Specifications

Altitude 35x0 Access Point Product Reference Guide 9
2 Introduction
The access point (AP) provides a bridge between Ethernet wired LANs and wireless networks. It
provides connectivity between Ethernet wired networks and radio-equipped mobile units (MUs). MUs
include the full line of terminals, adapters (PC cards, Compact Flash cards and PCI adapters) and other
devices.
The access point provides a maximum 54Mbps data transfer rate via each radio. It monitors Ethernet
traffic and forwards appropriate Ethernet messages to MUs over the network. It also monitors MU
radio traffic and forwards MU packets to the Ethernet LAN.
The management of an adopted AP is conducted by the controller, once the AP connects to an Extreme
Networks Summit WM3600 or Summit WM3700 wireless LAN controller and receives its configuration.
For more information on AP controller management, see “AP Management From Controller”.
The AP3550 is constructed to support outdoor installations, while the AP3510 model is constructed
primarily for indoor deployments. An AP3550 cannot be powered by a standard 802.3af power supply
and, therefore, is recommended to use with the AP3550 Power Tap designed specifically for outdoor
deployments. An AP3550 model access point also must use an RJ-45 to Serial cable to establish a serial
connection to a host computer.
If you are new to using an access point for managing your network, refer to “Theory of Operations” for
an overview on wireless networking fundamentals.
Feature Overview
When managed by an Extreme Networks Summit WM3600 or WM3700 WLAN controller, an AP3510
and an AP3550 support the following features:
● “AP35xx Hardware SKUs”
● “Dual Mode Radio Support”
● “Multiple Mounting Options”
● “Antenna Support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Radios”
● “Sixteen Configurable WLANs”
● “Support for 4 BSSIDs per Radio”
● “Quality of Service (QoS) Support”
● “Industry Leading Data Security”
● “VLAN Support”
● “Updatable Firmware”
● “Programmable SNMP v1/v2/v3 Trap Support”
● “Power-over-Ethernet Support”
● “MU-MU Transmission Disallow”
● “Voice Prioritization”
● “Support for CAM and PSP MUs”