Looking for a high end 802.11n AP

[SammyJr]

I have a couple laptops with Intel Wireless N cards as well as a wireless printer, Squeezebox, etc. I'm looking for a 802.11n access point that is very fast and reliable.

Specs:
PoE capable
2.4ghz/5ghz simultaneous dual band preferred, but not required.
Preferred price <$400.
Access point only, no router
802.1x authentication
VLAN/multiple SSID capable

I've eyeballed the Cisco at one point but it was really too expensive. I have a SonicWall NSA firewall which makes a SonicPoint-N a logical choice (it fits my specs almost perfectly), but I've had truly terrible experiences with those APs.

Suggestions?

 

[spidey07]

I deal mainly with cisco and the 1252s. You could check out aruba. Also you're probably not going to get full PoE because 802.11n requires more power than the PoE standard provides. I would assume any enterprise AP would give you the basic features you're asking for.

Whatever you look at make sure it doesn't require a controller and can operate on it's own.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: spidey07
I deal mainly with cisco and the 1252s. You could check out aruba. Also you're probably not going to get full PoE because 802.11n requires more power than the PoE standard provides. I would assume any enterprise AP would give you the basic features you're asking for.

Whatever you look at make sure it doesn't require a controller and can operate on it's own.

I looked at some of the Enterprise level APs that CDW is selling and there seems to be a huge price gap between the consumer grade APs and the Enterprise grade APs. Prices jump from $200 to $850-900.

Can you suggest something in between?

 

[spidey07]

Sorry sammy, I don't play in that area but here's a bump for you. I'd suggest also making sure anything you buy is truly 802.11n standard, it just got passed like a month or two ago. Not draft. If you didn't need N I'd say pick up a cisco 1242 or 1232 off ebay, probably in your range. We run those in the dirtiest enviornments you can think of, built like a tank.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Sorry sammy, I don't play in that area but here's a bump for you. I'd suggest also making sure anything you buy is truly 802.11n standard, it just got passed like a month or two ago. Not draft. If you didn't need N I'd say pick up a cisco 1242 or 1232 off ebay, probably in your range. We run those in the dirtiest enviornments you can think of, built like a tank.

I already have a 802.11g AP that's pretty solid. It does everything I need for the most part, but ripping DVDs/BluRays from my laptop is impossible.

I'm not opposed to wiring. The problem is that my laptop on a table in the "breakfast nook", and the walls extend over the foundation, making a straight drop into the basement impossible. I might just have to put in a Ethernet jack in a overlooked place in the kitchen and hide the wire somehow.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Would this be an application for powerline ethernet?

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
Would this be an application for powerline ethernet?

Nah. If I'm going to be having anything but a power cord running to my laptop, it'll be an Ethernet cable. I can put in a jack, but I'm lazy.