Aironet Explained

Aironet Wireless Communications
Type:	Division
Foundation:	United States (1986)
Fate:	Acquired by Cisco Systems
Location:	United States
Industry:	Computer networking
Parent:	Cisco Systems

Cisco Aironet is a maker of wireless networking equipment currently operated as a division of Cisco Systems. It was started by ex-Marconi Wireless employees in 1986 as Telesystems SLW in Canada, right after the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened up the ISM bands for spread spectrum license-free use. Telxon acquired Telesystems SLW in 1992,^[1] and Aironet Wireless Communications was spun off from Telxon's RF Division in 1994. Cisco Systems acquired Aironet in 1999.

One of its pre-acquisition direct competitors was NCR and its successors (AT&T and Lucent), who sold the WaveLAN wireless networking technology.

Pre-acquisition Aironet products

• ARLAN 900 MHz proprietary wireless networking
• ARLAN 2.4 GHz proprietary wireless networking

Cisco Era Aironet products

• Aironet 700W Series^[2]
  • Simultaneous dual band radio, 802.11n based, wall-plate-mountable, BandSelect, VideoStream, 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, one PoE port, requires a controller.
• Aironet 1100 Series (2009)^{[3] [4]}
  • 1130^[5]
  • 1140 - 802.11n (2.4 GHz only), PoE, single port, ClientLink beam forming technology.^[6]
    • End of Life: October 1, 2013.^[7]
    • End of Software Updates: October 1, 2014.
• Aironet 1700 Series
• Aironet 1850 Series
• Aironet 1200 Series
  • 1240
  • 1250
  • 1250
• Aironet 1300 Outdoor Access Point/Bridge
• Aironet 2600 Series
• Aironet 2700 Series
• Aironet 2800 Series
• Aironet 3500 Series
• Aironet 3600 Series
• Aironet 3700 Series
• Aironet 3800 Series
• Aironet 4800 Series

Cisco Aironet compatible wireless controllers

• Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller^[8]
• Cisco 5520 Wireless LAN Controller^[9]
• Cisco 3504 Wireless LAN Controller^[10]
• Cisco 2500 Wireless LAN Controller^[11]
• Cisco Virtual Wireless Controller.^[12]

See also

• List of Cisco Systems acquisitions

External links

• The WayBack Machine's archive of a page with more info on Aironet's history
• 1999 news release about Cisco acquiring Aironet
• Linux drivers for Aironet ARLAN
• Cisco End-Of-Life announcement about pre-acquisition Aironet devices

Notes and References

1. Web site: Telxon Corporation . fundinguniverse.com . 2008-02-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071111060259/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Telxon-Corporation-Company-History.html . 2007-11-11 .
2. Web site: Cisco Aironet 700W Series - Products & Services. Cisco. 2015-11-12.
3. Web site: Cisco Aironet 1140 Series Access Point Data Sheet. Cisco. 2015-11-12.
4. Web site: Miercom Lab Testing Summary Report January 2009. November 12, 2015.
5. Web site: Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide for Cisco Aironet Access Points. 2015-11-12.
6. Web site: Next-Generation Wireless Options. November 12, 2015.
7. Web site: End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Aironet 1140 Series. Cisco. 2015-11-12.
8. Web site: Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller. Cisco. 2018-12-11.
9. Web site: Cisco 5520 Wireless LAN Controller. Cisco. 2018-12-11.
10. Web site: Cisco 3504 Wireless LAN Controller. Cisco. 2018-12-11.
11. Web site: Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controller. Cisco. 2018-12-11.
12. Web site: Cisco Virtual Wireless Controller - Products & Services. Cisco. 2015-11-12.