwidth.

"You can fit more devices on the air," Sanjit Biswas, vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Cloud Networking Group, told eWEEK. The 802.11ac standard is gaining momentum as market transitions such as cloud computing and high-bandwidth applications like video, IT mobility and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) are fueling demand for greater speed and bandwidth from wireless networks. In addition, broadband carriers continue to look to offload traffic onto WiFi networks where possible to reduce the skyrocketing demand on their networks…

The 802.11ac standard—also called 5G WiFi—will bring significant improvements over 802.11n. Along with the faster speeds, it also will allow for greater network capacity, which will mean more devices can be connected to the network without impinging too much on performance. In addition, 802.11ac will work in two bands—the 2.4GHz band that WiFi now works in, and the 5GHz band, where users can get a higher data rate…

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