New USB wireless access point provides WLAN for remote offices

Sophos announced the availability of the Sophos AP 5, its newest wireless access point. The latest addition to Sophos' wireless access point family acts as an accessory to the Sophos Remote Ethernet Device RED, creating a secured wireless branch office solution that is quick and easy to set up. Supporting up to five users, the AP 5 connects to the Sophos RED via a USB port and, within minutes, provides secure wireless access for the branch office. Wireless security is then controlled through the Sophos UTM (unified threat management) at the main office, ensuring the branch office’s wireless security complies with company policies.

Sophos RED 10 device together with Sophos AP 5:

"One of our most requested feature enhancements was to extend the innovative Sophos RED devices by adding WLAN capabilities," said Martin Becker, product manager, Sophos. "With the AP 5, we are now meeting this demand, and small branch offices can now experience the same level of wireless security that larger branch offices and headquarters already experience."

By offering a dedicated wireless access point that connects to the Sophos RED, rather than developing a RED device with internal wireless capabilities, existing RED customers can also take advantage of these capabilities. In the future,  UTM appliance customers will be able to  add WLAN capabilities by connecting the AP 5 device to the UTM, further extending the AP’s versatility.

The Sophos AP 5 supports the 2.4 GHz frequency band and is compliant to the IEEE 802.11 b/g/n WLAN standards. It can transmit a single SSID and delivers wireless data rates up to 150 Mbit/s.