Cisco Ap 541n - A Business Class Wireless Access Point With Clustering Technology

By Author: Ki Grinsing
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Cisco AP 541N is a robust wireless access point with business-class features including Clustering technology for a single point of administration for multiple access points. With clustering technology, you can configure and manage all access points as a single wireless network, rather than as a collection of individual devices without the need for a wireless controller.

Building a large wireless network in businesses or campuses with multiple buildings frequently requires multiple wireless access points to deploy. Wireless access point devices have limitation in the network coverage particularly when the obstacles exist. The number, thickness and location of walls, ceilings, or other objects that the wireless signals must pass through, may limit the range. Typical ranges vary depending on the types of materials and background RF (radio frequency) noise in your environments.

Deployment a single access point device to cover a large area with multiple buildings such as large office buildings, multiple storey buildings, may not be adequate in providing good signal strength to the clients. Therefore deployment of ...
... multiple access point devices would be a solution to cover dead spots. Setting up and configuring multiple devices are generally performed one by one that may lead to miss-configuration and administration overhead. Cisco introduces AP 541N Wireless Access Point with clustering technology. Clustering technology allows you centralize a single point of administration for multiple access point deployments.

What this Product Does

Cisco AP 541N Wireless Access Point is powered by the latest wireless technology 802.11n with selectable dual-band frequency either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz and combined with smart antenna MIMO (multiple-input multiple output) technology to provide much greater resiliency and data throughput.

Cisco AP 541N Wireless Access Point supports clustering technology for a single point of administration for multiple access points deployment. Clustering technology makes it easy to set up, configure, and run your network.

Clustering is the ability of a wireless access point to form a dynamic, configuration-aware group (called a cluster) with other similarly designed access points in the same network and subnet. All access points in the cluster self-organize, cloning configuration settings from one access point to another and balancing wireless channels to minimize radio interference. The cluster also provides a single point of administration, allowing you to configure and manage all access points as a single wireless network, rather than as a collection of individual devices without the need for a wireless controller.

With clustering, you can share the following information within the cluster
Wireless network identifier (SSID), which is the your unique network name
Security features, such as encryption settings (WPA, WPA2, or WEP), access lists, and MAC address filters (either allowed or denied)
User names and passwords
Quality of service (QoS) settings
Radio settings
Wireless interface settings
Guest welcome screen

Cisco AP 541N supports a secure guest access which is easy to setup using easy to follow graphical user interface (GUI). With secure guest access, you can create a security boundary separated from your private networks to allow your business partners and other visitors to access the internet when they visit your business location without granting them any visibility into your business network and without impeding the performance of your business applications. You can also provide a welcome screen to greet visitors using your guest network.

Cisco AP 541N access point supports strong security features including advanced Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) encryption, rogue access point detection, access control lists, and MAC address filtering.

Cisco AP 541N access point can be operated either in a standalone wireless access point or as part of a larger business network. You can easily add the wireless access points to grow with your business as your needs change, while minimizing operational costs. Deployment can be flexible either using AC power or Power over Ethernet (PoE) to simplify installation in locations where no power outlets are available such as in ceilings to support virtually any deployment.

Cisco AP 541N wireless access point is a robust system which can be deployed in stand alone or part of your large business with business class security features to better protect your employees, your guests, and your business.

By Ki Grinsing

Ki Grinsing was graduated from a technical college (ITS-Surabaya) with the addition of MCSE and CCNA professional certifications. He has prolonged years of working experiences in IT projects. Please visit the articles: Cisco AP541n access point and dgn3500 wireless gateway router