Cisco unveils wireless mesh offerings

Cisco Aironet 1500 Series can be used for metropolitan Wi-Fi deployments

Cisco has announced enhancements to its wireless network products that allow high-speed wireless coverage over wide areas.

The networking vendor will release a new series of access points, the Cisco Aironet 1500 Series, that can be used for metropolitan Wi-Fi deployments.

Each access point has two radios, one using Cisco's Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol for access-point-to-access-point communications, and the other providing bandwidth to users.

The access points use so-called 'mesh' technology to link together and establish best routing for traffic.

Citywide wireless services are rising up the agenda in the US. Philadelphia and San Francisco are in the planning stages to create city-wide wireless services.

Cisco has partnered with HP and IBM, among others, to push its outdoor mesh products, and will be promoting its new offerings with two 'metro-mesh' trials in Dayton, Ohio and Lebanon, Oregon.

Cisco is the dominant supplier of wireless local area networking equipment in the home market through its Linksys products.