The MeshAP line from ArrowSpan is targeted to hotels, airport, campuses, etc. and provides for the extension of a wireless network from a single Ethernet connection point. Working at network Layer 2, the vendor states that the APs are transparent to Layer 3 and higher protocols, and are therefore compatible with existing routers, gateways, and APs.

In brief, the MeshAP gear allows you to plug-in and expand your wireless network; the individual MeshAP boxes are able to automatically detect and connect to one another in a grid, and pass communications back and forth automatically using Predictable Optimum Path (POP) routing, which seeks to determine the most efficient path through the grid from the client to the server.

A key feature of the gear as touted by the vendor is a dual-radio design in which both radios can be used for both backhaul and client communications (as opposed to dual-radio schemes in which one radio is dedicated to client communications and the other dedicated to backhaul service). The 1100/2100 units feature dual 802.11b/g radios so enabled; however, the 3100 and 5100 include dual radios dedicated to 802.11a backhaul requests while a single 802.11b/g radio services clients.

The boxes themselves are managed via a Web-based GUI or SNMP private MIBs. The Web GUI provides features including the ability to view the network topology and statistics of the individual access points, including traffic count, user number, link signal quality, error count, and event logs. Security features include support for WEP and WPA encryption on both backhaul and client traffic; and support for MAC filtering.

Among the MeshAP units currently served by the vendor are:

- The MeshAP 1100 is the indoor access point, with dual 2.4GHz 802.11b/g radios, support for 11 channels (in the US), and an indoor range of about 100 meters.

- Designed for indoor use, the MeshAP 1180 also sports a dual-radio design and delivers speeds of 54 Mb/sec to 300 meters in unobstructed environments.

- The MeshAP 2100 is similar, but designed for outdoor use (the open-space range of both the MeshAP 1100 and the MeshAP 2100 is listed at 300 meters).

- The MeshAP 2180 is a 200mW outdoor access point with a signal range of up to 400 meters in open space and multi-frequency (5.8GHz, 5.3GHz, or 2.4GHz) support. A 4.9 GHz version (the MeshAP 2182) is also expected.

- The MeshAP 3100 offers three radios (similar to the following MeshAP 5100). The vendor notes that the 3100 is able to boost signal strength to 200m (656 ft) in open space. New to the product line is the 3100G; which adds a GPS antenna, enabling administrators to detect the GPS location of each access point.

- The MeshAP 5100 is a three-radio unit designed for outdoor use, in which dual 802.11a radios are designated for backhaul traffic and a single 802.11b/g radio drives the client connections. Outdoor ranges for the MeshAP 5100 operating at 54 Mb/sec are 85 meters (802.11a) and 90 meters (802.11g), and for 802.11b traffic operating at 11 Mb/sec the outdoor range is listed at 350 meters.

Contact ArrowSpan for current pricing and availability.