New ability to convert serial to wired Ethernet communications quickly and easily provides increased investment protection, improved communications reliability and redundancy between wired and wireless networks ROCHESTER HILLS, Michigan – February 7, 2007 – Azure Wireless announced that it has enhanced its Universal Wi-Fi Gateway to provide serial device server capabilities for wired IP-based Ethernet networks. Previously able to connect serial and Ethernet devices over a wireless local area network, the Gateway was limited to providing serial to wireless Ethernet network conversion.
Enterprises can now connect serial devices to wired and wireless networks with the Universal Wi-Fi Gateway for greater flexibility, reliability, redundancy, investment protection and remote access to a wide variety of electronic devices. Introduced in late 2005, the Universal Wi-Fi Gateway has been embraced by enterprises seeking to provide secure, reliable, untethered connectivity over wireless local area networks to devices such as control systems, surveillance video, teleconferencing, medical devices, robotics, PLCs, remote terminal units, automated guided vehicles, and sensors. “The demand for the Gateway has exceeded our expectations.
It has demonstrated how the use of wireless networks can go beyond simply providing portable computing access to network resources and achieve mobility and agility, increase productivity and provide improved access to information with a wide range of devices that exist in the enterprise. With this new ability to also connect a serial device to a wired network, the Gateway can be repurposed when the enterprise decides to implement wireless,” said John Polakowski, president of Azure Wireless. “For the most part, the clients who have selected the Gateway are larger enterprises that are ahead of the curve in leveraging their wireless network to achieve connectivity with a broad range of devices and systems, but we a number of smaller entities are embracing it as well.
Many enterprises currently lack wireless networks but are migrating from serial to Ethernet, and the new wired Ethernet functionality is of immediate benefit tor them. The Gateway’s new capability provides system integrators, OEMs and end-users a tremendous advantage when converting serial communications to wired Ethernet and allowing for the future migration to wireless without obsolescence. The Gateway can now even be used to provide communications redundancy over wired and wireless networks, improving reliability assurance for critical applications,” continued Polakowski.
Supporting all three IEEE 802.11 wireless standards for comprehensive coverage, investment protection and compatibility, the Universal Wi-Fi Gateway provides interfaces to both serial and Ethernet devices, allows enterprises to segregate client connections to specific wireless networks and is capable of supporting 20 network devices when paired with a hub or switch. The Gateway also provides the highest level of wireless network security, supporting WPA, AES encryption and 802.1x authentication, as well as 64, 128 and 152 bit WEP for legacy networks. Superior performance in mobile applications and in environments that are and dynamic and challenging for wireless networks is assured through the use of diversity antenna systems and fast roaming capabilities.
About Azure Wireless
Azure Wireless provides its clients and channel partners with innovative mobile computing and wireless networking solutions that produce productivity increases, efficiency gains and operating expense reductions through untethered connectivity.