Wi-Fi Troubleshooting Tools for SMBs
Saturday, February 14, 2009Posted by Brawlin Melgar
Small and Mid-Sized Businesses Find Wi-Fi Relief with New AirMagnet Tools
SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 17, 2009 - AirMagnet Inc., the leader in security, performance and compliance solutions for wireless LANs, today announced two new product lines aimed at addressing the Wi-Fi management needs of small and medium-sized business. The move brings AirMagnet's market-leading technology to a broader customer base that is increasingly using wireless LANs as a strategic part of their enterprise network infrastructure.
The new products lines are the AirMagnet Express series for medium-sized businesses; and AirMedic, a spectrum analysis and Wi-Fi troubleshooting tool for small businesses. AirMedic is the world's first spectrum analysis product that does not require the use of a dedicated spectrum adapter card and instead relies on the wireless capabilities built into new Intel Centrino 2 laptops. AirMedic is the first spectrum analyzer that does not require a specialized external card or hardware and combines lab-quality spectrum analysis with AirMagnet's legendary Wi-Fi traffic analysis to deliver an entirely new and simple approach to solving Wi-Fi interference problems.
According to a recent SMB Wi-Fi report from ABI Research, most organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees do not have an individual who is dedicated to solely solving wireless LAN issues. Instead, the management of the wireless LAN is done by individuals who manage wireless in conjunction with other activities, such as managing the wired network or servers. These IT administrators have limited wireless expertise, but nonetheless need to meet the challenges of managing and securing a professional-grade wireless network.
"Large enterprises were the early adopters of Wi-Fi and we're now starting to see massive trickle-down into the SMB markets. However, SMBs have traditionally struggled with wireless management and security because tools have been too complex and too costly," said Stan Schatt, Vice President and Practice Director at ABI Research. "AirMagnet's new tools do fill the void because they've taken an enterprise class product and created a lighter version that still provides needed functionality without complexity."
Unlike other Wi-Fi spectrum analyzers that require expensive, single use dedicated spectrum cards or adapters, AirMedic uses the latest Intel Centrino 2 processor technology (5100/5300 Series) built into modern laptops. This new integration means that there are no expensive external cards that can get lost or broken, and that an organization's troubleshooting tools have the same RF perspective on the environment that an actual end-user has."Visibility of the Wi-Fi spectrum and clear issue diagnosis is a fundamental element for operating a reliable WLAN, no matter how large or small your business is," said Randy Nickel, Director of Wireless Marketing, Mobile Platforms Group, Intel Corporation. "The new AirMedic product provides a simple, streamlined view of WLAN interference from the perspective of an Intel Centrino 2 processor technology notebook and offers the first adapter-less Wi-Fi troubleshooting tool on the market."
Small and mid-sized businesses continue to transition to wireless as the default network for employee and business connectivity. When problems arise, not all are the same - some are due to RF interference from non-Wi-Fi devices such as Bluetooth, while other problems are solely rooted in the Wi-Fi realm, such as overloaded devices or configurations leading to low data speeds. AirMedic is the only solution on the market today that allows a non-wireless expert within an organization to see both sides of the Wi-Fi equation so they can understand precisely where things are going wrong and fix them.
For organizations that do not have a dedicated Wi-Fi staff - or smaller businesses that may be resource constrained - AirMagnet's tools offer an affordable, easy-to-use solution for ensuring security and performance of a WLAN. AirMagnet eliminates concerns over cost and complexity, giving businesses of any size the expertise they need to easily manage and troubleshoot a fast, reliable and professional wireless network.
The AirMagnet Express line simplifies management of wireless LAN issues by providing unique "How To" guides to walk IT administrators step-by-step through the identification of an issue as well as how to solve it. AirMagnet's AirWISE intelligence engine provides plain-language definitions and explanations of Wi-Fi problems and guides the user in how to solve them and avoid their occurrence in the future.
Based on the industry's most popular and award-winning mobile field tool for troubleshooting enterprise Wi-Fi networks, the new WiFi Analyzer Express is perfect for medium-sized businesses that are concerned with identifying and troubleshooting problems with their Wi-Fi network. The product also detects and locates unauthorized Wi-Fi devices and provides an inventory of all devices; helps troubleshoot end-to-end wireless network connectivity problems; detects "wireless stumbling" tools; and detects configuration vulnerabilities that may exist on the corporate wireless devices.
Based on the industry's most accurate Wi-Fi design and deployment solution, AirMagnet Survey Express allows IT administrators to perform quick site surveys and plan for/validate the ideal quantity and placement of wireless access points for seamless coverage. It is the only Wi-Fi deployment tool that measures actual Wi-Fi performance metrics and then plots maps for signal coverage, interference, network performance, Wi-Fi station roaming areas, and more.
All products are available Feb. 24. AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer Express and AirMagnet Survey Express cost $1,995 each or can be purchased together as a bundle for $3,495. AirMedic costs $995. For more information, please visit www.AirMagnet.com/products/.
###
Stephanie Martin
253-853-5151 x 232
253-709-7566 (c)
smartin@voxuspr.com
www.voxuspr.com