Greetings all.

February is here. Winter is in full swing on this side of the equator. Summer is grasping the other. I know it's been a warm one so far for our friends in Australia. But snowfall amounts in the Northeast has our ski areas in Northern California and the Rockies so envious. Such is Mother Nature right?

Recently, our team announced some important details for our Switching and Wireless products.

I thought I would take the time to let you all know more on these announcements.

First up, Nasser Tarazi, Wireless Product Manager, announced two new models. We will cover the new WAP351 this week and the new WAP131 next week.

The new Cisco WAP351 perfect for conference rooms, classrooms, hospitality and other flexible deployments. It offers Dual Radio (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) wireless N connectivity, a 5-port Switch withPoEPD and PSE support, Single Point Setup, Captive Portal and comes with Limited Lifetime Warranty.

The WAP351 offers something new to the Wireless portfolio. Here is a quick Power Over Ethernet (PoE) primer. PoE Powered-Device (PD) is the ability to power the device through an PD-capable Ethernet port. PoE PSE (Power Sourcing Equipment) is the ability to supply power a device connected to a PSE-capable Ethernet port. In terms of power, a standard PoE port can support a maximum output of 15W, while a PoE+ port supports up to 30W.

Now, back to the WAP351.  As mentioned above, the WAP351 support both PD and PSE.   This means if the WAP351 is connected to a PoE+ switch like the SG300-10PP, the WAP351 can be power through PD-capable Ethernet port, while at the same time powering a standard PoE device like a phone or another AP, like the WAP131 through the WAP351's designated PSE-capable Ethernet port.

More on Wireless Access Points and PoE:

• PoE: Power over Ethernet. PoE enables Power and Data to be combined onto a single Ethernet cable to power devices such as access points, IP phones, or IP cameras
• PSE on a WAP is exclusive to the new WAP351
• A WAP with PSE is attractive for verticals such as education, hospitality, and smaller offices and meeting rooms where both wired and wired access is required
• PoE enables WAP's or other endpoint devices to be installed where power typically is not available, such as on a wall or ceiling. This allows for greater flexibility during deployments.
• All Cisco Small Business WAP's support PoE PD
• Dual-Radio WAPs requiring 802.3af PoE power = WAP131, WAP351, WAP561
• Dual-Radio WAPs requiring 802.3at PoE+ power = WAP371, WAP351 when using the PSE with full power budget
• The WAP351 can be powered by 48V/1.25A external DC power if a 802.3af/t PoE switch is not used or available
• The WAP351 can provide 6w of PSE when using 802.3af
  

Ok you got it? Make sense?

In other news:

Switching Product Manager Michael Wynh announced severalprice reductionson the ever-popular 300 Series Switches. This is good news for our customers and channel partners alike. Businesses can maximize their budgets and take advantage of Cisco's class-leading PoE switching products. For more information on these important updates, please contact your local Cisco Representative or check out our support community.

That is it for now. Thanks for hanging out with us.

Until next time,

Marc