Symbol turns on new Wi-Fi switch

Enterprise mobility solutions developer Symbol Technologies announced today the Symbol WS5100, a high-capacity wireless switch created for implementation within large, campus-wide enterprise Wi-Fi deployments.

The WS5100 is the latest addition to Symbol's portfolio of enterprise wireless switches, inaugurated in September 2002 with the WS5000. The new switch is notable for adding capacity for larger scale network implementations as well as promising enhanced security. The WS5100 offers 10 times greater throughput capacity and 60% greater coverage than the WS5000, and is compatible with all of Symbol's AP100, AP200 and AP300 thin access ports. The WS5100 can also support up to 48 access ports.

"Some of these improvements are focused for verticals where we are already, and some are for the general marketplace," said Graham Melville, director of product marketing for Symbol's Wireless Infrastructure Division. "Many of our customers asked if we could further increase the manageability of the system by having a higher power platform that would support more access ports, so we now have a 1-to-48 management cost ratio."

The WS5100 is currently available to order. Symbol will publicly unveil the product next week at the 2005 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference & Exhibition in Dallas.