Enterprise Switches und Wi-Fi 7 Access-Points: Lancom bringt neue Topmodelle
Lancom is launching two new Wi-Fi 7 access points and various switches, from the core to the access level. There is now a switch for industrial environments.
(Image: iX)
- Benjamin Pfister
Lancom releases new switches and APs: In addition to the new LX-7500 access point as the top model with 4×4 triband antennas in the 2, 4, 5 and 6 GHz frequency bands, the manufacturer is also supplying the LX-7300 with 2×2 triband antennas. They also have a scan radio for permanent environmental scanning. According to Lancom, however, this can initially only be used to scan the WLAN channels and not for a complete spectrum analysis. In combination with the Lancom Management Cloud (LMC), it should not only make the radio field visible, but also evaluate it and provide recommendations for action for WLAN optimization for the administrator. It should also be possible to automate this at a later date.
Both are to rely on the familiar multi-user multiple in-multiple out (MU-MIMO) method for efficient frequency utilization and use QAM-4096 as modulation. The channel width is up to 320 MHz. A real innovation is multi-link operation, which makes it possible to split parallel connections into different channels or even different frequency bands, depending on the variant used. First of all, Link Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (MLSR) is supported. This allows all multi-link-capable devices and antennas to switch dynamically to a single link – if the band is then disturbed, it switches dynamically to the second band. There is also Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STR): This allows devices to send and receive data simultaneously over multiple links to increase throughput, reduce latency and improve reliability. The manufacturer is also examining the integration of further MLO variants, although this depends on the certification requirements of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
However, it is not only the maximum possible wireless throughput that increases: to transport this to the wired network, both APs offer two uplink ports with 10G and 2.5G. This allows the access points to form an active/active pair based on the LACP link aggregation protocol or an active/passive connection to the switches based on spanning tree. Its big brother, the LX-7500, also offers dual PoE, which means that the WLAN can continue to operate even if a switch fails, for example during updates. But even if the switching infrastructure cannot provide sufficient power via one port, the access point can combine the power of both ports.
The manufacturer is planning an in-service software update for the actual access point. The new models also support Secure Boot. The APs also deliver BLE 5.1 and can be supplemented with additional IoT sensors via USB interfaces. Like the models announced by competitors, the access points are based on a Qualcomm chipset.
Lancom has also worked on details, including improving the antenna design for ceiling mounting. Work has also been done on physical security: For example, there is an integrated lock to prevent unauthorized removal – at least against unauthorized individuals who do not read up on the manufacturer's pages. A tilt and motion sensor can warn of incorrect mounting angles or theft.
The device also has an integrated energy consumption meter so that the values can be sent to central management systems. Lancom is devoting a great deal of attention to the topic of energy consumption. There is also a feature called Active Power Control, which is intended to offer intelligent power monitoring and management. For example, the uplink speed is to be reduced in times of low load to save energy. However, according to the manufacturer, this means a short link-down of three to five seconds.
The Wi-Fi 7 access points will be available from September 2024 and will be available at list prices of 899 euros (LX-7300) and 1190 euros (LX-7500). Street prices are likely to be lower.
Core switches
However, higher wireless data rates also require a redesign of the switching infrastructure. Lancom is therefore launching new switch models to cover all roles in campus networks – from core to access. The underlying hardware chips come from Broadcom. The new top model LANCOM CS-8132F with 32x 100G QSFP28 slots and the LANCOM YS-7154CF with 48x 25G SFP28 slots and 6x 100G QSFP28 are positioned at the core and distribution level. They also support Virtual Port Channels (VPC or MC-LAG) to ensure network availability in redundant networks, even during updates. According to the manufacturer, they support OSPFv2 for IPv4 and OSPFv3 for IPv6 as well as BGP4 for routing. They offer VRRP as a first-hop redundancy protocol. Power supply units and fans are redundant and hot-swappable – and even functions familiar from data center switches, such as the selection of airflow (front to back or back to front), are on board.
A separate CPU and a 64 GB SSD for additional applications are also available – however, these functions are still missing at the start of delivery. However, there is an In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) to ensure uptime in critical environments even during updates.
However, they do not offer MACSec encryption, which is now frequently offered by competitors. The manufacturer stated that its parent company Rohde & Schwarz offers an alternative with its SITline network encryptors to cover this application up to link speeds of 100G. The switches will be available from October 2024 at list prices of 34,990 euros (CS-8132F) and 29,990 euros (YS-7154CF).
Access switches
At access level, the trend is towards multi-gigabit ports and 25G or higher in the uplink. For example, the new XS-4530YUP offers 12x 2.5 Gbit/s and PoE in accordance with 802.3bt (type 4), as well as 12x 10 Gbit/s with the same PoE standard. For uplink or stacking, 4x SFP28 ports (10G or 25G) and 2x QSFP28 (40G or 100G) are available. Even at access level, the switches already support Virtual Port Channel as well as redundant power supply units and fans. Even these switches support ISSU.
Industrial switch
The new LancomIGS-3510XUPis an industrial switch with an increased temperature range of -40 to +60 °C. It has a robust, passively cooled metal housing. The uplink speed of 2x 10 Gbit/s is still unusual in the industrial sector. For the downlink, 4x 1 Gbit/s PoE+ with up to 30W PoE (802.3at) and 4x 2.5 Gbit/s PoE up to 90W (802.3bt Type 4) are available. A total PoE power of up to 360W is available. Lancom would also like to add industry protocols such as the ERPS ring protocol (ITU-T G.8032). The switch can also be managed centrally via the cloud.
(mki)
