The wireless networking industry is working to integrate sensor technology into access points without compromising the integrity of voice and data transmissions.
Network Chemistry Inc. this week will announce plans to make its radio-frequency sensor agent available for several WLAN (wireless LAN) hardware platforms, allowing third-party access points to work as RF sensors.
“We have customers who have unused access points sitting around,” said Rob Markovich, CEO of Network Chemistry, in Redwood City, Calif. “We’ve had a lot of requests from larger companies [asking whether] we can have our sensor software run on their AP hardware.” Initially, the sensor agent will be available for access points from Symbol Technologies Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc.
Within a few months, the agent will be available for multiple consumer-grade access points, which are generally less expensive than stand-alone sensor hardware, Markovich said. Network Chemistry’s sensors cost $350 each.
Network Chemistry’s actions follow those of AirMagnet Inc. and AirDefense Inc., both of which recently announced the ability to let Cisco’s Aironet access points work as scanners with their respective software offerings. In each case, an access point configured to work as a sensor can work only as a sensor, but the industry is working toward further integration, Markovich said.
“The next phase of this will be the ability to change the firmware on the fly—to change from 20 percent being sensors to 40 percent being sensors,” Markovich said, although he gave no time frame for that capability.
