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Meru Announces Two New 2x2 802.11ac Access Points -- Including the World's First Gigabit Wi-Fi Wall Plate(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SUNNYVALE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/31/14 -- Meru Networks® (NASDAQ: MERU), a leader in intelligent Wi-Fi solutions, today announced significant expansion of its 802.11ac portfolio with two new dual-radio, dual-stream (2X2) access points -- the industry's first 802.11ac wall plate access point, the AP122, and a new general purpose access point, the AP822. The new products extend the benefits of gigabit Wi-Fi to broader markets at lower price points and with higher performance than competitive offerings. Both of the new access points support data rates of up to 867 Mbps as compared to competitors'3X3 solutions that are typically limited to 600 Mbps data rates. Meru's higher data rates are enabled by the Meru MobileFLEX architecture, which supports full use of the 80MHz channel specified by the 802.11ac standard. Others recommend narrower 40 MHz channels in enterprise-wide deployments, which reduces their access points' data rates. "It's now very clear that 802.11ac is the strategic direction for organizations of all sizes everywhere, but also that a variety of access points is required to address all market requirements," said Craig Mathias, a principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group. "The Meru AP 122's broad range of applications and the AP822's performance and price add to the clear and compelling case for moving to 802.11ac instead of expanding legacy 802.11n networks." IDC forecasts that the number of network-connected devices will grow from 10 billion in 2013 to 212 billion in 2020(1). To support this explosion of devices, the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard combines multiple Wi-Fi channels to provide gigabit Wi-Fi data rates and support higher device densities. This reduces the number of available channels, posing little problem for the single-channel deployment option of the Meru MobileFLEX architecture, but hindering other vendors' Wi-Fi access point deployment strategies. Other vendors assume a minimum of three overlapping channels to enable enterprise-wide Wi-Fi coverage. The Meru AP122 Wall Plate - In-room Deployment for Hospitality and Higher Education The AP122 is the first 802.11ac wall plate access point and is specifically designed to meet the ever-increasing mobile data needs of hotel guests, as well as resident college and university students. With up to 1.2 gigabit-per-second data rates for only $595, the AP122 is perfectly suited to the in-room deployment needs of the hotel, cruise line and higher-education residence-hall markets. Designed to provide maximum coverage and capacity in multi-tenant environments, its inconspicuous design eases in-room cabling and placement and maximizes deployment flexibility. The Meru AP822 - Gigabit Wi-Fi Power at Lower CostThe AP822, with its optimal balance of low cost and high performance, is uniquely positioned to meet the growing need for 802.11ac WLAN in a wide variety of markets. Delivering up to 1.2 gigabit-per-second data rates for only $895, the 2X2 802.11ac AP822 is an obvious choice for schools, hospitals, hotels and other businesses seeking to give end users the high-performance of 802.11ac Wi-Fi at a lower cost than existing 3X3 solutions. Meru 802.11ac solutions run on standard 802.3af Power of Ethernet (PoE). This greatly lowers total cost of ownership, eliminating the need for customers to upgrade their entire Ethernet switching infrastructure to support 802.3at, or PoE+, as currently required by most Meru competitors when deploying 802.11ac. Meru 802.11ac access points support devices on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands and increase the performance of legacy clients, with Meru customers citing as much as 40 percent increased throughput when using 802.11n clients on its 802.11ac networks. "The AP822 and AP122 extend Meru's leadership in the 802.11ac market, giving us the broadest gigabit Wi-Fi portfolio to meet the widest range of customer needs," said Manish Rai, vice president of marketing for Meru. "The performance advantages enabled by the MobileFLEX architecture give users unprecedented capacity and productivity improvement and make Meru a clear choice in education, healthcare, hospitality and general enterprise." The AP822 is available immediately. The AP122 will be available in the second half of 2014. For more information on the AP822, please visit the Meru website here: http://bit.ly/ap822. Additional information on the AP122 is available here: http://bit.ly/ap122. For more information on Meru 802.11ac and SDN solutions, join Meru and guest Rohit Mehra of IDC for a webinar on April 26. Register here: http://ubm.io/1lkB7vr. Supporting Quotes "We recently issued more than 2,000 Apple® iPads® and MacBooks®, Google® Chromebooks® and other mobile devices to teachers and students, all of which are regularly used for streaming voice and video. The increased throughput and capacity enabled by Meru 802.11ac solutions is extremely attractive to us, and the attractive price point of the AP822 makes it an obvious choice for our upcoming WLAN expansions." - Stephanie Vargas, Assistant Technology Coordinator for Maine School Administrative District 49 in Fairfield, Maine "The Meru AP122 wall plate access point will give us the highest performing in-room Wi-Fi in the industry, easily supporting video and voice streaming on each of the two-to-three mobile devices that our recreational guests now commonly bring with them when they visit. With guest surveys commonly ranking Wi-Fi as the most requested guest amenity, ensuring a high-quality mobile experience has never been more critical."- Wael El Behi, General Manager, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Dubai "Most of our guests are employees of Apple®, Google®, Yahoo® and other nearby companies, each of whom carry a minimum of three mobile devices and work from their rooms using streaming voice and video almost non-stop. The increased speed and capacity that the Meru AP822 enables will help us continue to ensure an excellent guest experience, its price -- lower than some legacy 802.11n access points -- makes moving to 802.11ac a no-brainer." - Barbara Perzigian, General Manager of the Cupertino Inn and the Grand Hotel in San Jose, Calif. "The improved performance and lower price point of the AP822 make 802.11ac attractive to a much wider range of customers. This will help accelerate the adoption of gigabit Wi-Fi in markets like education, healthcare and hospitality that have both high-density and high-performance requirements. We are enthusiastic about the opportunities the new platform presents, and look forward to showcasing the unique advantages and capabilities offered by Meru's Wi-Fi solutions." - Kevin Leibl, President of Advanced Network Systems, a Meru Platinum Partner and Meru's North American Solutions Partner of the Year for 2013 (1)IDCWorldwide Internet of Things (IoT) 2013-2020 Forecast: Billions of Things, Trillions of Dollars, Doc #243661, Oct 2013 About Meru NetworksMeru Networks (NASDAQ: MERU) is a leader in intelligent 802.11ac Wi-Fi solutions, delivering uninterrupted user experience for education, healthcare, hospitality and enterprise. The Meru MobileFLEX architecture is designed to enable seamless roaming with traffic separation for critical applications, providing top performance and high capacity in high-density environments. Visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300 for more information. ©2014 Meru Networks. Meru and Meru Networks are registered trademarks and the Meru logo is a trademark of Meru Networks, Inc. in the United States. Apple, Apple TV, iPad and iTunes U are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google is a registered trademark of Google Inc.Microsoft, Lync and Skype are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2553271 Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine Press Contact Wilson Craig Director of Public Relations Meru Networks +1 408 516 6182 [email protected] Source: Meru Networks, Inc. |