Cognio Creates Clean and Clear Wireless Spectrum to Support Wireless VoIP Rollouts; Cognio's Spectrum Expert for WiFi 2.0 Delivers Capabilities That Support Enterprise Rollouts of Innovative Wireless Enterprise Services.

GERMANTOWN, Md. -- Cognio, the leader in cognitive spectrum analysis for wireless networks, today announced additions and enhancements to its line of innovative Spectrum Expert(TM) spectrum management platforms to support the rollout of innovative new services such as wireless VoIP, incorporated into its General Availability release of Spectrum Expert. With Spectrum Expert, IT managers now have the ability to create detailed device versus channel charts that quickly show the impact of specific devices on each WiFi channel and how they are impacting channel and overall network performance. With this knowledge, IT managers can elect to remove, move, shield, or replace specific devices to minimize impact and maximize WiFi network performance. Cognio has also added the ability for wireless technicians to perform a full spectrum capture at remote sites that can be saved for later review and analysis or transmitted via the wireless network back to headquarters for real-time analysis. This enables IT managers to create a baseline and compare spectrum changes over time.

"Cognio's Spectrum Expert makes it easier for us to troubleshoot our customers' wireless VoIP deployments," said Robin Jellum, Marketing Engineer of Vocera Communications. "With Spectrum Expert, we're able to quickly determine whether dropped calls are the result of interference or configuration problems. It removes the guess work and reduces the time to troubleshoot wireless networks. It's hard to imagine going back to using older tools for troubleshooting the wireless VoIP spectrum."

Many enterprises are adding IP voice to their WLANs to improve the productivity of their employees. However, putting these "real-time" services onto the WiFi network is bringing new challenges for enterprise IT managers. Unlike wired networks, the WiFi environment changes dynamically, bandwidth is shared, and it is prone to interference from other devices in the 2.4-GHz junk band. To make real-time wireless applications work, enterprises need to understand the spectrum environment in which WiFi operates, as well as what the fingerprint of the spectrum is. This is a challenge given the unlicensed nature of 802.11-based WLANs and the rapid increase in devices such as Bluetooth headsets, cellular phones, and PDAs.

"Enterprise WiFi networks are no longer a best-effort convenience service for Internet connectivity and email; they are becoming an integral part of the IT department's overall network plan for innovative applications such as wireless VoIP," said William Flanagan, vice president of marketing at Cognio. "For these services to be effective, IT managers need to ensure that the underlying physical layer of the wireless network can consistently support these services, and if not, eliminate the interference."

Cognio's technology is the only solution in the market that not only plots the energy of the spectrum but also reads and lists the devices that are using the spectrum in real time. By understanding what devices are actively using the spectrum by name (such as cordless phone, Bluetooth device, and microwave ovens), Spectrum Expert helps enterprises set policies to deal with the consequences of intrusions into the spectrum. For example, an enterprise could set a policy that cordless headsets and handsets are not allowed in the environment. Devices necessary for the mission of the businesses--such as Bluetooth-enabled scanners that read bar codes, for example--can be powered down to alleviate interference. Wireless mice can be swapped out for alternative options that operate in other spectrum bands. Leaky microwave ovens can be replaced or shielded. And, in extreme environments, enterprises might opt for other types of general shielding against interference.

Spectrum Expert 2.0 is generally available today and lists at $3,995. The technology in Spectrum Expert is also available in other products from OEM vendors.

About Cognio, Inc.

Founded in 2001, Cognio is the leading innovator of cognitive spectrum-analysis products. Cognio's technology monitors wireless networks and solves wireless network problems. Cognio's products are applicable to a wide range of bands, including 802.11. Cognio is headquartered in the greater Washington, DC area, and is privately held with venture investments from North Bridge Venture Partners and ABS Ventures. Additional information is available on the web at www.cognio.com.

Note to Editors: (C)2006 Cognio, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognio, the Cognio logo, Spectrum Expert, and SAgE are registered trademarks of Cognio, Inc. All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.