Meru targets branch level wireless-n with sub £300 device

Meru Networks has launched a new lower-cost 802.11n access point which it claims will outperform rival Cisco and Aruba products at a comparable price point.
The sub £300 AP1000i is based on the same virtual cell technology which the firm claims delivers wire-speed performance over wireless networks. 

This virtualisation technology pools together multiple access points into a mesh and automatically manages which clients connects to which access point based on performance requirements, available coverage and quality of service schemas.

The 1000i is aimed at the branch office market and uses the same core technology as the firm’s flagship 300i but with a less powerful processor and antenna array to serve smaller sites.
Virtualised wireless
The new product is compatible with the firms Service Assurance Manager (SAM) software which in the view of Ram Appalaraju, senior vice president of marketing at Meru Networks, is a significant advantage for channel partners: “Our technology delivers virtualised wireless. We take the complexity out of signalling processing and make the wireless network easier to manage,” he says.

SAM software is able to generate ‘virtual clients’ on each access points to simulate real world user wireless experience.  This allows advanced troubleshooting with the ability to track and modify service quality at a much more granular level.

With the launch of the new switch, Meru is offering enhanced margin of between five and 10 points on tranches of 16, 32, 64 and 96 units. In an effort to promote the adoption of managed wireless services, Meru is also providing its SAM software on a service provider licensing model to allow partners to reduce initial capital investment.
Hospitality
Appalaraju believes that selling customers on the reliability of its products can help the channel win more business, especially in areas like hospitality. The executive points to an hotelier customer that after switching to Meru, reduced calls related to poor wireless performance from around 200 to less than three a month

“There is a sometimes a level of disbelief in what [Meru] can do. People don’t know what they don’t know, but we are slowly changing that,” he adds.