ZyXEL Announces Cost-Effective and Flexible 3-Port Bridge/Router for Remote Office/Branch Office

New Prestige 153 and 153X Provide Flexible WAN Connectivity with Multi-Protocol Routing and PPP/MP over 3 WAN Connections

Hannover, Germany, March 19, 1998 - ZyXEL Communications today announced a new cost-effective and powerful remote access solution providing telecommuters and branch office users convenient access to corporate LAN resources as well as high-speed connections to the Internet.

ZyXEL's Prestige 153 and Prestige 153X feature an unique combination of dial-in and dial-out capabilities designed for office wide area network (WAN) applications including LAN-to-LAN bridge/routing, Internet access routing and remote access routing for telecommuters who need to access the Internet or the office intranet.

Access Server for Branch Office
The Prestige 153 can provide remote access solutions for multiple LAN users by using one of three Asynchronous WAN ports connecting to an ISP or corporate Intranet. The remaining two WAN ports can provide remote dial-in users with access to the Internet or corporate Intranet.

Async PPP/MP Bundle
The Prestige 153 provides PPP/MP and Bandwidth on Demand (BOD) to allow it to bundle all three Asynchronous WAN ports to effectively triple the connection speed through either PSTN or ISDN network dial-ups. This functionality provides users with the high bandwidth needed to accommodate data-intensive applications such as video conferencing, large file transfer and database access.

Digital Leased Line Dial Backup
For using leased or fractional T1/E1 lines, the Prestige 153X has two V.35/RS-449 ports for synchronous data transmission. Using this network solution, one of the two synchronous ports can be used for a FT1 or FE1 connection to an ISP while using the other one for high speed connection to a remote network site. The asynchronous port can be used as a dial backup for the leased line connection or serve as a remote dial-in access port.

"The Prestige 153 Series makes remote office and branch office users Internet-ready and further optimizes the access and performance of their connections back to the corporate enterprise network," said Tony Hsu, international marketing manager at ZyXEL. "As more of these users work with increasingly data-intensive applications and data from the Internet and corporate Intranets, the Prestige 153 Series delivers the most powerful and cost-effective access solution available."

LAN to LAN Bridge/Router
As a LAN-to-LAN bridge/router, the Prestige 153 Series provides Dial-On-Demand to automatically connect users when data needs to be transferred, minimizing a user connect time charges and reducing the chance for user intervention. The 153 Series supports IP and IPX multi-protocol routing and transparent bridging, and is compatible with enterprise-class routers from Ascend, Cisco and others.

Internet Access
ZyXEL��s innovative Single User Account (SUA) is the industry��s first implementation of Network Address Translation (NAT). The SUA technology permits multiple LAN users to access the Internet simultaneously while subscribing to only a single IP address.

Remote Access Router
As a telecommuting/remote access router, the Prestige 153 Series supports three simultaneous remote access connections. Remote connections are authenticated through PPP authentication protocols, CLID and callback.

Easy Management
The Prestige 153 Series WAN Bridge/Routers are managed through a menu-driven user interface which provides network management either locally or remotely via Telnet connections. ZyXEL��s Prestige Web Configurator (PWC) for easy installation and configuration will be supported in the future. Integrated SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) support makes it easy to manage with other connected SNMP devices within a corporate enterprise. The ability to act as a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server simplifies the set-up of client PCs, including Windows 95 and Windows NT. Call history and syslog features allow for comprehensive call tracking. The Flash EPROM makes upgrades and feature enhancements easy without losing a user's configuration.

Security
The Remote Authentication Dial-In User Services (RADIUS) authenticates each remote dial-in-user. The Prestige 153 Series also provides password protection via a system management terminal and through the password authentication protocol (PAP). Challenge handshake authentication protocol (CHAP) is also supported. Incoming and outgoing calls are tracked and documented, and caller ID and call back with password protection provides an added measure of security.

Availability
The Prestige 153 and 153X are scheduled to ship in the beginning of May ��98.

About ZyXEL Communications
ZyXEL Communications Corporation (http://www.zyxel.com), located in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is a leading supplier of high-speed ISDN terminal adapters, remote access routers, modems, and compatible LAN/WAN data communications products. Since its inception, ZyXEL has built a strong reputation as the price/performance leader in connectivity devices by providing high quality and high performance at affordable prices.