Wireless LAN switch startup Trapeze Networks Inc. has introduced a new box aimed at staking its claim to the fetid air of corporate branch offices around the world.

The startup claims remote sites and branch offices are the next big thing for centrally managed wireless LAN systems. To try and capture this market, the firm has a new two-port mini-switch -- called the MXR-2 -- which will start shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.

"We believe the small office is the next big growth piece of the wireless LAN maket," says Trapeze marketing man Dan Simone. "There's just too many sites to ignore."

Trapeze's branch office strategy is different from that of its rivals because the company is trying to push the MXR-2 switch as the point of connection between headquarters and access points in the office. The thinking behind this method is that even if the connection to HQ goes down, users in the branch office can still get independent connectivity via the switch. Switch rivals like Airespace Inc. and Aruba Wireless Networks take a different approach, with a remote controlled access point and an eight-port switch respectively (see Airespace Gets Remote and Aruba's Mini-Switch).

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung

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