More on Wi-Fi Wall Plug APs

Cheap, Rapid, Convenient Deployment of Enterprise-Class Wi-Fi

In my Interop show-floor review, I mentioned that Motorola had introduced an interesting Wi-Fi solution for hospitality (and, in fact lots of other markets that might benefit as well, from municipal buildings to prisons) that retrofitted Cat-1 cable for broadband service. A key element here is an AP that fits in a standard electrical wall box, and I noted that I thought this was going to become a trend. That's now happening, and the appeal in undeniable.

Meraki, who recently introduced their enterprise-class WLAN offering, also has a wall box AP, in this case one that just plugs into an AC outlet a la some AC-powered air fresheners. It's based on 802.11g, and can be secured to the wall with a special bracket. A single RJ-45 port is also provisioned here. Backhaul is via a Wi-Fi mesh, hence their description of this product as a repeater. And it's yours for only US$179, keeping in line with Meraki's aggressive pricing theme.

HP Procurve announced their MSM317 Access Device, an information outlet that also includes only .11g, but with the addition of four Ethernet ports. This product is designed to turn a single RJ-45 drop into everything wired and wireless. Professional installation may be required in some cases, but it's pretty simple regardless.

Ortronics, who originated the concept a few years ago, also has a product here (the Wi-Jack Duo, in conjunction with Bluesocket), as does Aruba Networks, with the AP-65WB. This is in addition to their recently announced US$99 mobile AP, the RAP-2WG, which might be a good alternative to fixed wall installation in some cases. The lack of .11n capabilities in all of these products is troubling, but I expect this will be corrected over time as engineers learn more about how to build power-efficient .11n APs, using the ever-more-power-efficient .11n chips that the semiconductor vendors are already cranking out.

The availability of products like these means that WLAN installation costs will likely continue to fall, to the point where DIY installations may become the norm. This is perhaps bad news for the installer/dealer community, but good for the rest of us. And it also calls further into question the need for pre-installation site surveys, as it's now very easy to correct for planning errors related to both coverage and, more importantly, capacity. More on the site survey issue shortly, as soon as Network Work publishes my review of site survey products, which shouldn't too much longer.

• Wireless / Mobile
• Aruba
• HP ProCurve
• Meraki
• Motorola
• Ortronics
• wall box AP
• wi-fi