Abstract

Xirrus Inc. commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate the performance of its IEEE 802.11a/b/g XS-3x00 family of Wi-Fi Arrays. These devices combine the functionality of a WLAN switch/controller with Integrated Access Points (IAPs) in a single device. The Wi-Fi Array includes 16 high-gain, multi-sector antennas housed in a circular enclosure.

Engineers performed a battery of indoor tests, in both line-of-sight and obstructed settings, to evaluate the performance and range characteristics of the solution when used with standard wireless notebooks outfitted with standard 802.11a/b/g cards. To illustrate the benefits of the Xirrus offering, the same tests were also run using a leading commercially available enterprise access point, identified herein as a “traditional” access point. Testing was performed in August 2006.