Aerohive 802.11n Access Point Fastest in Network World Product Review

Aerohive Cooperative Control Access Point Delivers Highest Throughput in Largest Public 802.11n Test Ever Conducted;

Aerohive Receives Top Scores in 802.11n Performance, Features, and WiMix Categories

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 28, 2008 — Aerohive Networks, creators of the controller-less "cooperative control" wireless LAN (WLAN) architecture, today announced that Network World, in its review of 802.11n wireless LAN access points published yesterday, found Aerohive's HiveAP 340 to be the fastest tested. In the review, Aerohive received the highest score awarded in categories that evaluated 802.11n performance, product features, and "WiMix", which measured performance with a mix of voice, video, and data application traffic. The review was the largest public 802.11n test ever conducted, and all enterprise Wi-Fi vendors were invited to participate. More information about Aerohive is available at www.aerohive.com.

In the Network World test, the Aerohive HiveAP 340 had the highest throughput in 15 of the 18 tests run, including:

  • 802.11n upstream traffic tests for small, medium, and large frame sizes. For large frames headed upstream, the HiveAP 340 delivered 264 Mbps per access point, the fastest data rate recorded in the entire test.
  • 802.11n bidirectional traffic tests. Aerohive access points were the fastest by far across all frame sizes. In the majority of the tests Aerohive was 2.3 to 2.9 times faster than the competition, and, even in the closest test, Aerohive still showed a 51% advantage.
  • 802.11n downstream traffic test for short and medium frames.
  • Mixed-mode 802.11a/g/n downstream traffic tests for small, medium, and large frame sizes.
  • Mixed-mode 802.11a/g/n upstream and bidirectional traffic tests for medium and large frame sizes.

"Increased speed is the principal driver of enterprise 802.11n adoption," said Adam Conway, vice president, product management, Aerohive Networks. "The Aerohive HiveAP 340 was easily the fastest 802.11n access point in the Network World test, and it also received the highest score awarded in the product features category. Every organization interested in the benefits of 802.11n should evaluate the HiveAP 340."

Because Aerohive's cooperative control architecture eliminates the need for costly wireless LAN controllers, it provides scalable performance at a fraction of the cost of controller-based solutions. In the Network World test, the competing controller-based solutions cost 56% to 139% more than Aerohive's solution.

The Network World review testing was conducted in August using the first release of the HiveAP 340 software. To demonstrate additional performance improvements available in the latest release of Aerohive's HiveAP software, Aerohive commissioned the VeriWave Lab in Portland and reran the test suites using the same equipment that was used by Network World. The retest showed a significant increase in Aerohive's 802.11n bidirectional performance, resulting in 2.1 to 4.9 times faster performance than the competition. The updated version of the access point software also showed substantial improvement in measured throughput in mixed 802.11a/g/n environments. A comparison of the Network World tests and the retest at the VeriWave Lab is available at http://www.aerohive.com/products/nww-review1.html.

The review did not award Aerohive high marks for power efficiency, but Aerohive's SmartPOE technology, which automatically detects the level of Power over Ethernet (PoE) being delivered by the connected switches, was not tested. If required, SmartPOE automatically reduces HiveAP services, such as the unused second Gigabit Ethernet port, to fit within the delivered power envelope.

About Aerohive Networks
Aerohive Networks' cooperative control enterprise wireless LAN architecture provides all the management, mobility, and security of controller-based architectures without the cost, capacity, performance, and availability issues associated with controller deployments. The architecture also scales easily to support 802.11n. In addition, Aerohive solutions provide the reliability and scalability necessary for mission-critical networks and are optimized for voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) applications. Aerohive was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. The company's investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Northern Light Venture Capital. For more information, please visit www.aerohive.com or call 408-510-6100.