BelAir Announces BelAir100 Wide-Area Wi-Fi Wireless Switch Router



BelAir Networks Announces General Availability of the BelAir100. Compact Dual Radio System Extends Functionality, Offers More Network Design Flexibility for BelAir Wide-Area Wi-Fi Solution



Wi-Fi Planet (Booth #313), San Jose, CA ? -/2 Dec, 2004 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- BelAir Networks, the leading supplier of Wide Area Wi-Fi solutions, announced the general availability of its BelAir100 Multi-Service Wireless Switch Router. The new system offers more economical network design options for large hot zone and high-density metro wireless deployments and extends the functionality of the BelAir product line, enabling new extended Wi-Fi applications for smaller standalone enterprise networks.

The BelAir100 is designed for situations where the full functionality of the four-radio BelAir200 is not required. It can be used to terminate a BelAir mesh, as a mesh edge node, or to provide wireless broadband access to single buildings. An example deployment might include a medium-sized hotel that uses two BelAir100 nodes, one on either side to project Wi-Fi into the building. The BelAir100 is also a good solution for large indoor venues such as convention centers, shopping malls and airports where it will blend into the background and provide extensive Wi-Fi coverage from locations that are difficult to wire.


?As wireless networks proliferate in places like hotels, airports, universities, and mid to-large-sized cities, establishing a more flexible infrastructure is a primary concern of service providers,? said Gerry Purdy, PhD., Principal Analyst at MobileTrax. ?With the introduction of the BelAir100, BelAir is providing its customers with a more economical way to create large-scale urban meshes, as well as a creative way to unwire single private buildings such as hotels.?


The two-radio BelAir100 is more compact, simpler and lower cost than the BelAir200. It accepts the same radio modules as the larger platform, including BelAir?s recently announced Access Radio Module 2 and Backhaul Radio Module 2. It also ships with the same system software, which includes enhanced features such as Multiple Service Set Identifiers (MSSIDs), support for 802.1x authentication, enhanced backhaul security, and streamlined network management capabilities.


?By using the same system software and hardware modules as the BelAir200, the BelAir100 gives service providers the flexibility they need when designing dense, urban networks,? said Phil Belanger, vice president of marketing, BelAir Networks. ?The BelAir100 works seamlessly with other BelAir100s and BelAir200s in a large mesh system, or can be used by itself to provide complete coverage for standalone private buildings.?


About the BelAir100

The BelAir100 can be mounted on light poles in parking lots or on city street lights. For indoor applications, it can be mounted directly on a wall, connected to the wired Ethernet and project a backhaul link to other BelAir units outside the building, or simply provide Wi-Fi access to clients indoors. The flexible mounting options enable customers to integrate the unit seamlessly into their physical and network infrastructures. Each unit features a rugged outdoor enclosure, brackets for pole mount or wall mount, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port, one 2.4 GHz access antenna and one 5 GHz backhaul antenna.


A typical configuration of the BelAir100?s two-radio chassis will include one access radio module and one backhaul radio module using the integral antennas. Any combination of two radio modules is possible, although some will require the use of external antennas.


The BelAir100 is available now for both North American and European deployments.


About BelAir Networks

BelAir Networks is the only company to offer scalable, Wide-Area Wi-Fi. The BelAir Networks solution provides the industry?s highest capacity for data, voice and video services. Built specifically for outdoor deployments, BelAir Networks patented solution delivers the lowest cost per user and deploys in days, blending into the physical infrastructure of downtown business districts, hotels and resorts, and college campuses. Founded in 2001, BelAir Networks is a privately held company headquartered in Kanata, Ontario. For more information, please visit http://www.belairnetworks.com.