Symbol Framework To Centrally Manage Wi-Fi, WiMAX, RFID

Symbol Technologies announced Wednesday that it is developing an architecture that will allow enterprises to consolidate and centrally manage multiple types of wireless technologies including Wi-Fi, wireless mesh, Voice-over-WLAN (VoWLAN), RFID and WiMAX.

The company said its new architecture, which it is calling Wireless Next Generation (Wi-NG) will be available in what it claims will be the first integrated radio frequency (RF) switching platform. Besides consolidating and centrally managing various types of wireless technologies, the company claimed that its architecture will also make it easier for enterprises to converge fixed and mobile telephony.

"Wi-NG is the blueprint to build a fourth-generation network, and represents the next step in Symbol's enterprise mobility strategy -- enabling organizations to capture data; move the information with applications on Symbol's Wi-Fi network; and securely manage the entire system," Anthony Bartolo, vice president and general manager of Symbol's Wireless Infrastructure and RFID divisions, said in a statement.

The company said that the architecture will be based on a "modular Linux-based operating system that provides a separation between infrastructure, services, application and management layers." As with current systems aimed primarily at wireless LANs, the company said its Wi-NG architecture will allow network managers to monitor and manage disparate types of wireless devices wherever they are on the network.

The system will also include Symbol's wireless intrusion protection capabilities and will allow roaming in large campus situations, the company said. Since the architecture will support cellular voice and data technologies, it will enable convergence between those technologies and fixed-line telephony, according to the company.The company said that the first product to deploy the architecture will be a wireless switch that it will make available later this year, the WS5100.