4ipnet, Inc. has announced today its high-power-capable, IP68-rated OWL800 Outdoor Access Point created to build trusted and scalable wireless mesh networks in outdoor environments, expanding WLAN range beyond the walls while maintaining enterprise-grade network security and manageability needed to support mobile applications. In addition to two Atheros 802.11a/b/g radios installed (dual-band concurrent 802.11a/b/g), the OWL800 has two extra mini-PCI slots on board for future expansion, expandable to four radios.

As wireless LAN devices proliferate, the demand to provide Internet connectivity expands from just indoors to outdoors. Solutions like public Internet access, VoIP, surveillance, and outdoor real time inventory control all stretch the need for outdoor WLAN access. Specifically developed for outdoor utilization, the fully-hardened, IP68-rated OWL800 saves extra costs of installing network cable or fiber, and can withstand dust, rain, power surges, and extreme temperatures. The new device is also capable of supporting various deployment options, providing safe network services over outdoor campuses, indoor/outdoor warehouses, and extreme harsh environments.

The new OWL800 supports multiple operational modes including AP mode, Relay mode, and the most unique AAA Gateway mode. When activating the Gateway mode, the built-in AAA functionality enables remote management and maintenance for certain outdoor deployments - no need for additional subscriber gateways or authentication servers at the edge of the WLAN infrastructure for Internet service providers. For a large-scale network deployment, multiple OWL800 APs can also couple with 4ipnet WLAN Controllers to support user roaming across multiple WLANs. In its Relay mode, the OWL800 supports up to 4 WDS links per radio module and can expand the wireless coverage by connecting other WDS-enabled APs wirelessly, easy to link multiple buildings utilizing industrial-standard 802.11 Wi-Fi.