Bluesocket(R), Inc., has formed a partnership with Wireless Valley Communications, to bring to market the Bluesocket Wireless LANPlanner(TM). The product enables companies to design robust wireless networks with the capacity, reliability and performance required to run the most demanding applications.

"I am a big believer in wireless planning tools and was very excited to hear Bluesocket was working with Wireless Valley in bringing a wireless LAN design solution to market," said Ken LeCompte, systems programmer and administrator with Rutgers University. "We have our own custom tool that we have been using, but after seeing a demonstration from Bluesocket, we will be deploying the Wireless LANPlanner for use on our campus. It will be extremely valuable in helping us manage our WLAN, whether designing a complex installation or updating an existing network, and be a nice complement to our implementation of the BlueSecure Controller."

A variety of techniques have been employed for planning a wireless network, including a site survey, which involves deploying a team of engineers with specialized equipment, and taking measurements throughout the facility where the wireless system is proposed. This can be extremely disruptive and require travel and expense costs to visit each site requiring the site survey. An alternative approach is to perform a computer-based design, though in the past the products used to perform this function were primitive, unable to account for the physical construction and RF attenuations of the environment, and often performed a very simplistic automated placement of access points based on users per AP.

Tailored to the unique architecture of Bluesocket's BlueSecure solution set, the Wireless LANPlanner design product employs a computer-based predictive design approach which uniquely allows companies to consider the context of the environment and predict coverage and capacity before deploying any hardware resources. Wireless Valley's software enables network planners to import a map of the facility, note the contents and construction materials, designate user regions and applications to be used, and place equipment. The designer then interactively simulates how the wireless signals will propagate and fine-tunes the network design with "what if" analysis to determine optimum performance.

"This partnership provides Bluesocket with an industry-leading Wireless LAN planning tool that complements our complete WLAN solution suite." said Ralph Calistri, CEO of Bluesocket. "With the Wireless LANPlanner our customers and partners are able to easily plan and deploy BlueSecure wireless networks, reducing the cost and time associated with site surveys, and delivering a better total cost of ownership for deployments."

"Combining the RF design and planning expertise of Wireless Valley with the security and WLAN knowledge of Bluesocket provides for a very powerful solution," said Jim Welch, CEO of Wireless Valley. "The unique architecture of the BlueSecure solutions makes Bluesocket a natural partner for us as a way to help customers derive the most value out of their wireless LAN deployments."