* Extreme Networks' WLAN equipment gets better voice support
Last week I highlighted some wireless LAN enhancements from Foundry Networks. Not to be outdone, Extreme Networks this week beefed up its Summit WM WLAN package with a software update that has new capabilities to help send voice over WLANs.
Voice is the new data, apparently. Everywhere you turn, companies are adapting their WLAN equipment to better handle voice communications, which of course have real-time requirements. This effort coincides with a huge push toward VoIP, and is really a part of it, though the conversion to VoIP is further along and more widespread.
Extreme’s software now supports standards-based Call Admission Control, “intelligent roaming” and power management for devices using Unsolicited Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD), which is intended to help extend battery life. Extreme says its gear provides Call Admission Control on a per-session basis, and voice traffic can be managed specifically to help ensure service quality and network uptime.
Clients can request voice sessions with specific voice-quality parameters. The Summit WM chooses whether to grant the request, basing its decision on the availability of network resources to support it.
Extreme’s access points advertise their traffic load according to IEEE 802.11e standards, the company says. QoS-enabled WLAN clients could use the traffic load information to roam to another, less congested access point – that’s the intelligent roaming feature. This of course helps balance loads among access points and makes it more likely that the client will get the level of voice quality requested.
