The best of both worlds for remote workers
For remote workers, AP tunnelling is a simple and secure way to connect to the central office – and with this capability now supported on the Zyxel’s new Wave 2 range of access points, it is even more attractive, says Patrick Hirscher, EMEA Wireless Market Development Manager at Zyxel.
Back in April we wrote about the strong appeal of access point (AP) tunnelling as a really good alternative to VPNs for home users. As the working from home trend has continued, we’ve found that even more customers are asking about this method of connecting remotely to a central office.
AP tunnelling is growing in popularity for two reasons – it is simple, and it is really secure. As we explained in the previous blog, with AP tunnelling the access point is pre-configured to connect directly to the central IT system. It does not need to connect to your home SSID – you just plug the access point into the router and it connects you automatically.
Identical set-up
This means that users can access their files, data, and services in exactly the same way as they would when they are in the office. This makes it the ultimate home working aide, as users don’t have to learn any complex log-on sequences or find their way to the various network resources from the VPN link.
This makes a huge difference because, no matter what the IT department does, a VPN connection won’t present the user exactly the same set-up they would be used to when they are working in the office. With AP tunnelling, it’s identical.
AP tunnelling gives the user a fast, reliable, and secure connection back into the corporate network, through which they can access data, applications, and services as normal, without any special procedures or knowledge.
This is why so many more customers are now looking to implement this method of remote connectivity.
Even better news
Now we have even better news for customers and partners looking to meet their needs for remote working – the new Zyxel WAC500 Wave 2 access points, which are due to be released in October, will come ready to support AP tunnelling. This is important because, as well as the very latest 802.11ac, dual radio functionality, these APs are even better value than the devices we’ve had in our portfolio to date.
This means that, where there is a requirement to use AP tunnelling for remote working, this can now be done even more cost-effectively. Plus, you get all the additional Wave 2 functionality provided by the WAC500 family, so you really are getting the best of both worlds.
