Trapeze thinks small…and tall

Trapeze Networks today announced the next generation of its Mobility System that will include a version focused on small deployments as well as a new version of its planning tool geared to multi-tenant buildings.

The 2.0 version of Mobility System Software lets IT managers position the WLAN switches (Mobility Exchanges) and access points (Mobility Points) virtually anywhere in their network. New in the current version is the ability to use any existing wired network, including WANs, to link two devices.

Among the biggest improvements in the 2.0 version is the additional smaller switch, the MX-8, which is designed to handle lower capacity deployments or remote offices. The switch, a small version of the company’s MX-20, supports eight 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports. The goal is to give IT managers an option for low usage areas, said Dan Simone, vice president of product management for Trapeze.

"It’s much more driven by a capacity issue with the capacity being the airwaves," he said.

Rounding out the enhancements is a 2.0 version of RingMaster, the Pleasanton, Cal.-based company’s 3D planning tool that can model RF patterns across multiple floors of a single building.

"This really frees the IT guy from worrying about topology," said Michelle Rae McLean, product marketing manager of Trapeze.