Proxim announces 'any-flavor' Access Point family

Proxim today announced their first single-radio access point that can be configured for "any 802.11 standard radio configuration" via a user-replaceable mini-PCI radio .

The ORiNOCO AP-600 comes in 802.11a (AP-600a), 11b (AP-600b) and draft-11g (AP-600g) versions, with only the 11a and 11b versions shipping initially. The AP-600b will include a $25 rebate coupon good when purchasing the AP-600 11g Upgrade Kit, making the additional cost for .11g no higher than purchasing an AP-600g.

Proxim also announced the ORiNOCO 802.11g Gold CardBus Card .

The AP-600b and AP-600a are available immediately , street priced at $272 and $379 respectively. The AP-600g, 11g Gold Cardbus card, and AP-600 11g upgrade kit will be available in Q2 2003 at estimated street prices of $349 , $89 and $99 respectively. AP-600 family security features include 802.1x -based WLAN security with auto key management, 802.1x per-user, per-session encryption keying for the 802.11a and g products, and support for a "broad range" of EAP types. The family will also be firmware upgradeable to support the upcoming Wireless Protected Access (WPA) protocol.

Management features include a standard web-browser interface, and full SNMP support, including standard and extended MIBs and traps.

Other features include 802.3af Power over Ethernet and ability to attach higher-gain antennas (on the 11b and g versions only).