Extreme Wireless WiFi 6 AP 310 i/e with IoT
Extreme Wireless WiFi 6 Access Points AP 310 i/e suitable for small and medium businesses and other moderate usage sites that do not want to bear a high cost in acquiring the latest WiFi 6 standard is discussed in this article.
Extreme Networks Company
Extreme Networks (NASDAQ: EXTR) is a San Jose, California, USA headquartered company and a leading manufacturer of Enterprise networking devices and solutions. Gartner had placed Extreme Networks as “Leader” in the Magic quadrant for wired and wireless LAN Access infrastructure in 2020.
The Company was founded in 1996 in California and made a series of acquisitions to strengthen its portfolio of products. Notable acquisitions include Zebra Technologies in 2016 and Aerohive Networks in 2019.
Extreme Networks has a range of WLAN solutions for different business segments and performance requirements. From entry-level products for small enterprises and cafes to ultra high performing devices targeted at corporate environments, Extreme has a wide variety of offers involving different WiFi standards.
In this post we will look at the entry level WiFi 6 WLAN solution from the company targeting small and medium enterprises that do not want to compromise on performance while looking for value products.
Extreme Wireless AP 310 i/e
ExtremeWireless™ AP310 i/e WiFi 6 access points have been tagged by Extreme Networks as “combines performance, security services and insightful ML/AI management capabilities to deliver an enterprise class solution at a value price.”. The company is targeting these access points towards small and midsize enterprises that do not want to compromise on performance and features but also not willing to spend high.
Extreme Wireless AP 310 i/e Highlights
- High Efficiency WiFi 6 Standard (802.11ax)
- WPA3 authentication
- Inbuilt L2-L7 DPI Firewall
- Dual 5 Ghz capability
- BLE 5.0 /Zigbee support for IoT
>Related Post< WiFi 6 Access Points For Small Enterprises Comparison Chart
Highlight Features Description
WiFi 6 capabilities
WiFi 6 or 802.11ax is a “High Efficiency” standard as its core purpose is to improve the efficiency of WiFi communications and making it more stable and dependable under increasing user base and applications globally. We had earlier posted an in-depth article on the notable features of WiFi 6 access points that can transform WLANs. Extreme Networks AP 310 i/e access points feature 802.11ax (WiFi 6) standard with support for client stations using previous legacy standards as well.
OFDMA (WiFi 6)
This Extreme Wireless WiFi 6 AP features Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), a technology that has been borrowed from the cell phone industry. OFDMA vastly improves upon the existing OFDM technology of WiFi access points. It allows multiple clients to have simultaneous access to a single WiFi channel. This feature will greatly help to relieve congestion in crowded offices as 802.11 ax stations need not compete with each other to get access to the whole channel and instead share the channel.
OFDMA makes the entire WLAN efficient as clients with smaller loads that usually form the bulk of communications need not occupy the full channel. They can instead co-transmit along with larger loads from other clients. Though this feature can only be fully utilized through 802.11ax clients, legacy clients will also experience the upside as the air will clear quickly due to efficient communications happening in 802.11ax.
MU-MIMO
Downlink MU-MIMO (2 streams per radio, total 4 streams) helps the AP to communicate with multiple clients simultaneously. This helps the client stations to get faster access to the AP and thereby increase the number of stations that can be served under an AP. This feature improves airtime efficiency and increases speeds for all the clients.
1024 QAM (WiFi 6)
This Extreme wireless WiFi 6 access point can support 1024 QAM, which means data transmissions at higher speeds than earlier standards are possible. But of course, achieving such higher speeds will need radio noise free environments and closer ranges between access points and stations. This requirement makes it practically impossible to achieve the rated speeds in dense enterprise environments requiring constant WiFi interference management.
Extreme Wireless AP 310 ie has Dual 5 GHz
It is possible to set the access point to have dual 5 Ghz radios, instead of dual bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. This helps to meet certain specific office requirements where there is need to support only a high density of 5 GHz clients and 2.4 GHz radio can be safely turned off.
Extreme Wireless AP 310 ie has L2-L7 Firewall
The access point features the latest authentication technology of WPA3 that uses 192 bit encryption and Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) technology for enhanced security. The AP also has an inbuilt DPI firewall to handle layer 2 to layer 7 security at the edge.
IoT Capabilities
The AP has an on board radio to support BLE 5.0 and IEEE 802.15.4 (includes Zigbee). This eliminates the need to deploy separate infrastructure for IoT services. It can be useful for certain retail environments that are trying to engage customers through Bluetooth based notifications etc. Zigbee based deployments can also take advantage of this AP.
ExtremeWireless AP310i/e Features Summary
| Property | ExtremeWireless AP310i/e |
|---|---|
| Radio Hardware | 1 x (2x2:2) 2.4 GHz/5 GHz 1 x (2x2:2) 5 GHz 1 x 2.4 GHz BLE 5/Zigbee |
| Wireless Feature | Concurrent Dual Band (2.4 GHz/5 Ghz), Dual 5 GHz, Sensor (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) /5 GHz |
| IoT Support | BLE 5.0/ Zigbee |
| Data Speed | Upto 1.774 Gbps (5 GHz:1.2 Gbps, 2.4 GHz:574 Mbps) |
| Resource Utilization | OFDMA, MU-MIMO (Downlink) |
| User Experience | ExtremeAI, SmartRF, Adaptive RF Management |
| Interference Handling | Transmit Beamforming, Cellular Coexistence Filter (CCF) |
| Security | WPA3, WPA2, L2-L7 DPI firewall |
| AP Operating Modes | Managed through Cloud and Appliance Controller |
| Ethernet Ports | 2x1Gbps Ethernet(GE) Ports, |
| Other Ports | 1xUSB 3.0 port Type A, 0.5A, 1xRJ45 Console Port |
| Antenna | Internal(AP-310i): 4xInternal WiFi Antennas + 1XBLE Internal. External(AP-310e): 4xRP-SMA ports +1xBLE RP-SMA port |
| Power-up Options | PoE 802.3af/at, GE2 can be used as power source with POE+, 12V DC |
| Max Power Consumption | 11.1 W (w/o USB), 14 W(USB) 25.5W-802.3at with LAN1 @ 10.5W |
| Green Features (Energy Saving) | Fully Functional over 802.3af (PoE) |
| Wi-Fi Standards | IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, |
| Safety Compliance | UL2043 Plenum rated, USA/IEC/EN/AS/NZS 62368/60950-1, Intertek NTRL, RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU |
| Manufacturer Quote | "combines performance, security services and insightful ML/AI management capabilities to deliver an enterprise class solution at a value price."residence halls and other multi-dwelling units" |
>Related Post< Top WiFi 6 Access Points For Enterprise WLAN – Comparison Table
Summary
ExtremeWireless™ AP 310 i/e access points have many standards based and proprietary features that will appeal to the discerning small and medium enterprise that wants performance at value. WiFi 6 standard, Dual 5 GHz radio option, Bluetooth and Zigbee support, WPA3 authentication and inbuilt firewall features makes this AP an ideal option for smaller organizations that want to buy the latest WiFi standard in 2020 without compromising on budgets.
Note: All product/company/standards names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.The product features mentioned in this article are not exhaustive. For the full list of features and capabilities, kindly contact the manufacturer or its local representative in your region.
