SMC Networks today announced new EliteConnect 802.11a/g Outdoor Enterprise Access Point/Bridges, designed for building-to-building connections and geared toward small to medium businesses.
The product has two versions, both with dual radios running 2.4 and 5 GHz. One band is used for client access (AP mode) and another for the bridge mode to connect separate WLANs. Either the 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g) or 5 GHz (11a) can do bridging; it’s up to the administrator, with up to six WDS links. One model has external antenna options for both bands (model SMC2890W-AG); the other has the same plus an integrated 5 GHz antenna (model SMC2891W-AG). A high-gain external antenna is an option.
They both have full WPA2 security built in, and support 802.1X/RADIUS authentication. Since they’re made for outdoors, they have lightning protection and support Power over Ethernet (802.3af). The new EliteConnect units are priced at $700 each.
They join the previous EliteConnect dual-band outdoor bridges, which were sold as two models, one a “master” and the other a “slave” — the new EliteConnects can be configured to work in either mode.