The AP4500's management interface is excellent, consisting of a well-laid-out console and telnet screens. You can adjust many AP parameters, including supported data rates, via WinDGS, as well as monitor overall system performance. The product offers complete SNMP support, including plug-ins for HP OpenView, as well as Web-based management. Unlike some of the other APs we tested, you can not configure the AP 4500 to act as a point-to-point bridge. However, Aironet has a companion product that provides this functionality. Unfortunately, Aironet uses a female DB-9 connector for its console port, which requires a special cable. While the cost of the cable is insignificant, we'd like to see the vendor change its physical port to match those of other products.

Aironet crams just about every feature possible into the AP4500. Highlights include a modular diversity antenna configuration, flexible firmware upgrade options, DHCP client support, Mobile IP support, on-the-fly configuration, extensive diagnostic capabilities and flexible protocol filtering. It even offers an optional token-ring interface.

The AP4500 achieved the highest overall average performance (1.37 Mbps) in our interoperability tests. It also performed well during all of our range tests, finishing second only to Lucent, with an average throughput of 1.27 Mbps. Multistation performance, at 1.18 Mbps, was well above average for DS products.

InTalk WR-1200 Access Point
If we gave an award for color concept, InTalk's purple and gray casing would have won it. Physical design aside, the WR-1200 is a sound offering that combines excellent performance, a strong feature set and fine management. With a design that provides some flexibility, the unit uses standard WL200 NICs that plug into a PC Card slot on the AP for its radio interface. Our test unit shipped with a jack for a small extended antenna, which we used.

The WR-1200's configuration and management interfaces, including a well-crafted Web interface, were nicely implemented. This product offers a unique variety of options for deployment: You can configure the WR-1200 as an AP, a repeater, a point-to-point bridge interconnecting LANs, or any combination of these capabilities. The repeater functionality is useful if you need to connect an out-of-range remote user to a wireless LAN. (In this case, the WR-1200 would be installed between the remote node and wireless LAN, increasing the node's distance from the network.)

In addition to supporting 802.11 ad hoc wireless peer-to-peer and wireless-to-wired infrastructure modes, InTalk also supports a proprietary mode of communication, called InstaWave, that lets wireless devices use both modes concurrently. In an environ- ment where a combination of peer-to-peer and client/server communication occurs, this mode would potentially relieve congestion on the AP.

Performance in our single-station (1.25 Mbps) and multistation (1.19 Mbps) tests was above average. The product also performed well in our short-range, closed-office and long-range, open-office tests, running at 1.48 Mbps and 1.38 Mbps, respectively. At 470 Kbps, performance in our long-range closed-office test was average.

We appreciated InTalk's low price ($1,195), especially considering its broad feature set. Every industry needs an InTalk, a company that pushes the envelope on both features and price.

Lucent Technologies WavePOINT II Access Point
Lucent's WavePOINT II Access Point is a study in contrasts. From a positive perspective, its unique, dual-slot architecture makes it an ideal solution for environments that have older, proprietary Lucent WaveLAN products in place, but want to migrate to 802.11-compatible technology. (Rather than requiring customers to embark on a forklift upgrade, the vendor provides a migration path that lets the two coexist.) The AP's dual-slot radio design also supports two radios configured on non-overlapping frequencies, so you can effectively double the available bandwidth capacity. These features are unique in the industry.

On a more negative note, we don't really understand the benefits of this product's physical design. You must assemble an ugly, metal box that looks like an elongated power supply with LEDs, which, together with a power supply, is mounted in a nicely designed plastic case. While other vendors provide mounting hardware so that their APs can be installed on walls and in ceilings, Lucent is the only one that uses the erector-set model. Furthermore, major features, such as power savings, BOOTP/DHCP support, a Web management interface and support for wired equivalent privacy, are missing in this release.

Unlike most of the other APs we tested, the WavePOINT II does not include a console port. To configure the unit, we had to run the bundled Windows-based SNMP management software, WaveMANAGER/AP. This software was adequate during testing, but many sites would prefer to perform configuration and monitoring functions via telnet or HTTP..

In the lab, we were able to connect all vendors' PC Cards to the Lucent AP, but we had to change some default parameters on the Aironet cards to achieve interoperability. While performance was generally very good, we experienced relatively poor performance in our multistation performance tests. Since we had similar problems with the Cabletron offerings, which include OEM versions of the WaveLAN cards, we suspect the performance issues are card-, rather than AP-, related.

Using the optional $95 external antenna, the Lucent AP provided the best range of any product tested, maintaining over 50 percent of maximum tested throughput during our long-range walled-office test. The WavePOINT's cost is comparable to other APs that we tested.

Cabletron Systems RoamAbout Access Point
Cabletron's RoamAbout Access Point was originally developed by Digital Equipment Corp., and became part of the SmartSwitch line when Cabletron acquired Digital's network product business. In our last review of wireless LAN technology four years ago, we gave the RoamAbout Access Point our Editor's Choice award. Although the rest of the industry has revised its product lines, other than adding support for a new 802.11 radio, the RoamAbout hasn't changed much. Nonetheless, it's still a solid product.

RoamAbout AP's media access and radio interfaces are courtesy of the OEM versions of Lucent's WaveLAN PC Card. You have the option of running the product with its built-in PC Card antenna, which we opted for, or you can attach a higher-gain antenna. The difference in performance between the Lucent AP, which included the external antenna, and the Cabletron AP, which did not, was somewhat noticeable with the Lucent combo achieving over twice the throughput in our long-range walled-office test. If you need the extra range, you can purchase an antenna for less than $100.

Performance was very good in our single-station tests, and all PC Cards, with the exception of MaxTech's, were able to communicate with the Cabletron AP. As with the Lucent system, multistation aggregate performance was below 1 Mbps, further substantiating that the problem lies with the Lucent PC cards.

When it comes to management capabilities, the RoamAbout AP clearly excels. Its Windows-based SNMP application is well-conceived and easy-to-use. It is the only AP we tested that includes full RMON support. While the product does not include integrated point-to-point bridging capabilities, Cabletron offers a companion product that provides this functionality

The RoamAbout's design is a holdover from the Digital days when it could be used standalone or integrated in one of their network chassis. It's not really a bad design, but it could use a revision. Pricewise, the RoamAbout is about average for DS products.

No Wires Needed Parrot 550 Access Point
No Wires Needed, based in Bilthoven, Netherlands, sent us a beta product that had not yet received FCC approval. Unfortunately, it initially included European power supplies, which were later replaced by units from Radio Shack. We suspect the quality of these power supplies may have been the reason for one AP's total failure and intermittent problems with another that prevented us from completing all of our performance tests.

The Parrot 550 lacks a console port, so all configuration is accomplished via the Windows-based APCenter installation and network management software. Although we were able to get the system running without significant problems, we found the software to be a little rough around the edges and not particularly intuitive to work with--but it has potential.

What the Parrot 550 lacks in management is compensated in innovative features. It was the only AP we tested that supported the 5.5-Mbps mode, which is included in the Harris Semiconductor chipset. (To take advantage of that capability, you'll need NWN PC Cards.) With the exception of MaxTech's PC Card, we did not have any problems getting other vendors' PC Cards to talk to the NWN AP.

In addition to its high-speed mode, the Parrot 550 also includes enhanced security via a 128-bit encryption capability. Again, you will need to use NWN's PC Cards to take advantage of this capability. While we did not test this capability, this feature may lead some particularly security-conscious sites to seriously consider NWN products.

The Parrot 550 performed poorly during our range tests. While a few other products could not complete our long-distance walled-office test, the NWN product was the only one that could not complete the long-distance open-office test.

It is clear that NWN is just beginning to get a feel for the U.S. market and though this product is a little rough around the edges, the company appears to have a strong understanding of wireless LAN technology and a commitment to being a player in the international market. The Parrot 550 is well priced at $1,495.

Intermec Technolgies Corp. 2100 Universal Access Point
If you've ever thought about installing a wireless LAN in a hostile environment like a factory floor or outdoors, Intermec has just the right AP for you. You may pay a little more, but you'll have a heavy-duty, industrial-strength product that will withstand all the abuse you can offer. For some wireless LAN installations, the Intermec product is really the only one that is viable, despite its relatively high price.

Under the thick metal cover, you'll find an AP that is generally well-engineered and it is obvious that Intermec understands this business. While Intermec has historically shipped its products with Proxim's OpenAir FH radio subsystem, the unit we evaluated was a new model that included a Lucent 802.11 DS radio system. Unfortunately, the initial unit we evaluated was a beta offering, and we discovered some performance shortcomings that are reflected in below-average numbers in our interoperability tests. Late in our testing cycle, Intermec shipped us a new version that corrected the performance problems, but our schedule did not afford us the extra time to thoroughly test it with all of the other PC Cards. (This version will be shipping by the time you read this.)

In addition to this unit's rugged design, Intermec differentiates the 2100 from the competition with a capability that lets you maintain a "home" access point even while roaming. Regardless of where you roam--even if it's to another IP subnet--all data is redirected back to your home AP. This flexibility will cost you a little performance and latency, but it offers a key advantage over the mobile IP protocol used by other vendors. Unlike those products, the 2100 doesn't require any additional software for your client machine. On the other hand, this IP roaming capability is not compatible with other vendors' products. Intermec claims that its design also overcomes performance problems of clients attempting to roam between APs attached to certain Ethernet switches.

Single-station performance was generally equivalent to the Lucent offering. In our range tests, the 2100 turned in average scores. While the Intermec 2100 certainly has its place in the network, its size and weight will make it difficult to deploy in some environments. Within its target markets, it's a strong offering, despite its steep price of $2,280.

Nortel Networks BayStack 650 Wireless LAN Access Point and BayStack 660 Wireless LAN Access Point
Aside from their names, Nortel's BayStack 650 and 660 Access Points are identical. The model is determined by the unit's PC Card radio interface: The 660 is a 2-Mbps DS product and the 650 is a 1-Mbps FH product. The AP itself is compact and easy on the eyes, but its appeal as an easy-to-install product was diminished somewhat by the awkward location of the network and power interfaces. The 660 is priced at $1,799, and the 650 at $1,499, making them average in their categories.

The BayStack Access Point is missing a console port; a Java SNMP application running under Windows handles configuration. The interface was somewhat sparse and a little confusing, and its performance was sub-par compared to other Windows applications. In addition, the only way to manage the AP was via an Ethernet-attached PC. Nortel indicated that this restriction was implemented because its products are targeted at enterprises where the group managing the APs is likely to have Ethernet-attached PCs. For a future version, the vendor is planning a capability that will let you configure the AP so it can accept management connections from a wireless node.

Though the 650 was limited to 1 Mbps, performance was generally good for both products. The 660 turned in the best aggregate performance in our multistation test of any product tested.

Nortel uses a standard 650 or 660 wireless PC Card as the media access and radio interface for its AP. This may account for its lackluster performance in our range tests: The 660 could not complete our long-range walled-office test and the 650 achieved only about 20 percent of its data rate. We also experienced some compatibility problems with Lucent wireless NICs talking to the 660 AP. Nortel pointed to problems in the latest Lucent cards that prevented them from adjusting their dwell time parameter in relation to the BayStack 660 AP. We solved this problem by adjusting the default dwell-time value on the BayStack.

MaxTech Corp. LANescape XWL411 Access Point
MaxTech is a newcomer to the wireless LAN market and the LANescape XWL411 is a functional, but bare-bones, AP. On the positive side, all of the PC Cards we tested were able to communicate with the XWL411--though the XWL411's performance was well below average. This was especially true with the Lucent and Cabletron PC Cards.

In the lab, we configured the XWL411 via its console port. Unlike most of the other products we tested, which included well-laid-out menus or Web interfaces, the XWL411's user interface was command-oriented, making the learning curve a little more difficult. The XWL411's antenna was also fairly unusual, resembling a magnetized CB antenna that you might attach to the roof of your car. Nonetheless, it seemed to do the job as performance in our range tests was very good, bested only by Aironet and Lucent.

The primary appeal of the LANescape is its value. Priced at $999, it is the kind of product one could imagine purchasing in a small-office or home-office environment. But with the low cost comes a bare-bones feature list. You won't find any Web or telnet management, no support for DHCP, no MAC-address filtering, or wired equivalent privacy. Depending on your site, those features may--or may not--be sorely missed.