WatchGuard releases two new enterprise-grade APs

WatchGuard Technologies has released two new access points (APs); the AP225W and the AP327X.

The APs offer the ability to extend wireless environments into multi-dwelling unit (MDU) deployments and harsh outdoor environments.

According to a new report from independent product test centre Miercom, WatchGuard's  wireless AP uniquely delivers a trusted wireless environment that automatically detects and prevents all six known Wi-Fi threat categories.

The report also found that the APs can serve as a WIPS overlay for wireless networks made up of competing solutions that are susceptible to these Wi-Fi attacks.

"As organisations of all sizes increasingly rely on wireless connectivity for day-to-day operations, secure Wi-Fi is a modern business imperative. That's why WatchGuard is committed to developing Wi-Fi solutions that are simple, powerful, and capable of delivering Trusted Wireless Environments. These new APs are the latest example of our efforts to expand the types of organisations and environments we're able to protect," says WatchGuard product management vice president Brendan Patterson.

"As we continue to see many leading vendors under-prioritise wireless security, we urge every organisation and IT solution provider to carefully assess their current Wi-Fi systems to determine if they can automatically mitigate today's most prevalent Wi-Fi threats.

The opportunity for MSPs in this space is growing rapidly, with some estimates projecting that the global managed Wi-Fi solutions market will double to US$6.11 billion by 2022, from US$3.07 billion in 2017.

WatchGuard's centralised Wi-Fi management interface enables users with intelligent network health, visibility and troubleshooting capabilities, powerful location-based analytics, guest engagement tools and more.

AP225W

WatchGuard's new wall plate AP225W is designed to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to organisations with high volumes of users siloed within a single location such as dorm rooms, shared office spaces, smart apartments and condos, assisted living facilities, military housing units, and hotels.

This AP comes equipped with dual-concurrent 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz band radios, and supports data rates up to 867 GHz and 400 Mbps respectively.

Administrators can also connect up to three network devices to the AP using one 802.3af PoE output port (while simultaneously using its three Ethernet ports) to reduce cabling and switching costs.

The AP offers simple cloud-based management capabilities and WatchGuard's Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS) technology to block Wi-Fi attacks.

AP327X

The global outdoor Wi-Fi market is projected to reach US$63.25 billion by the end of 2023 (up from US$28.51 billion in 2017).

WatchGuard's AP327X is designed to deliver Wi-Fi connectivity in environments with challenging outdoor dynamics such as warehouses, manufacturing yards, malls, public and municipal Wi-Fi zones, and campsites.

This model features an IP67-rated enclosure and comes equipped with four N-Type connectors that support a variety of external antennas, which provide the flexible, omni-directional antenna pattern coverage capabilities often required in harsher outdoor environments.

It also includes cloud-based management and WatchGuard's WIPS.