Long-hailed as a provider of low-cost networking equipment, Adtran has extended its NetVanta router line with two additions aimed at delivering high-performance throughput for bandwidth-intensive applications for small to midsize businesses and branch offices.
"Today, we are seeing branch offices that need more bandwidth," said Larry Potthoff, president and CEO at Enterprise Networks Solutions, a solution provider located in Mesa, Ariz. "Everyone is looking to do VOIP [voice over IP] if they haven't implemented it yet."
The NetVanta 3400 series of Multiservice Access Routers combines an IP router, managed switch, firewall services, virtual private networking and PoE (Power over Ethernet) capabilities.
"The movement to an integrated platform provides simplification and affordability, and eliminates finger-pointing between vendors if something goes wrong," said Rob Snyder, marketing manager for NetVanta at Adtran, in Huntsville, Ala.
"We are putting more features into the platform and maximizing performance in access speeds. Users want to know that, even when there is congestion on the line, that total quality is maintained."
Aimed at solution providers serving SMB users, the routers promise to deliver up to two T-1s of wire-speed performance, even while advanced services are enabled, said Snyder.
In tests, the NetVanta 3430 passed data across two simulated T-1s and achieved wire-speed, zero-loss throughput even when subjected to 64-byte packets, said Kevin Tolly, president, CEO and founder of the Tolly Group, an independent testing firm in San Jose, Calif.
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Initially, the products in the family, which include the NetVanta 3448 and 3430, feature modular, 1U-high, rack-mountable metal chassis. A single slot at the front of the unit accommodates NetVanta Network Interface Modules for WAN access and Dial Backup Interface Modules for disaster recovery applications.
Two 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN interfaces allow for broadband backup, while a CompactFlash slot supports configuration backup and storage of multiple firmware revisions and support for up to 500 simultaneous VPN tunnels.
The NetVanta 3448 adds a fully managed, nonblocking, eight-port 802.3af-compliant PoE switch that delivers 15.4 watts of power per port. PoE is becoming a must-have feature for surveillance applications to power video surveillance cameras and in wireless network applications to provide power to wireless access points.
All of the new products are based on the Adtran Operating System, which gives users access to a command-line interface and a Web-based GUI, as well as NAT-compatible SIP ALG, for VOIP applications, and VPN. The routers provide a five-year warranty, as well as firmware upgrades for the life of the unit.
The NetVanta 3430 is priced at $895, while the NetVanta 3448 costs $1,045. Both models are currently shipping. The PoE option for the NetVanta 3448, which will be available later this year, lists for $345.
The second family, the NetVanta 3100 series of fixed-port IP access routers, is aimed at carriers hoping to provide SMB customers with Internet access and corporate connectivity over broadband services such as DSL or cable. It consists of NetVanta 3120 and NetVanta 3130.
"Carriers are looking for business-class reliability and features," said Snyder. "There are market opportunities for these products in retail and with anyone who wants to do VPN or secure access."
Both units feature a four-port managed Ethernet switch and an analog modem for dial backup or remote management. The NetVanta 3120, which costs $595, adds a single 10/100Base-T Ethernet WAN interface. Meanwhile, the NetVanta 3130, which is priced at $645, offers a single ADSL WAN interface and supports ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+.
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