HP intros 802.11g wireless access point

HP ProCurve Networking introduced the Wireless Enterprise Access Point 420, a 802.11g access point for small, mid-sized and large enterprises, supporting mixed 802.11b/g networks.

The introduction of the Wireless Access Point 420 expands HP ProCurve’s growing family of mobility solutions designed to securely extend Ethernet beyond the wire. With the addition of the new access point, HP ProCurve is providing companies with a flexible, yet simple approach to supporting a mobile workforce.

“HP ProCurve’s wireless products are the perfect complement to its wired networking portfolio,” said John Barker, president and chief executive officer of Versatile Communications, an HP ProCurve Elite Partner. “With the addition of the new 420 wireless access point, HP ProCurve offers enterprises a cost-effective means of delivering secure, reliable access to the network, without sacrificing the flexibility and bandwidth required by today’s mobile workforce.”

The Wireless Access Point 420 is a single-radio WLAN device with built-in support for IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g, or both b/g operation for a mixed wireless environment. The Wireless Access Point 420 is Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) certified to ensure IEEE 802.11g and multi-vendor interoperability and will be upgradeable to the forthcoming IEEE 802.11i specification, upon ratification.

The Wireless Access Point 420 features integrated 802.3af Power over Ethernet and addresses wireless security concerns with the latest industry standards-based security, including support for IEEE 802.1X with per user, per session encryption, Wi-Fi Protected Access and multiple VLAN support.

Engineered to address the industry’s most critical wireless security and interoperability needs, the HP ProCurve Wireless Access Point 420 supports:

• 802.1X port-based access control, providing secure yet flexible user authentication and safeguarding access to the wireless network. 802.1X EAP support includes MD5, TLS, TTLS and PEAP.

• Enhanced encryption management with per user/per session dynamic WEP key assignment and automatic key replacement, significantly enhancing wireless data privacy.
• Wi-Fi Protected Access, combining 802.1X user authentication with enhanced, industry-compatible Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption to secure network access and wireless data traffic.
• IEEE 802.11g single-radio design, allowing users to select IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11g with fallback support for 802.11b.
• Auto channel selection, which simplifies access deployment by testing all available channels and selecting the best channel based on signal-to-noise ratio.
• 802.1Q-compliant VLAN support and tagging, supporting up to 64 RADIUS assigned VLANs for tagging user traffic allowing users to remain within same VLAN as they roam throughout the network.

The introduction of the Wireless Access Point 420 further extends support for the HP ProCurve Networking Adaptive EDGE Architecture into the wireless domain. The Adaptive EDGE Architecture enables companies to more affordably manage complex applications – including mobility, security and convergence – more effectively, through the use of intelligent technology at the edge of the network. It is the only design that recognizes the necessary addition of functionality to the network edge and gives customers a cost-effective, easy-to-manage solution to achieve command from the center with control to the edge of the network.

Pricing and Availability

Planned to be available in October, the HP ProCurve Wireless Access Point 420 will have a recommended list price of $469.⁽¹⁾ The Wireless Access Point 420 comes with a lifetime hardware warranty and phone support at no additional cost, software updates, and next-day advance replacement in most countries.

The HP ProCurve family of wired and wireless products, services and solutions – including Ethernet switches, routing switches and network-management applications – allows customers to build networks based on open standards that meet current and future needs for security, performance and reliability.

More information about HP ProCurve networking solutions and products is available at http://www.hp.com/go/hpprocurve.