Making it easier to take control of WiFi

Zyxel has upgraded the number of access points that its unified security appliances with built-in WiFi management can control, making it easier for customers to choose the best appliance for their needs and providing added flexibility, as Patrick Hirscher, EMEA Wireless Market Development Manager at Zyxel, explains.

In the autumn of last year we announced that we would be integrating wireless controller functionality, which was previously available in stand-alone devices, into our unified security gateways and appliances.

While dedicated wireless controllers are not available anymore, you do have plenty of choices when it comes to our security appliances, each of which will give you a slightly different kind of protection. There is the USG Flex range, which combines high-performance unified threat management and firewall protection, the Zywall VPN series and the ATP range of advanced threat protection appliances.

Previously, within each of these families, we had appliances that would support between 10 (ATP100) and more than 1000 access points (USG200 and VPN1000). Clearly, where there is a larger-scale security requirement, there will probably be a need to support a higher number of access points (APs). It is always worth checking whether the Zyxel security appliance you are deploying does have the right level of AP support you need.

Increased support

To make life easier for our customers, with the latest firmware upgrade (4.60), we have increased the number of APs that our security appliances can support. We have done this for both the number of default licenses that are included and the maximum number of access points that can be supported.

The default number of APs supported is now eight, right across the board, on all security devices. Previously, some only supported two or four access points as a default. On most appliances we have also increased the maximum number of APs that they will support. For example, the ATP100 will now support 24 access points (up from 10 previously); and the USG1900 will support up to 520 APs (previously 130).

This should mean that there will be very few or almost no situations in which any kind of compromise will be needed between security and WiFi management requirements – or indeed VPN support.

Even better ROI

There is even better news here as well. In every case (we have done all the maths) the customer will get much better value than if they had deployed separate WiFi controller devices. Even when you purchase a unified security device, the cost will always be lower.

With both good security and good wireless now essential to all organisations, these combinations of security appliance and wireless controller deliver even better value and return-on-investment for customers. They also make supporting end user customers more straightforward for our partners. Now that both the default and the maximum number of access points that can supported has increased, there should be a Zyxel appliance to suit every customer’s needs.