ZyXEL NXC5200 gateways/controller

4x Gigabit Ethernet, PoE, WPA/WPA2/WEP, 10kg, White Wireless LAN Controller
- Manage up to 240 APs with granular access control;
- Central WLAN management on both configurations and data;
- Flexibility supporting both distributed and tunneled data forwarding;
- Strongest standard-based wireless security – WPA/WPA2 and AES encryption;
- Built-in firewall;
- Built-in wireless intrusion detection, prevention and anti-virus;
- Web authentication support for guest networks (captive portal).

Within business today companies continually face the challenge of providing wireless access to guests and mobile employees without compromising security. To address this situation ZyXEL has developed the Wireless LAN Controller 5000 Series comprising of the NXC5200 WLAN Controller and NWA5160N WLAN Access Point. The solution is designed to deliver high performance 11n wireless to provide seamless mobility in medium to large campus and secure distributed enterprise environments.

The NXC5200 integrates ZyXEL industry-leading ZyWALL Firewall features, such as stateful packet inspection, to monitor data incoming from mobile wireless users. In addition, by adopting optional license-based Intrusion Detection/Prevention and anti-virus functions, the NXC5200 can also act as a gatekeeper to the wireless edge.

Central Configuration
This new secure WLAN solution is based on the ZyXEL NXC5200 central controller and the ZyXEL NWA5160N managed access points that scales up to 240 access points (APs) and provides comprehensive wireless coverage. Real-time functions such as roaming, authentication and load balancing are performed on the NXC5200 while theNWA5160N functions strictly as a signal converter. The benefits include central configuration independent of the number of available managed access point as long as there is IP network available.

Zone-Defense Concept for solid protection
Mobile users pose more critical threats to company networks than wired users. To address this, the NXC5200 comes with Firewall features featuring stateful packet check to regulate data incoming from mobile users. In addition, by adopting license-based Intrusion Detection/Prevention and anti-virus functions, the NXC5200 can act as a gatekeeper on the network edge to block potential threats.

Full Performance without Concerns
The prevalence of 11n wireless networks has put the capacity of traditional controllers to the test, the NXC5200 is designed to relieve the concerns of IT staff . Not only does it have a high-performance system design, the data that flows through each virtual AP can also be configured to be bridged locally or enter the WLAN controller, NXC5200, for better management. With this feature, the NXC5200 andNWA5160N can offload the burden to the network while allowing users to enjoy the 11n performance.

Better wireless experience
Central administration simplifies planning immensely. The managed access points are first installed at the most suitable locations for WLAN reception. Areas with insufficient coverage or too low data speeds can be made accessible with additional managed access points. The best results can be obtained however when a site survey is carried out enabling a simplified installation and better wireless experience.

A good example of a real business need for the ZyXEL NXC5200 solution would be to provide guest access in a large hospitality environment. Collaboration with visitors, other business employees and local staff require different degrees of network access to be offered while they are visiting the business. To give these guests the access they need, one of the biggest challenges facing IT departments is how to provide Internet connectivity, without giving guests access to private LAN resources or to have limited access with authentication. A secure guest access solution must ensure that guests are connected directly to the Internet, but can never access internal network resources. ZyXEL NXC5200 built-in SSID-profile-based configuration to identify, categorize and contain a guest's traffic no matter where they roam on the WLAN.

Captive Portal
A captive portal intercepts all network traffic regardless of address or port until users authenticate their identity through a designated login Web page. As an added security measure, the NXC contains captive portal functionality; this means that all Web page requests can be initially redirected to a special Web page that requires guests to authenticate their sessions.

Once the authentication processes are successful, guests can then connect to the rest of the network or Internet. Contents on the captive portal may be customised with company logos, backgrounds, policies and other descriptive text. A captive portal provides guests with controlled access to the network while keeping the network secure.