Advanced radio ASIC sol'n tackles network interference

As more employees go mobile, the wireless network must perform on par with the most critical networks. In a recent Cisco survey of more than 600 U.S. companies, 78 per cent considered all or part of their wireless network to be mission-critical to their business operations. Yet, the same group identified wireless interference as one of the top causes of wireless performance issues. Cisco claims to be the first to solve the challenge of wireless interference with its CleanAir technology which combines a patented CleanAir Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) in the access point with system-level intelligence to detect, classify, locate and mitigate the impact of wireless interference.

CleanAir accurately detects, classifies and locates more than 20 unique interference sources including cordless phones, wireless video cameras, microwave ovens and Bluetooth devices while simultaneously serving client traffic. It has an intuitive Air Quality Index for a comprehensive assessment of the severity of interference affecting any given access point or specific location. It has the ability to self-heal and self-optimise the wireless network by enhancing radio resource management to improve wireless reliability without IT intervention. It enables interference correlation across multiple access points to prevent duplicate events from the same interference source

A specialised CleanAir radio ASIC provides detailed spectrum visibility without affecting the access point performance, unlike software-based solutions that rely on standard Wi-Fi chipsets. The CleanAir technology can reduce wireless troubleshooting time from hours to minutes and, in many cases, can automatically resolve problems. CleanAir's integrated design can mitigate the impact of interference within 30 seconds by assessing the problem and adjusting the wireless signal to operate in an unaffected spectrum.

Unlike software-based solutions, CleanAir's advanced radio ASIC is designed to provide 100 per cent visibility into the spectrum with accurate analysis and diagnosis of Wi-Fi and non Wi-Fi interference issues. By accurately locating interference sources visually represented on a floor plan, CleanAir lets businesses rapidly identify and remove interference sources.

The Cisco Aironet 3500 Series access points with CleanAir technology are the industry's only access points providing hardware-based spectrum intelligence. The new 7.0 release of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network software integrates CleanAir capabilities across Cisco's Wireless Control System, the 3300 Series Mobility Service Engine and all Cisco Wireless Controllers.

Cisco is expanding its 802.11n portfolio with the Cisco Aironet 1260 Series Access Points, delivering full 802.11n performance with standard Power over Ethernet for customer environments that do not require CleanAir. The Cisco Aironet 3500 Series with CleanAir technology is scheduled to be available in May 2010. Pricing ranges from Rs.50,563.82 to Rs.69,034.62 ($1,095 to $1,495). The Cisco Aironet 1260 Series (non-CleanAir), with external antennas, dual band and full 802.11n performance with standard Power over Ethernet, is scheduled to be available starting in May 2010 with prices starting at Rs.45,946.12 ($995).