Decent performance, scalable architecture, and easy installation make the Lucent Orinoco Wireless Network a good choice, but it could be improved by adding Web-based management like that found in the Cisco and 3Com products.
The Lucent solution includes the Orinoco WavePoint-II access point (US$995 list) and the Orinoco Silver PC Card (US$179), which offers 64-bit encryption (you can get an Orinoco Gold with 128-bit encryption for US$199, as well as ISA and PCI flavors). Housed in a slim black case, the Orinoco WavePoint-ii has slots for two PC Cards in the back, along with an Ethernet port and a bnc connector.
The Lucent product differs from others in this roundup by using a PC Card as the interface for the access point. By installing a second PC Card in the access point, you can use Lucent's dual-slot architecture to double your network capacity, since each PC Card uses a different frequency range.
Installation was straightforward and took about 15 minutes. Like the RadioLAN, Lucent includes a scanning tool that can find all Lucent access points on the LAN. We first assigned the Orinoco access point an IP address over Ethernet and configured it. After installing the client driver software on a laptop, we entered the name of our wireless LAN.
The Orinoco AP had a score of 5.12 Mbps on our throughput test, though it was the slowest of the group on 64-bit encryption. Lucent's 64-bit encryption is actually the same as 40-bit: 24 bits are used to identify the device to the LAN.
The Windows-based WaveManager software is fairly easy to use and provides control over local and remote devicesââ,¬"though a browser-based manager would be a big improvement. Administrators can use the software to monitor network status in real time, optimize performance, and log data for troubleshooting or archival purposes.
Orinoco WavePoint-II access point, US$995 list. Orinoco Silver PC Card (64-bit):US$179; Gold PC Card (128-bit), US$199.
PC Magazine Rating: Very Good
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