3Com 3950 Brochure & Specs

High-Performance
and Scalable 11n
Dual-Radio Managed
Access Point with
Local Switching

D

ATA SHEET

OVERVIEW

The 3Com®Wireless LAN Managed Access Point (MAP) 3950 is a high­performance IEEE 802.11n full 3x3 Multiple-Input Multiple-Output
(MIMO) dual-radio managed access point delivering secure, reliable
voice-ready connectivity.

An integral component of the 3Com Wireless LAN Mobility System,
the 3Com MAP 3950 with intelligent switching offers both centralized
and distributed data forwarding, automatically determining the best
alternative based on the requirements of the underlying application.
This allows it to support the most demanding wireless applications
indoors and outdoors, including Voice over Wi-Fi

®

and video distribution.

Managed by a WLAN switch or controller with which it securely
communicates, the MAP contains no local data store for sensitive data,
eliminating the chance of information being compromised due to hacking
or theft. The end result helps reduce capital expenses and ongoing
administrative costs—all while keeping the wireless LAN secure.

The MAP 3950 is backwards compatible with legacy IEEE 802.11 a/b/g
clients providing investment protection without the need for an
additional overlay network.

KEY BENEFITS

MAXIMUM WIRELESS COVERAGE AND RANGE

The MAP 3950 contains 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios that operate
simultaneously, each featuring three radio transmit and three receive
chains. This 3x3 MIMO configuration provides increased range and
performance over implementations that utilize the standard 2x2 or
advanced 2x3 MIMO solutions.

The internal optimized gain pattern RF antennas help ensure the
outstanding coverage and range enhancements promised by 802.11n
technologies even in mixed-client mode environments.

MAXIMIZE CONNECTIVITY AND ENVIRONMENT FLEXIBILITY

Part of the 3Com Wireless LAN Mobility System, the MAP 3950 provides
“always-on” reliability. If any 3Com wireless controller or wireless switch
fails in the domain, failover to another controller or switch is seamless
and client connections are maintained. Data flow continues without any
service disruptions to voice and real-time video applications.

Two 10/100/1000 autosensing Ethernet ports provide redundant network
connections and Power over Ethernet (PoE) sources, helping ensure
optimal WLAN uptime.

3Com®Wireless LAN Managed Access Point 3950

3Com Wireless LAN Managed Access Point 3950

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KEY BENEFITS

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PoE options fit customer needs in many deployment scenarios. The 3Com MAP 3950 uses standard 802.3af
and non-standard 802.3af+ (802.3at draft) midspan PoE injectors and PoE switches.

OPTIMIZED 11N PERFORMANCE IN DENSE NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS

To optimize available bandwidth, the MAP 3950 features automatic client steering to help deliver maximum
IEEE 802.11n performance. Since 802.11n technology operates in both the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands, client
steering automatically directs capable clients to the less crowded 5 GHz band without any client intervention or
configuration changes. The MAP 3950 also enables granular bandwidth management and load balancing
features that vastly improve network performance and end user experience.

VOICE-READY WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY

Distributed forwarding optimizes traffic flow, reducing latency, while providing ultra high performance and
massive scalability. Data integrity and RF signal strength of the wireless channel are continually recalculated,
tuning for optimal RF channel and transmit power, while enforcing the prioritization of delay-sensitive voice
and other critical applications.

Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM

®

) or SpectraLink Voice Priority (SVP) helps ensure optimal QoS for voice traffic.
Policies provide per user, protocol, or class-of-service (CoS) mapping, while enhanced features such as Call
Admission Control can finely tune deployment of Voice over Wireless.

SECURE AND SEAMLESS ROAMING

Local traffic encryption distributes the encryption processing across the network rather than relying on
one central device. Continuous, on-demand or scheduled RF scans can be used to locate users and identify
and isolate potentially harmful rogue APs or other vulnerabilities.

3Com wireless switches and controllers integrate with backend Authorization/Authentication/Accounting
(AAA) servers, consistently enforcing user and group access policies across the wireless LAN to provide secure
session integrity as users roam throughout the network without the need for re-association or IT intervention.

The MAP 3950 also supports location-based service applications that rely on Wi-Fi signal information for
position location; common usages include asset tracking or client location.

FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WIRELESS NETWORK

In addition to traditional access point functionality, the MAP 3950 can also serve as an IEEE 802.11s mesh AP,
mesh point, mesh portal, or WDS bridge to other MAP 3950s, extending the reach of enterprise WLANs. The
MAP supports this in either point-to-point or point-to-multipoint topologies, allowing maximum flexibility
within a mesh or bridged environment.

The MAP 3950 can be configured with one radio for client services and the other for mesh service. The MAP
can also be used in a dedicated bridging mode, to provide seamless connectivity between buildings without
the expense of laying new cable.

SIMPLIFIED CONFIGURATION, CONTROL AND OPTIMIZATION

With remote management, the arduous process of initially configuring and deploying access points (APs) is
vastly simplified because configuration settings are centrally distributed for consistency and accuracy. And
for easier long-term management, any added MAPs inherit configuration settings from its wireless switch
or controller.

Automated network controls at the wireless switch improve coverage and service by optimizing RF gain,
assigning radio channels, balancing traffic loads and monitoring the RF environment of all managed access
points with which it is associated.

INVESTMENT PROTECTION WITH FORWARD AND BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY

The 3Com Managed Access Point 3950 is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 standard, software­upgradable to keep pace with evolving standards. This MAP has been extensively tested with new 802.11n
and legacy 802.11a/b/g clients for interoperability, and supports all relative encryption schemes with dedi­cated hardware to ensure line-rate encrypted data traffic.

Fully compatible with all generations of the 3Com Wireless LAN Mobility System, the MAP 3950 can be
deployed without any hardware upgrades to existing switches or controllers.