Symbol Technologies has unveiled a radio frequency wireless switch that bridges the gap between Wi-Fi, RFID and other common radio frequency-based technologies.
     The RFS7000 RF Switch uses the company''s Wireless Next Generation (Wi-NG) architecture, and is designed to support and consolidate Wi-Fi and emerging RF technologies such as RFID, 802.11n, mesh, Voice over Wireless LAN (VoWLAN) and WiMax. 116.30.145.87 This article is copyright 2006 UsingRFID.com.

     As a result, the company says that businesses can now more cost-effectively deploy and centrally manage wireless voice, data and infrastructure devices throughout the RF spectrum.

Business needs
     "Business needs are driving the convergence of voice, video and data, effectively pushing the new mobile edge from the wired to the wireless touch point, and requiring the network to adapt to the changing needs of new mobile devices and applications," said Anthony Bartolo, vice president and general manager of Symbol''s Wireless Infrastructure and RFID Divisions. "The industry''s first RF switch will provide the platform to integrate and manage current and future mobile devices and wireless technologies."

     The RFS7000 RF Switch provides scalable support for enterprise mobility, and is ideal for manufacturing facilities, hospitals, warehouse and supply chain industries, educational and government institutions, and service providers with high-bandwidth requirements and mission-critical applications.

Bangkok hospital implementation
     "Located in Bangkok, Thailand, Bumrungrad International is the largest private hospital in Southeast Asia, serving more than one million patients each year. The hospital is recognised for innovative technologies, and most recently that includes Symbol''s end-to-end wireless product portfolio, including RFID readers throughout the hospital to wirelessly collect and share information in real-time and enhance the overall patient experience. Our latest plan is to deploy a state of the art wireless infrastructure across the campus to support new applications that serve both patients and medical staff," said Chang Foo, Bumrungrad''s director of IT operations.

     Foo continued: "To fulfil our vision of an end-to-end enterprise application, we selected the new RFS7000 RF Switch for its security, flexibility and highly redundant uptime required to centrally manage our complex hospital network environment. That environment must accommodate both current and future wireless technologies, including RFID, which will be an important innovation for us. Our preference is to manage the applications with one platform, to help ensure that we continue to deliver quality services to our patients and streamline hospital administrative services."

Better wireless management
     The RFS7000 runs on a Linux operating system and provides separation between infrastructure, services, application and management layers. This means it can take advantage of multiple hardware platforms and multiple-processor systems to offer more scalable, high-performance wireless systems.

     The RFS7000 is 802.11n-ready, capable of supporting up to 256 802.11a/b/g access ports, and even provides redundancy and scalability for more than 2,000 access points.

Management software
     Integration with Symbol''s RF Management software provides monitoring and management of wireless devices to help ensure maximum up-time and peak performance of the network system, as well as the ability to plan, evaluate and monitor the network. The software includes a location engine and Wireless Intrusion Protection System (Wireless IPS) that allows network operators to securely deploy applications and track assets.

     The new switch is expected to be available from Q1 2007 in selected regions, through Symbol and its PartnerSelect partners.

 

 

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