We are always looking for feedback on how to improve Netequalizer products. What features do you want to see in 2008? Some ideas we have in the works are:
This is your chance to tell us what you’d like to see in the Netequalizer for 2008!
Please send all ideas to admin@apconnections.net or give us a call at 303-997-1300, extension 102.
LAFAYETTE, Colo., July 9, 2007 /PRNewswire/ — APconnections, a leading supplier of plug-and-play bandwidth shaping products, today announced that the capabilities of its AirEqualizer power-over-Ethernet wireless access point (AP) are expanding. The AirEqualizer now not only effectively controls network congestion and eliminates AP brownouts and lockups, but also serves as a proven 802.11 network hidden node solution.
With the advent of this technology, AirEqualizer users worldwide have seen the near instantaneous drop in problems associated with hidden nodes, leading to significant improvements in QoS and customer satisfaction.
“As we began to grow our client base, we discovered hidden node collisions were causing customer slowdowns. The more customers we put on, the more complaints we received,” said Chris McKay, director of British Columbia’s Airspeed Wireless. “Once the AirEqualizer was setup and configured to run optimally on our busiest site, the complaints immediately dropped off. We now have over 20 AirEqualizers in place at all of our WIPOP’s and very rarely get calls from upset customers. We give the AirEqualizer three thumbs up. It has saved our business and our sanity!”
Through the equalizing technology found in APconnections’ NetEqualizer bandwidth shaping products, AirEqualizer allows organizations to control network congestion at the AP. This ensures high-quality connectivity for voice over IP (VoIP) and other priority users, thereby dramatically reducing help desk and service calls, without the need for any manual tuning.
“We run a VoIP service over our wireless data network in Gunnison, Colorado and can’t afford to have customers with lower powered radio signals get crowded out of the RF spectrum,” said Jason Swenson, president of Internet Colorado. “With the unique QoS provided by the AirEqualizer, we have been blessed with the ability to run our network using less expensive 802.11-based equipment while maintaining first rate QoS.”
In addition to the equalizing technology, AirEqualizer comes with standard commercial AP features, including authentication, billing, re-direction, routing, and firewall protection.
APconnections partners with Aibridges.ie and the University of Limerick Ireland on a European version of the AirEqualizer.
APconnections is pleased to announce the availability of name-based shaping. Now you can set class of service for your users by domain (user) name. And regardless of where or how they login into your network, the NetEqualizer will enforce subscribed service-level service agreements (i.e., 3 meg, 1 meg etc…).
How does this service work?
It is designed to work with your DHCP server. Your DHCP server is the device on your network which hands out an IP address to clients when they login or become active. Since clients can receive a new and different IP address each time they login, it is normally difficult and perhaps impossible to assign a unique SLA for each customer. But, with NetEqualizer name- based shaping, you assign the SLA to the customer domain name (computer name) and the SLA sticks with them wherever and whenever they login.
I use MAC addresses for shaping, why would I use name-based shaping?
MAC address shaping works well with small networks and is sufficient if you plan to remain under about 300 customers. But, once you grow beyond the amount of MAC addresses a network segment can handle, MAC address shaping breaks down and becomes complex to manage. If you are currently using MAC shaping and plan to increase your number of customers, it’s a good time to think about making the architecture change to domain-based shaping or some other alternative.
LAFAYETTE, Colo., May 18, 2007 — APconnections, a leading supplier of plug-and-play bandwidth shaping products and creator of the NetEqualizer, today announced an upgrade that will allow operators to perform the necessary data reporting measures mandated by the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA.
“We already had a great bandwidth shaping tool dispersed in networks around the world. It was a natural extension to add CALEA functionality with our equipment already in place,” said Art Reisman, CEO of APconnections. “Rather than watch our customers purchase CALEA specific solutions at what seem to be inflated prices, we have produced a functional CALEA probe that meets the spirit of the law at no extra cost to our existing customers.”
The NetEqualizer CALEA probe will allow an ISP or other system operator to comply with a basic warrant for information about a user on their network by capturing and sending IP communications in real time to a third party. This communication can be captured either by headers alone, or by both headers and content. The NetEqualizer probe will provide basic descriptive tags identifying headers, data, and time stamps, along with HEX or ASCII representation of content data.
Customers with current NetEqualizer Software Subscriptions (NSS) can implement the upgrade at no charge. This will be done with the assurance that the NetEqualizer’s bandwidth-control capabilities will continue to operate effectively and unabated. All future NetEqualizer models will be shipped with the upgrade already installed.
The NetEqualizer is a plug-and-play bandwidth control and WAN/Internet optimization appliance that is flexible and scalable. When the network is congested, NetEqualizer’s unique “behavior shaping” technology gives priority to latency sensitive applications, such as VoIP and email. It does it all dynamically and automatically, improving on other bandwidth shaping technology out there. It controls network flow for the best WAN optimization.
As promised, NetEqualizer is now offering the utilities necessary to meet requirements set forth this month by CALEA, or the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. This law oversees telecommunication security and has now been expanded to Internet security. There are some fairly harsh federal penalties for noncompliance that became effective May 1.
In the spirit of protecting our nation, the mission is not to make life miserable and expensive for operators and thwart communications, but rather to give the FBI and homeland security tools to wire tap (if we can borrow the term) Internet conversation on a moment’s notice. We suspect it would be a rare occurrence for a small WISP to receive a warrant to comply, but it would be potentially devastating to security should the means to monitor conversation not be available.
The following updated Q&A will address NetEqualizer’s capabilities in reference to CALEA compliance.
1. Functionally, what does the Netequalizer CALEA release provide?
We provide a network probe with the following capabilities:
2. In what format is the data portion sent to a law enforcement agency?
We will provide basic descriptive tags identifying headers, data, and time stamps, along with HEX or ASCII representation of content data.
3. Do you meet the standards of the receiving law enforcement agency?
The law and specifications on “how” to deliver to a law enforcement agency are somewhat ambiguous. The FBI has created some detailed specifications, but the reality is that there are some 40,000 law enforcement agencies and they are given autonomy on how they receive data. We do provide samples on how to receive NetEqualizer-captured data on a third party server, but are unable to guarantee definite compliance with any specific agency.
4. Does the NetEqualizer do any analysis of the data?
No. We are only providing a probe function.
5. Is the NetEqualizer release fully CALEA compliant?
Although the law (see CALEA sections 103 and 107(a)(2)) is fairly specific on what needs to be done, the how is not addressed to any level of detail to which we can engineer our solution. Many people are following the ATIS specification which was put forth by the FBI, and we have read and attempted to comply with the probe portion of that specification. But, the reality is that there is no one agency given the authority to test a solution and bless it as compliant. So, if faced with a warrant for information, the law enforcement agency in charge may indeed want something in slightly different formats. If this is the case, there may be additional consulting.
As best we can tell at this time, there is no one government agency that can fully declare our technology CALEA compliant. However, we do pledge to work with our customers should they be faced with a warrant for information to adjust and even customize our solution; however additional fees may apply.
For more information on NetEqualizer and CALEA, visit our extended Q&A page at http://www.netequalizer.com/caleafaq.php. Additional information on CALEA itself can be found at http://www.askcalea.org.
LAFAYETTE, Colo., April 24 /PRNewswire/ — APconnections, a leading supplier of plug-and-play bandwidth shaping products and creator of the NetEqualizer, today announced the release of new technology capable of ensuring VoIP QoS over VLAN.
Although most traditional switch providers have in the past had solid solutions for ensuring VoIP within an enterprise network using TOS bits and class of service available on most commercial routers, all bets have been off as to whether VoIP calls would go through over the public Internet (unless using a solution from an Internet provider).
This was the case until service providers, schools and libraries began using the NetEqualizer to better connect their customers to the Internet. The NetEqualizer can sense congestion on the Internet link and rearrange traffic so that VoIP calls maintain their quality without the need for any additional equipment or use of TOS bits.
“Our customers love it because it handles congestion in both directions, something traditional routers can’t do,” said Art Reisman, CEO and co-founder of APconnections.
With the NetEqualizer, products such as Vonage phones can remain operational even during peak times of bandwidth usage over a VLAN. This new technology will prove especially useful for operators providing Internet service to diverse groups of users such as in office parks and municipalities.
“We have deployed several NetEqualizers in office complexes around the world starting several years ago,” said Kris Lamberth, senior partner of Digital Reach, Inc. “We can’t say enough on how simple the NetEqualizer is to use and how much easier managing bandwidth has been compared to traditional router-based solutions. The VLAN shaping feature will allow us to provide QoS for each VLAN, which will give us a huge competitive advantage over other IT consulting agencies in our industry.”
Digital Reach (http://www.digitalreachinc.com) specializes in delivering cost-effective and cutting-edge IT solutions to small- and medium-sized companies around the world.
The NetEqualizer is a plug-and-play bandwidth control and WAN/Internet optimization appliance that is flexible and scalable. When the network is congested, NetEqualizer’s unique “behavior shaping” technology gives priority to latency sensitive applications, such as VoIP and email. It does it all dynamically and automatically, improving on other bandwidth shaping technology out there. It controls network flow for the best WAN optimization.
What is CALEA?
CALEA, or the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, is the law that oversees telecommunication security which has now been expanded to Internet security. The FBI has been working to specify what is expected of wired and wireless ISPs, which has yet to be released in final form. There are some fairly harsh federal penalties for noncompliance that become effective in May 2007 (the stick). In the spirit of protecting our nation, the mission is not to make life miserable and expensive for operators and thwart communications, but rather to give the FBI and homeland security tools to wire tap (if I can borrow the term) Internet conversation on a moment’s notice. I suspect it would be a rare occurrence for a small WISP to receive a warrant to comply, but it would be potentially devastating to security should the means to monitor conversation not be available. In the words of a consultant working for CALEA and the FBI, here is the verbatim minimal requirement as we obtained via e-mail in order to determine our obligations as a Network Tool supplier.
Norm wrote:
“Basically, an interception warrant would need to isolate and capture all communications to or from the subject of the warrant. The warrant could specify that only header information is to be provided (i.e., a Pen Register/Trap and Tracee) or that header information and communications content should both be provided. “The Packet Technologies and Services Committee (PTSC) has developed standard ATIS-1000013.2007 for CALEA compliance for landline ISPs (including WiFi and WiMAX). Unfortunately, ATIS has not yet posted the standard on its web site (www.atis.org).”
Our promise to our customers will be to provide a minimal compliance utility on our NetEqualizer Platform and support these utilities without adding additional cost to the product, if possible.
Below is a Q&A regarding our plans.
When will the NetEqualizer CALEA compliance module be available?
We will have a “best effort” unit available for trial as of May 1. We caveat this as best effort because there may be some lag time to comply exactly with the requirement once the requirement is finalized and posted. However, there is enough information right now to get close to compliance, which is what we plan to do.
Will there be any additional cost?
At this time all customers with current NSS (software upgrade licenses) will not be charged. The NSS license for one year runs approximately 10 percent of the purchase cost of a new unit. Typically this would be in the $200 to $300 range.
Will the CALEA module ship with newly purchased units?
Yes, in fact any units purchased after March 20 will be eligible to receive the upgrade at no extra cost.
Will the upgrade cost for the CALEA module always remain the same?
We cannot promise a fixed price for future upgrades. If the complexity of this feature gets “out of hand,” we may have to label a “nonstandard” upgrade and charge, essentially making it a new product rather than an upgrade and charge accordingly.At this time our plans are to keep it as a standard upgrade.
Will the standard NetEqualizer feature and the CALEA utility run on the same hardware at the same time?
Due to the sensitive nature of the information should a warrant be requested for a tap, we have decided it would be best to focus on getting the stream to the federal agency. For this reason, the NetEqualizer will fall back to standard bridge mode. Obviously this may slow or degrade service to all customers, however this will be a rare event if ever and we’d rather do it this way than force customers to purchase an all new standalone appliance.
Additional Questions… If you have any questions please, contact us at support@apconnections.net or 1-888-287-2492. For additional information on CALEA, visit www.askcalea.net.
It’s finally here! Our newest NetEqualizers are now shipping with full VLAN support. This means that NetEqualizers are fully compatible with VLAN traffic.
Best of all, if you already have a NetEqualizer, there is nothing to adjust or change should you convert your network to VLANs. The NetEqualizer will adjust automatically. You can also mix VLAN and non-VLAN tagged traffic without issue. If you are thinking about running the NetEqualizer with VLANs, call our support or sales teams for details at 1-800-918-2763.
For more information, visit our Web site.
Our latest NetEqualizer release is out! This new version:
Note: You may need to upgrade hardware in older versions. Contact sales@apconnections.net for details.
We are also in final stages of testing “The Beast.” This is a dual 3.4 gigahertz Pentium based NetEqualizer that will handle 11,000 users and 350 megabits of traffic. The model number will be NE3000- 350.
Our latest NetEqualizer release is in final test. This new version:
Note: You may need to upgrade hardware in older versions. Contact sales@apconnections.net for details.
We are also in final stages of testing “The Beast.” This is a dual 3.4 gigahertz Pentium based NetEqualizer that will handle 11,000 users and 350 megabits of traffic. The model number will be NE3000-350.
NetEqualizer News Blog 