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October 20, 2008
POP!TECH 2008 PARTICIPANTS CAN LIVE BLOG, STREAM VIDEO, ACCESS INTERNET USING MERU HIGH-PERFORMANCE 802.11n WIRELESS LAN
Meru WLAN Addresses Needs of 'Power Users'
Attending 12th Annual Conference in Maine
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 22, 2008 – More than 600 people exploring the theme of
"Scarcity and Abundance" at the twelfth annual Pop!Tech conference this
week in Camden, Maine, will be able to get simultaneous high-speed wireless Internet
access thanks to a Meru Networks IEEE 802.11n wireless LAN that has been installed for the event.
The Meru WLAN, delivers 300-megabit-per-second Internet access using the new 802.11n
interim Wi-Fi standard, will let the influential group of thought leaders, influencers
and social-change agents access the Internet from anywhere in the conference venue –
the 114-year-old Camden opera house – at speeds up to five times faster than legacy 802.11a/b/g wireless networks.
Jason Rzepka, Pop!Tech communications director, said reliable, high-speed wireless
Internet access is a must for Pop!Tech participants. "You have 600 to 700 very
wired individuals in a relatively small space, accessing the Internet, streaming video
and live blogging. This year Pop!Tech is launching several new digital applications at
the conference, and we want to offer participants the ability to interact with them.
It's critical that we're able to satisfy the demands of our tech-savvy audience
and deliver the best possible experience."
Stephen Hand, president of New England-based IT solutions provider Know Technology,
which partnered with Meru to install the WLAN, has worked with Pop!Tech since 1997
and said 802.11n capability was a requirement this year for the first time.
"The number of attendees wanting to be online during the conference has shot
up dramatically over the past several years," said Hand. "The Pop!Tech
crowd represents a special breed of leaders and influencers in various fields who
are often early technology adopters and 'power users.' We expect them to bring in
a large number of newer 11n-equipped laptops this year, and we want to be ready."
Know Technology, which has deployed other vendors' WLANs at Pop!Tech in past
years, selected Meru to avoid past conferences' user problems with oversubscribed
wireless access points and slow performance. "This year we're expecting a
higher density of user-carried wireless devices than ever before," Hand said.
"Meru's virtual-cell architecture provides better coverage and capacity,
and eliminates the interference that laptops and other wireless devices can run
into when trying to get onto the network."
Rachna Ahlawat, Meru's vice president of strategic marketing, said,
"802.11n is becoming the norm at industry events such as Pop!Tech,
which typically are characterized by a huge range of client device types and
users who really push the bandwidth envelope. Conference venues need to
support the newest and fastest access technologies while ensuring backward
compatibility for the older legacy devices that remain in the mix."
Meru equipment being deployed at Pop!Tech includes AP320 wireless access
points, which have two 802.11a/b/g/n radios, connected to Meru MC3000
controllers, which provide centralized intelligent RF management and security
for the wireless LAN. Like all Meru access points, the AP320s at Pop!Tech
are set to broadcast on a single channel span throughout the venue, creating
a virtual cell and providing seamless roaming for conference-goers.
This single-channel approach minimizes the potential for co-channel interference
and eliminates the need for costly and tedious channel planning.
If users require more capacity, the second radio on each AP can be used to
create another layer of access on top of the first, instantly doubling network capacity.
About Pop!Tech
Pop!Tech is a renowned ideas summit and social innovation network dedicated to
accelerating the positive impact of world-changing people and ideas. The
organization is known for its visionary Pop!Tech conferences, engaging media productions,
and the innovative social change programs that it fosters worldwide. Please
visit www.poptech.org for more information. The conference will be simulcast
October 23-25 (9:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Eastern time) on http://www.poptech.org/live.
About Know Technology
Know Technology is a Maine-based IT solutions and support services company.
Founded in 1998 as a quality network system design and security services
provider for mid-market businesses in New England and throughout the U.S.,
Know Technology is focused on delivering proven technology solutions which
will maximize the return on clients' technology investments. To learn more,
visit www.knowtechnology.net or call 207-236-4237.
About Meru Networks
Meru Networks develops and markets wireless infrastructure solutions that enable
the All-Wireless Enterprise. Its industry-leading innovations deliver pervasive,
wireless service fidelity for business-critical applications to major Fortune 500
enterprises, universities, healthcare organizations and local, state and federal
government agencies. Meru's award-winning Air Traffic Control technology brings
the benefits of the cellular world to the wireless LAN environment, and its WLAN
System is the only solution on the market that delivers predictable bandwidth and
over-the-air quality of service with the reliability, scalability and security
necessary to deliver converged voice and data services over a single WLAN infrastructure.
Founded in 2002, Meru is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. For more information, visit
www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.
Company contact:
Jeff Knight
Meru Networks, Inc.
408-215-5376
jknight@merunetworks.com
Agency contact:
Ulevich &: Orrange, Inc.Janis Ulevich
650-329-1590
ulevich@u-o.com
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