THOUSAND OAKS, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 1, 2014) - Xirrus, the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks, today announced the next stage in the progression of its next-generation wireless architecture with a series of multi-radio 802.11ac Wave 1 solutions that are fully upgradeable to 802.11ac Wave 2. Xirrus XR Arrays provide a modular upgrade path to future wireless standards, as they come to market, to ensure investment protection, as well as unique functionality that maximizes the efficiency and performance of the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.
By the end of 2014, it is expected that nearly half of all new Wi-Fi devices being shipped will support the new 802.11ac standard. Planning the migration to 11ac can be a daunting and expensive proposition for many organizations. Compounding this challenge is the fact that 802.11ac Wi-Fi is being released in multiple waves - Wave 1 802.11ac began shipping in 2013 with >1Gbps speeds and Wave 2 products will begin shipping by 2015 with >3Gbps speeds.
The fast moving technology roadmap of Wi-Fi can make it difficult for CIOs and IT departments to determine when to transition their wireless networks. In the Gartner report "Enterprises Should Optimize the Timing of 802.11ac Adoption," author Tim Zimmerman states: "Evaluate if your business requirements truly call for Wave 1 802.11ac, because moving to Wave 2 requires a new radio module. This is especially important because we expect Wave 2 will be available less than 24 months after the debut of Wave 1 (by 1Q16)."1 The modular Xirrus solution facilitates meeting your needs today without trying to time technology transitions in the market.
Today Xirrus is announcing:
- Wave 1 802.11ac Wireless Arrays supporting 2 to 16 radios. Xirrus Wave 1 Arrays are available today.
- Wave 2 802.11ac upgradability through modular Array interfaces. Individual or all radios in an Array can be upgraded. Wave 2 modules are available for pre-order today and will ship in 2015.
- Integrated optimization with Xirrus ACExpress™ that unlocks the true potential of 11ac by segmenting Wi-Fi client types (802.11g, 11n, 11ac Wave 1/Wave 2, etc.) to maximize performance.
"The availability of tablets and mobile devices has revolutionized education," said Ash Mahajan, Chief IT Officer at Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Colorado. "Architecting an IT network to support today's demands, but also protect Adam 12's investment as 802.11ac Wave 2 approaches, is top of mind. We rely on our technology partners such as Xirrus to help us navigate the ever-changing standards and support us in delivering high-quality wireless to support state-of-the-art learning tools to our students and staff."
For enterprises, education institutions, hospitality venues and conference centers alike, consistently delivering a superior quality of experience (QoE) is critical to remain competitive. Increasing demand pushes these organizations to look to 802.11ac to advance their networks, but a rip-and-replace approach can be costly, especially with 802.11ac Wave 2 availability on the near-term horizon. To help organizations make this transition, Xirrus offers its 802.11ac Wave 1 APs and Arrays available today at the same price as 802.11n to make the decision simple. Looking to the future, customers can pre-purchase 802.11ac Wave 2 modules today, or later when they become available, to migrate their networks without replacing their investment in the host Array platform.
"We created a path to enable organizations to deploy a single wireless network platform with complete flexibility to transition technology at their own pace," said Shane Buckley, CEO at Xirrus. "Organizations can deploy an 802.11ac-compatible wireless network today, with no risk that they'll miss out on Wave 2 or be locked into outdated technology during a five or more year investment lifecycle. Our customer-focused approach to 802.11ac migration contributed to our placement in the 'Visionaries' quadrant in the recently-released Gartner 'Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure.'" 2
About Xirrus, Inc.
Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances, offering consistent "wired-like" performance with superior coverage and security. The Xirrus suite of Wi-Fi optimized solutions -- Arrays, access points, cloud services, and wired switches -- provide seamless connectivity and unified management across the network. Xirrus provides a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. With tens of thousands of customer solutions deployed globally, Xirrus maintains operations and partnerships across the globe. Xirrus is a privately held company and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA. For more information please visit: www.xirrus.com and follow us on Twitter:@Xirrus.
Xirrus and XR Series are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xirrus. Other trade names used in this document are or may be the property of their respective owners.
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1 Gartner "Enterprises Should Optimize the Timing of 802.11ac Adoption" by Tim Zimmerman, 16 September 2014.
2 Gartner "Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure" by Tim Zimmerman, Andrew Lerner and Bill Menezes, 26 June 2014.