3Com 3CRWE920G73-US Data Sheet - Page 2

3COM® 54 MBPS WIRELESS LAN BUILDING-TO-BUILDING BRIDGE FAMILY KEY BENEFITS (CONTINUED) BRIDGE AND ACCESS POINT COMBINATION The 3Com 11a Outdoor Building-to-Building Bridge and 11b/g Access Point provides point-to-point or point-to-multipoint bridge functionality while simultaneously using another band for access point operation, providing connectivity for mobile users. The access point, repeater, or bridge functionality can be independently configured on both radios, making the product extremely flexible for a variety of applications. The bridge function supports data rates up to 108 Mbps between buildings or to offsite locations. The access point function provides connectivity at up to 108 Mbps for as many as 128 users. With access point and bridging functionality on the same unit, mobile users can link to the network and the traffic can be backhauled over a wireless point-to-point or point-to-multipoint bridge link to another unit attached to the wired network up to 15.5 kilometers (9.6 miles) away. The unit includes an embedded 17 dBi high-gain antenna for bridging applications. Optional external omni-directional and directional antennas are available separately. WIRELESS COST ADVANTAGES Using wireless bridges to extend the network saves the high cost of installing cable between buildings. Enterprises can also avoid the expense of leasing T1/E1 lines, which can cost up to US$1,000 per month or more. And 3Com building-to-building bridges provide 10 to 20 times the bandwidth of T1/E1 lines. SECURE COMMUNICATIONS To ensure privacy and protect valuable information, 3Com building-tobuilding bridges are equipped with a full complement of enterprise-class security features. The bridges provide the latest Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) wireless encryption, WPA with PSK authentication, and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. They also support virtual private network (VPN) and virtual LANs (VLANs) pass-through so that data access can be restricted to specific groups or individuals. IEEE 802.1X (EAP-MD5, EAP-TLS, EAPTTLS and PEAP) is supported for user or MAC authentication, and an embedded supplicant is included for authentication to the local LAN. DURABLE AND RELIABLE The outdoor bridges are designed to withstand harsh conditions, as the rugged housing guards against vibration, water and shock, and even includes internal lightning protection. An internal heater is included to help keep it operational in extreme cold environments. Dynamic Rate Shifting helps keep network connections available. POWER FLEXIBILITY To simplify installation where AC power outlets may not be readily available, Power over Ethernet (PoE) is supported on all bridges. The outdoor bridges require a custom PoE inserter (included with the unit) to support the higher power required for the embedded heater. The included power inserter also provides additional lightning protection, which is critical when mounting any communications equipment outdoors. CONVENIENT INSTALLATION AND MANAGEMENT Setup wizard software makes installation and configuration easy. Once setup is complete, the building-to-building bridges can be remotely managed using a standard Web browser or SNMP management tools. 2