Homepage WatchGuard Technologies newsroom

WatchGuard Expands Secure Wi-Fi Portfolio with 802.11ac Wave 2 Access Point for Midsize Enterprises

Announcement posted by WatchGuard Technologies 06 Mar 2019

Complete with WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud, new access point offers fast, reliable, secure Wi-Fi and location analytics for restaurants, medical offices, retail branches and distributed enterprise offices
SEATTLE – March 5, 2019 – WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi and network intelligence, today unveiled a new secure, 802.11ac Wave 2 access point (AP), the latest in its family of secure Wi-Fi products. The AP125offers major performance improvements over Wave 1 APs, giving midmarket and distributed enterprise organisations secure, enterprise-grade wireless network performance without the high cost associated with most Wave 2 APs. When APs are managed with WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud, businesses gain access to the industry’s most sophisticated and reliable Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS) technology. It also offers a powerful location-based analytics engine equipped with customisable reports for automated inbox delivery, guest engagement tools with social authentication, intelligent network visibility and troubleshooting, and a highly-scalable cloud-based management system. 
 
“Simply put, Wave 1 APs can’t provide the level of security, network resource distribution or scalability and management that organisations need today, and most competing Wave 2 APs can’t automatically detect and prevent the six known Wi-Fi threat categories,” said Ryan Orsi, director of product management for Wi-Fi at WatchGuard. “This is extremely problematic for low-traffic environments like restaurants, medical offices, small K-12 schools that still require secure, high-performing Wi-Fi access to function. Our new indoor AP is designed specifically to meet these needs, offering industry-leading security through our patented WIPS technology, performance and scalability that can’t be beat, all at a price that’s accessible for organisations of any size.” 
 
“When customers ask for Wi-Fi, they want to make an investment into a future-proof infrastructure with the best technology available,” said Jean-Pierre Schwickerath, head of IT, HILOTEC AG. “With the 2x2 Wave 2 AP125, we found the perfect match for these SMB requirements: it has a small footprint, a most attractive price, and easy installation, configuration and management of the whole network out of WatchGuard’s Wi-Fi Cloud. With this powerful little beast, we can deliver and guarantee a high quality Wi-Fi network, protected by WIPS, which will make the customer happy for many years to come.” 
 
AP125 Product Details:
  • Designed for lower client density environments and equipped with 2x2 802.11ac Wave 2 Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO), the AP125 can now stream data to multiple devices simultaneously utilising the network more effectively.  
  • Outfitted with dual concurrent 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz band radios supporting 802.11a/n/ac Wave 2, 802.11b/g/n, 2 spatial streams, and data rates of up to 867 Mbps and 300 Mbps, respectively. 
  • The AP125 can be managed using the Firebox Gateway Wireless Controller or via WatchGuard Wi-Fi Cloud.
AP125 and Trusted Wireless Environments:
WatchGuard is proud to deliver secure Wi-Fi products that organisations can use to build Trusted Wireless Environments. In doing so, companies can rest assured that they are protected by verified, comprehensive security that automatically detects and prevents the six known Wi-Fi threat categories, while enjoying the benefits of Wi-Fi networks with market-leading performance and scalable management. 
 
What’s more, WatchGuard’s secure Wi-Fi products are compatible with most other Wi-Fi solutions, so companies can leverage them to deploy a WIPS overlay without ripping out and replacing every existing AP in their network. For more information about how managing the AP125 as a dedicated WIPS sensor, and how to build a Trusted Wireless Environment, click here: https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-solutions/security-topics/trusted-wireless-environment
 
To join the Trusted Wireless Environment movement and advocate for a global security standard for Wi-Fi, click here: https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-solutions/join-the-movement
 
Additional Wi-Fi Cloud Features
Unlock the rest of the power of the Wi-Fi Cloud and gain easy-to-customise, engaging captive portals with authentication options including Facebook, Twitter, SMS, email, and a powerful location-based analytics engine equipped with customisable reports for automated delivery to your inbox. With intelligent network visibility and troubleshooting features, IT professionals can now have the answer to one of their most challenging and frequently-asked questions: “Why is the Wi-Fi not working?” 
 
Availability
The AP125 is available for purchase now through WatchGuard channel partners and resellers. List pricing for the AP125 ranges between $340 and $690 USD, based on the Wi-Fi package and number of years selected.

Additional Resources: About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi, and network intelligence products and services to more than 80,000 customers worldwide. The company’s mission is to make enterprise-grade security accessible to companies of all types and sizes through simplicity, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for distributed enterprises and SMBs. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit: https://www.watchguard.com
 
For additional information, promotions and updates, follow WatchGuard on Twitter, @WatchGuard, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watchguardtechnologies, or on the LinkedIn Company page: http://www.linkedin.com/company/watchguard-technologies,  Also, visit our InfoSec blog, Secplicity, for real-time information about the latest threats and how to cope with them at: http://www.secplicity.org/