Airespace

Cisco completed its acquisition of a company called Airespace in early 2005. Now, the new Cisco 1000 Series Lightweight AP and WLAN controllers are included in its Wi-Fi catalog. These components work in tandem to deliver easy setup and configuration and a robust radio frequency (RF) environment.

Cisco 1000 Series Lightweight AP
This device has its benefits. It can be installed and connected to the network, with no configuration or setup needed on the AP, because configuration data is downloaded to the thin AP from a WLAN controller. This device is shown in Figure 1-9.

Although its easy installation and setup are big selling points for this device, it does much more. Because the AP's functioning is somewhat centralized to the WLAN controller, the AP can feed information about the RF environment back to the WLAN controller and the Cisco Wireless Control System. This allows these applications to make real-time decisions.

The data is forwarded and the RF environment monitored, which eliminates the need for additional nodes dedicated to those management functions. In turn, the overall network design is much simpler and more cost efficient. Within the 1000 series are three models:

• 1010 Offers two internal, sectorized antennas, used in places such as classrooms or office spaces.
  

• 1020 Offers two internal, sectorized antennas and connectors for external antennas, used in places such as factories or for outdoor applications.
  

• 1030 Offers two internal, sectorized antennas and connectors for external antennas. Also known as a Remote-Edge AP, this device is designed for use at branch offices to communicate with centrally located WLAN controllers using WAN technologies. This allows IT staff to centrally control service set identifiers (SSID), security settings, and configuration for a cohesive wireless environment.

The 1000 series allows power over Ethernet connections and over the air QoS.

The 1000 series also operates using 802.11a and 802.11g radios, affording compatibility with both standards and operation on up to 15 nonoverlapping channels.