D-Link’s DWS-3024/3024L/3026 L2+ Unifed Wired/Wireless Gigabit Switches are optimized for wireless network deployment in business environments. With these devices, business can install high-performance, secure, manageable and scalable unifed wired/wireless LAN switching. Equipped with combo SFP, open slots for optional 10-Gigabit connection¹, Power over Ethernet and redundant power supply (RPS) support, these switches provide enterprises with easy upgrade to next-generation 802.11n wireless LAN, simple deployment of wireless devices regardless of physical locations, and centralized management/policy enforcement of wireless mobility.

Core Units Controlling Entire Wireless Network
The DWS-3024/3024L/3026 switches are the core units that consolidate the security, manage the bandwidth and maintain the intelligence of an entire wireless network. In addition to monitoring users’ identities and maintaining their authentication as they roam, these switches can configure and control all aspects of the wireless access points, including their RF channel/power management, wireless traffic segmentation, AP roaming/AP load balancing,
Rouge AP detection, and AP access security.

Designed for Easy Deployment of High-Performance Wireless LAN
Designed for distributed deployments in the wiring closet, each switch can support up to 24 or 48 wireless access points. AP connection can be directly to the wireless APs switch ports, or indirectly through any LAN switch. With 802.3af PoE integrated into every port, the switch allows connected APs to be located at places difficult to access from AC power sources. Gigabit transmission future-proof hardware protects investments when the network is
Installed with next-generation higher-speed 802.11n wireless standard devices.

24 Gigabit Ports, No Restriction on Port Usage
Each switch provides 24 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit ports and 4 combo SFP slots. Each of the 10/100/1000BASE-T ports can connect to a wireless access point, or to a wired LAN device, such as a server, a network storage device, or simply another LAN switch. The combo SFP allows for flexible fiber connection, while optional 10-Gigabit modules¹enable bottleneck-free switch-to-switch cascading or attachment to a high-speed fiber backbone.

Scalable Expansion & Unifed Wired/Wireless Deployment
Small to Medium Enterprises (SMB) may begin with only one switch to manage their AP or to use for mixed wired/wireless LAN purposes. When the number of AP is augmented, up to 4 switches can be added to form a large mobility domain. With easy expansion, Gigabit speed to support next-generation high-speed AP, and packet routing to support enterprise-wide inter-subnet roaming, the switch provides an architecture that unifies and simplifies an otherwise complex WLAN environment, readily prepares an existing network for future technology
upgrades.

RF & Power Management
To minimize network IT personnel’s intervention, the switch provides automatic selection of unoccupied or least-used Radio Frequency (RF) channels for each wireless access point to avoid interference with other AP and RF devices. For each AP, it also sets a transmitter output power strong enough for RF signals to reach wireless clients yet weak enough to minimize interference with other wireless devices’ RF signals. The switch auto-adjusts the RF channels and transmitter output power of all wireless access points every time when an AP is added to or removed from the network. This automatic adjustment can be programmed to take effect at a certain time or time intervals, minimizing the need for network administrators to manually intervene.

Self-Healing and Load Balancing
The switch provides two features designed to increase the resiliency of a wireless network - namely a so-called “self-healing” process, and an AP load balancing function. To make up for a sudden RF signal vacuum created by any “dead” AP (AP with DC power failure, for example), the switch automatically increases the transmitter output power of all neighboring APs to expand their RF coverage, thereby “healing” the network “wound.” To ensure continuous connection for current clients, the switch performs load balancing across access points when network traffic reaches a certain threshold, while rejecting new client-to-AP associations to avoid bandwidth overcrowding.

Simplified Configuration & Deployment
Through a centralized management platform, network maintenance and configuration become a more efficient process. By running an Internet browser on any PC connected to the network and typing in an IP address of a managing switch, administrators can view the topology map and pinpoint the locations of the AP and the switch itself. The map uses AP icons on which administrators can click to select, and shows colors to differentiate the different RF channels used by the AP. For quick replacement of a failed AP, administrators can easily locate the AP on the map, swap it with a new one, and apply the same configuration profile to the new unit.

Maximized Wireless Connection
Through centralized RF policies, auto-selection of the least utilized channels and AP load balancing, the DWS-3024/3024L/3026 can effectively manage the wireless bandwidth to optimize WLAN traffic. The switch maintains a centralized database of wireless user’s access information such as their MAC addresses and authentication keys. On a Network site deployed with multiple peer switches, this information is also swapped among the switches themselves. As wireless users roam around the office using wireless equipment, they may change their connection from AP to AP. By constantly monitoring the APs status, the switch can establish an AP-to-AP roaming for these users without requiring them to re-establishing authentication keys. This fast roaming process results with disruption-free, reliable wireless connectivity crucial for mobile applications such as Wi-Fi IP phone and wireless PDA connection.

Adaptable Wireless
Most of the current wireless LAN controllers’ architecture requires wireless traffic to return to the controller for centralized processing, causing unnecessary traffic delay. The DWS-3024/3024L/3026 switches offer administrators additional options.

Depending on the wireless application, wireless traffic can either be tunneled back to the switch for better security control, or locally forwarded at the access point for optimal performance. This device offers administrators maximized flexibility with options to tunnel guest traffic to the switch for centralized security control, and forward VoIP traffic directly from the access point for optimal performance.

Maximized Network Security
Each client connecting to the wireless network goes through a strict authentication process to ensure maximum security. Whether the client is an assigned user, a visiting guest, or a client with only department access, the switch protects the entire network infrastructure with numerous security mechanisms, including: WEP data encryption, 802.1X user authentication, and 802.11i standard WPA/WPA2 security, Captive Portal and MAC Authentication.

The switch provides a means to define and detect rouge APs, to preventing illegal intrusion into the internal network. It provides user-based services such as virtual private group (SSID) membership, encryption type, authentication, location tracking and associated network statistics. Authorizations stay with users wherever they roam because all deployed DWS-3024/3024L/3026 switches share stored information, ensuring secure access and connectivity to the right services. In addition to checking the identity of a connecting user from the switch’s local database, user authentication policies can be sent to an external RADIUS server for complete verification. This offloading capability ensures that the switch will not be overloaded when numerous clients simultaneously connect to the network.

Maximized Flexibility
In addition to acting as the controller unit in a wireless switching system, the DWS-3024/3024L/3026 can also function as an advanced L2+ wired switch, complete with packet routing, ACL security features, multi-layer QoS, 802.1q VLAN traffic segmentation, IGMP snooping for IP multicast streams, 802.3ad redundant load-sharing Gigabit links, and 10-Gigabit fiber support1 , allowing businesses to totally integrate their enterprise wireless networks with their wired network infrastructure. Businesses contemplating upgrading their current 10/100Mbps desktop connections to Gigabit capability can deploy the DWS-3024/3024L/3026 to take advantage of their ability to flexibly act as a wireless controller or a dedicated, full-featured multi-layer LAN switch, or as a dual-role device.

¹ 10-Gigabit support available on DWS-3026 only.