"The role of commercial and municipal wireless networks is expanding beyond basic Internet access and e-mail services to include more real-time applications such as video surveillance, voice over IP and mobility," said Bo Larsson, CEO of Firetide. "Our new access points deliver a new level of performance and features that are now becoming real requirements for large scale, multi-service networks."

The HotPoint access points enable highly flexible deployment with or without a Firetide mesh network. The modular architecture allows Firetide Mesh nodes and access points to be mounted independently to achieve optimal radio coverage for both mesh backhaul and client access. High powered, 400 mW radios extend reach and penetration, while a turbo-mode provides data rates up to 108 Mbps. A virtual access point function provides layered service and security levels for individual APs and virtual AP groups.

Firetide is currently shipping both indoor and outdoor HotPoint access point models. The outdoor model has a weatherproof enclosure that can be mounted to a HotPort mesh node or used as a stand-alone access point. Power can also be supplied directly by the mesh node eliminating the need for a separate power supply. Both models share the same access point features to enable consistent service coverage inside buildings as well as in outdoor areas. These features include:

    -- Advanced controls for HotSpot service providers with customizable
       group-based service levels, user-based rate limiting, and inter/intra-
       cell blocking.
    -- Comprehensive security, including standards based encryption and
       authentication controls including 802.11i, WPA2, 802.1x, and RADIUS for
       interoperability with any .11b/g Wi-Fi client.
    -- Additional access control via MAC address filtering, VPN tunneling and
       filtering, multiple VLAN support, ESSID suppression, and firewall
       application control.
    -- Auto-discovery and access point groupings for efficient configuration
       and management of networks with large numbers of access points.
    -- Single, centralized management for both mesh and access point networks
       with complete HotView and HotView Pro integration, web based GUI, SNMP,
       or CLI interfaces.

Current Firetide access point customers include North American Midway which uses the access points for wireless ticket sales for their traveling amusement parks and Sky Catcher which provides high-speed broadband solutions for rural and under-served areas.

"We chose Firetide's access points because they support all of our government and enterprise access requirements," said Peter Gaulin, CTO of Sky Catcher. "The tight integration of the access points, mesh network, and centralized management creates a very solid and secure wireless network environment that is also very easy to deploy and manage."