HP Treads Slowly?

I've only read this in a mailing list and not confirmed this with HP's public relations folks, but it appears that HP will not release an 802.11n compatible access point until after the standard is ratified, which most anticipate will not be until the end of 2008, early 2009. If this is true, that means Nortel, who plans to have 802.11n gear available the second half of 2008, very late by their competitor's standards, would be in the game ahead of HP. HP isn't a vendor that comes first to mind in regards to Wi-Fi gear, but it has a significant market share with its wired switches, and for the same reason that Cisco shops tend to select Cisco's wireless gear, HP's customers are likely to do the same.

HP OEMs equipment (Radio Port 210, 220, and 230) from Motorola, formerly Symbol, and supports this centralized controller solution by installing modules in its 5300 or 5400 switches. HP's ProCurve division also offers standalone access points (420 and 530).

Due to be released in January is ProCurve Mobility Manager 2.0, which appears to be an OEM of Motorola's own management product. It integrates WLAN management, predictive RF coverage, and location discovery of wireless devices, both managed and rogue. For those not using HP's management product today, AirWave's product is a strong alternative choice.

Some may speculate that the reason for the delay is that Motorola isn't ready with its own, but sources say that Motorola will be introducing 802.11n gear sooner rather than later. If readers have the inside scoop on HP, please drop me a line.