Symbol Touts WLAN SwitchSymbol Touts WLAN Switch

Symbol Technologies introduces wireless networking switch to lower costs of deploying, managing, and maintaining branch office WiFi networks

February 16, 2004

4 Min Read

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Company, this week at the DEMO 2004 Executive Forum, introduced a new wireless switch designed to dramatically lower enterprise costs of deploying, managing, and maintaining Wi-Fi mobile networks in the branch office.

Branch office wireless networking today requires:

  • A set of networking services which are delivered through several point-products, including:

    • Ethernet switch

    • Power-over-Ethernet (POE) hub

    • "Thick" Wi-Fi Access Points

    • Security server

    • Server for storage and delivery of mobile applications

  • Piecing together separate products for mobility, which increases capital equipment costs and operating expenses associated with deployment and central management.

  • Advanced services for mobility, such as, fast secure roaming and private-versus-public application specific wireless or security airwave segmentation, which are not inherent in these separate point-products.



The Symbol WS 2000 Wireless Switch (WS 2000) provides a single system encompassing the security, management, and mobility capabilities necessary to create an enterprise class Wi-Fi wireless network. The WS 2000, which simplifies infrastructure deployments, can be centrally managed from network operation centers (NOCs) and replicated across multiple site locations for network design consistency. This centralized wireless architecture, pioneered by Symbol, has gained significant industry recognition.

"Branch offices and other remote locations can now realize the benefits of an enterprise Ethernet and Wi-Fi network with a one box solution, like the Symbol WS 2000, " said Abner Germanow, IDC Enterprise Networking Research Manager. "We expect the market growth for enterprise Wi-Fi infrastructure to accelerate as customers are attracted to fast and low cost network deployments in remote environments without onsite support staff."

Bell Canada, the leading communications provider in Canada, will offer the Symbol WS 2000 Wireless Switch as part of an integrated Wi-Fi Internet solution for enterprise customers.

"The new Symbol wireless switch solution will enable Bell Canada to expand our product portfolio for the growing enterprise wireless marketplace," said Charles Salameh, Vice President, Enterprise Marketing, Bell Canada. "Our customers are looking for mobility-centric networking features, centralized management and deployment simplicity. The Symbol WS 2000 delivers all that and more, in an integrated, single-box solution."

The Symbol WS 2000 is designed for wireless environments and applications at the branch office, powering wireless point-of-sale and merchandise management applications in retail stores as well as driving mobile checkout and public Wi-Fi "hot spot" applications in franchise restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, convenience stores, gas-stations and more.

"We were pleased to invite Symbol to introduce the WS 2000 at DEMO 2004," said Chris Shipley, executive producer of the DEMO conferences. "We selected Symbol for DEMO participation because we feel the WS 2000 represents a networking innovation that advances the enterprise mobility industry by enabling companies to easily create and manage secure Ethernet and Wi-Fi networks, " added Shipley.

According to Synergy Research Group, Symbol achieved in 2003 the number one market share leadership position for wireless local area network (WLAN) switches and the number two position overall for enterprise WLAN equipment. "Symbol has created a powerful Wi-Fi reference architecture for mobility in the branch office," said Todd Hewlin, Symbol senior vice president of the Symbol Global Products Group. "The WS 2000 will grow with a business because it is designed with enough capacity so that future mobility features can be delivered through software enhancements, rather than hardware replacements. This product offers the right value at the right time for our customers and community of business partners," added Hewlin.

The Symbol WS 2000 provides a comprehensive feature set for advanced mobile networking in a single site location. Enterprise class security features include a stateful-inspection firewall; comprehensive NAT (network access translation) server with multiple application level gateways capable of supporting 40 applications; and support for Kerberos, 802.1X/EAP, WPA, and planned support for IEEE 802.11i (when ratified); and a built-in secure Web authentication database. Comprehensive management capabilities, via SNMP (simple-network-management protocol) and the Web with secure socket layer (SSL), enable network administrators to centrally manage multiple-site deployments.

The new Symbol WS 2000 wireless switch provides scalability and investment protection. The product can support multiple Wi-Fi technologies, including IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g. In addition to 64 MB of onboard memory, the product includes a CompactFlash slot for additional memory and to load new security, mobility, and management features. The WS 2000 powers (via POE) low-cost Symbol AP 100 and AP 200 access ports for Wi-Fi connectivity.

Symbol Technologies Inc.

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