BCM56520, BCM4748, FASTPATH UWS Networking Software
Broadcom Accelerates Enterprise Wireless Networks with Industry's First End-to-End Unified WLAN Solution
According to ABI Research, the 802.11n access point market is expected to reach 14 million units by 2014, up from less than a million units in 2008, which translates to a compounded annual growth rate of more than 105 percent . This growth is due to the greater mobility that the 802.11n standard provides in the enterprise, as well as its ability to provide a more robust wireless network that can support numerous Wi-Fi®-enabled devices such as VoIP handsets, smartphones, desktop PCs and laptops.
Traditionally, wireless access has been implemented using an overlay approach that tunnels all WLAN traffic to a centralized access controller where it can be de-encapsulated and authenticated before entering the wired network. As the amount of wireless activity increases, the resulting traffic consumes a greater percentage of backbone bandwidth, increasing overall network latency and congestion for both wireless and wired traffic.
Traditionally, wireless access has been implemented using an overlay approach that tunnels all WLAN traffic
to a centralized access controller
While this approach is workable for 802.11a/b/g networks, it creates bottlenecks in higher bandwidth 802.11n networks because it treats wireless as a special service running over the network rather than an inherent feature of the network itself. For 802.11n-based enterprise networks, IT managers need a WLAN architecture that provides maximum bandwidth and capacity without reducing efficiency or straining budgets.
A unified wireless network topology eliminates tunneling bottlenecks and the inefficiencies that arise from centralized control by integrating wireless traffic with wired LAN services at the edge. Rather than treat wireless traffic as an exception that must be processed in the core, the unified network quickly integrates it at the edge, thus conserving backbone bandwidth while increasing network performance, scalability, resiliency and functionality.
A unified wireless network topology eliminates tunneling bottlenecks and the inefficiencies that arise from centralized control
Broadcom's unified enterprise WLAN solution includes several products: the BCM56520 unified wireless switch, the Intensi-fi® BCM4748 802.11n access point system-on-a-chip with Accelerange™ technology, and FASTPATH® Unified Wireless Switching (UWS) 6.0 software optimized for unified wireless switching and unified wireless APs.
More Information
- View the Press Release
- Read the NetworkWorld article on moving to a Unified Wireless Network
- Go to the BCM56520 Product Page
- Go to the BCM4748 Product Page
- Go to the UWS Networking Software Page
Pre-Sale Questions:
For questions regarding Broadcom's products or solutions please contact the appropriate sales office, representative or distributor in your area.
