AirMagnet Distributed Enforces 802.11g Standard; AirMagnet Sensors First in Class to Search Out Pre-Standard 802.11g Devices on WLANs.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2003

AirMagnet, Inc. today announced that it has incorporated full recognition of the IEEE's approved 802.11g standard into its distributed wireless LAN administration and management product. AirMagnet Distributed includes seven new alarms that identify security, reliability and performance issues related to the newly ratified standard, including the ability to identify pre-standard 802.11g devices.

The IEEE ratified the 802.11g standard on June 13, and the Wi-Fi Alliance announced its first official certification of 802.11g-based products on July 8, but products based on early drafts of the standard began appearing as early as December 2002. Some pre-standard 802.11g-based products diminish the performance of 802.11b devices operating on 802.11g-based networks by prioritizing 802.11g traffic over 802.11b traffic in mixed WLAN environments. The final 802.11g standard includes a protection mechanism to ensure mixed 802.11b and 802.11g operation. AirMagnet detects both pre-standard devices that do not include the protection mechanism, and devices that have the protection mechanism turned off. These devices can cause performance and reliability degradations in wireless LANs, therefore identifying them is an important feature of wireless network management.

"Completion of the 802.11g standard should spur the adoption of 802.11g-based networks significantly," said Aaron Vance, wireless LAN analyst for Synergy Research Group. "AirMagnet's ability to identify pre-standard 802.11g products and ensure interoperability with 802.11b devices will enterprises and other organizations enjoy the advantages of 802.11g without fear of security or performance issues."

AirMagnet achieved a three-week turnaround from the approval of the 802.11g standard to an integrated implementation of security and performance triggers for wireless network integrity. This speaks to the growing value of AirMagnet as a critical wireless network management tool for its 1000+ enterprise customers.

"802.11g combines superior performance in the 2.4 GHz band with backwards compatibility to earlier WLAN standards -- it's a significant breakthrough for wireless networking," said Dean Au, chief executive officer of AirMagnet. "Our aim is to help enforce the standard -- to help enterprises and other WLAN adopters gain the full range of benefits that the standard was created to provide. Our development team is focused on identifying issues that may arise on wireless networks before they become problems for administrators or end users."

About AirMagnet

Founded in 2001, AirMagnet, Inc. provides complete wireless LAN management and security software systems for the enterprise. Used by IT professionals at more than 1,000 companies worldwide in manufacturing, financial, retail, service, health care, utility, transportation, education and government sectors, AirMagnet solves Wi-Fi connection problems, tracks down unauthorized access, simplifies site surveys, and locks in unprecedented levels of network performance, security and reliability. Unlike traditional packet scanners and protocol analyzers that have been adapted from their original purpose to analyze wired networks, AirMagnet solutions were designed specifically for wireless LANs. Additional information about AirMagnet and its products is available on the Web at www.AirMagnet.com.

AirMagnet, AirWISE, the AirMagnet logos are trademarks of AirMagnet, Inc. All other products names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.