Cisco Extends the Cisco Internet Mobile Office Initiative To Enterprise Telecommuters and SOHO Users Requiring Wireless and Wired Internet Connectivity From Home and Work

SAN JOSE, Calif., December 11, 2000 - Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced it has added a new solution to its portfolio of wired and wireless solutions for the enterprise telecommuter and small office markets. Cisco's latest product is the addition of a wireless base station to its Cisco Aironet 340 Series of 11 megabits per second (Mbps) Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) solutions. The new IEEE 802.11b-compliant Cisco Aironet 340 Series Base Station provides the telecommuter or small office with wireless connectivity to the Internet and allows any device equipped with an IEEE 802.11b wireless PC Card to connect wirelessly to a home or small office network. The new product features simplified installation, enables multiple computers to share a single Internet connection and provides wireless freedom and flexibility to work anywhere in the home or office without the expense or encumbrance of cabling.

The new Cisco wireless base station is one solution element of the Cisco Internet Mobile Office, a new initiative to provide mobile business professionals with easy, reliable, and secure wired and wireless access to the Internet while on the move, at home, or at work. The new wireless base station complements Internet access solutions from Cisco that provide an end-to-end solution for the small office and telecommuter markets, including the 827 ADSL and SOHO77 DSL routers, and Cisco's uBR900 line of cable access routers. Together these products provide secure, broadband, and mobile access for small office, home office (SOHO) customers.

"As enterprise customers provide their small offices and telecommuters with Internet and corporate network connectivity, wireless LANs are becoming a popular technology approach," said Bill Rossi, general manager of Cisco's Wireless Networking Business Unit. "The Cisco Aironet Base Station offers a cost effective solution for telecommuters and small offices, while also providing management and security capabilities that scale to meet enterprise requirements."

Two Base Station Options Provide Customer Flexibility

The Cisco Aironet Base Station is available in two versions. One version, called the AIR-BSE342 includes an Ethernet RJ-45 port for connection to the Internet using a DSL or cable modem connection. Another version of the base station, called the AIR-BSM342, includes an integrated 56K V.90 modem for dial-up Internet connectivity, and a standard Ethernet RJ-45 port.

For IT professionals who need to provide a cost-effective, easy to deploy networking solution to their telecommuting employees, the Cisco Aironet Base Station installs quickly. Users connect their telephone line or DSL or cable router to the base station and then install the integrated software with an easy-to-use graphical user interface. With its simple, rapid installation procedure and compatibility with corporate networks, the base station allows enterprise network managers to increase efficiency when addressing support calls from remote users.

Enterprises deploying wireless LAN solutions require robust standards-based security and management capabilities. To that end, the Cisco Aironet Base Station supports 128-bit WEP (wired equivalent privacy) encryption for security equivalent to a wire-line network. In addition, Cisco provides a variety of user interface options for configuring and monitoring the Base Station, including the Base Station Client Utility (BSCU). The BSCU provides simplified configuration of both Base Station and client radios, as well as connectivity status.

For mobile professionals who require true network mobility, the same wireless-enabled laptop can be used both at work and at home. The Base Station does not require a host PC, so the

wireless connection is always available without the need for a dedicated home computer. In addition to the telecommuters' laptop PC, other home computers can also be connected wirelessly to the Base Station. The Cisco Aironet Base Station delivers an Ethernet-like data rate and supports a range of up to 100 feet indoors at 11 Mbps and 300 feet indoors at 1 Mbps.

The easy-to-deploy product supports multiple users so they can share computer peripherals and access the Internet. Simplified installation of the Base Station is enabled through an integrated NAT (Network Address Translator) router with support for DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to automatically configure an Internet protocol address for multiple users. All users of the wireless network can share a single Internet account, resulting in lower monthly Internet access fees. As the business grows, additional users can be easily added to the wireless LAN.