Intelligence at the network's edge -- defining the future of wireless networking architecture

With ever more devices needing greater throughput for video and voice content, today's wireless hub-and-spoke network architecture is showing its age. What's needed is a (WLAN) solution capable of greater intelligence at the network's edge to optimize traffic flow without compromising security or quality of service and driving up cost.


To take a step forward, what's needed is a "both-and" solution without compromise, one that helps you unleash the full advantages of your existing investment. Such architecture could maximize network performance and traffic without compromising QoS for video and voice features, security, mobility or survivability, while at the same time minimizing both capital and operational expenditures for a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

This requires a fundamentally different model: an architecture that provides more intelligent routing at the perimeter of the network than the centralized hub-and-spoke model. This can be achieved with a more intelligent perimeter, using smart, adaptive wireless access points to offload some of the higher order intelligence and functionality of the controller itself.


Not all 802.11n solutions are created equal, however. They can vary greatly in their range of capabilities. How well do access points interact with controllers, for instance? How many controllers are needed? What are the power requirements? How does the survivability of the system compare?