Cisco announces secure mobile access router

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cisco Systems has announced the Cisco 3200 Series Mobile Access Router, a new system described as "optimized for mobile vehicular applications that pioneers a shift in the way organizations communicate and share information across wireless networks." The new mobile router works with entire networks of communication devices in moving vehicles such as airplanes, ships, tanks and trains, and is designed for "always-on" connectivity. 

The Cisco 3200 Series is a compact, high performance access router that is designed to provide industry leading security in data, voice and video communications, and seamless mobility and interoperability. Enabled by standards-based Mobile IP, Cisco says the 3200 Series extends the edge of the IP network, delivering new, mission-critical applications for the defense, public safety and commercial transportation markets. Mobile Networks, a feature in Cisco IOS Software, further extends the value of Mobile IP by allowing an entire network, not just a single client, to stay connected while in motion.

Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Technik, one of the largest suppliers of aviation services in the world, are working with Cisco to deliver the first standards-based Inflight Networking Components for airline cabin infrastructure.

Key enabler

"We believe the Cisco 3200 Series Mobile Access Router is a key enabler to extend our network connectivity from existing ground-based IP networks and applications to in-flight IP networks," said Bernhard Conrad, senior vice president Engineering and Production Completion Center and head of approved design organization Lufthansa Technik. "And since this is a standards-based solution, we are not locked into a proprietary system, which means we have greater flexibility for our customers to add new applications and incorporate future technologies." 

The Mobile Access Router addresses the key communications challenges faced by users who require access to information, regardless of movement or location, according to Cisco. These challenges include the requirements for seamless mobility while roaming among wireless networks; unique power, size and weight specifications to fit equipment in vehicles; maintaining network security policies; and interoperability between the networks and applications of different organizations or agencies. 

The Cisco Mobile Access Router supports Cisco's vision for network-centric mobility by enabling the evolution of standards-based IP communications with uninterrupted access to information for networks in motion. With this communications transformation, public safety personnel, for example, can now make real-time, and often life-saving decisions with information at their fingertips. This real-time access empowers personnel to make faster, better, more informed decisions, ultimately increasing their productivity and effectiveness in the field.

Law enforcement

Today, rich applications such as IP video surveillance, mug shot and fingerprint scanners, law enforcement data systems, and government agency databases can now be accessed in real-time by agency, field, and headquarters personnel.

"We all know the world of emergency response has changed," said Sergeant Dean Zanone of the Seal Beach, California, Police Department, a Cisco 3200 Series customer. "Responding appropriately requires the best available communication technologies. Ubiquitous, IP-based wireless communications, incorporating Cisco's mobile access router, provides us the real-time information that we need to properly deploy our considerable resources and meet any challenge."

Cisco says the 3200 router addresses these communications challenges in defense, public safety and commercial transportation systems:

▪ Seamless Mobility: Support for industry-standard IP enables the Cisco 3200 Series to accommodate any type of standard wireless connection, with IP traffic remaining independent of the wireless transmission medium.

▪ High-Performance and Compact Size: Suitable for use in harsh vehicular environments, the compact 3.5 inch by 3.8 inch form factor, based on the industry-standard PC/104-PLUS architecture, meets the space, power and motion requirements. The high-speed microprocessor and PCI communications bus, along with the high-capacity memory, enable the Cisco 3200 Series to provide the level of performance necessary to support advanced IP applications.

▪ Security and Interoperability: Cisco IOS Software extends advanced IP services and interoperability to deliver comprehensive services for networks in motion. Advanced security features such as firewall protection and encrypted virtual private networks (VPNs) aim to keep data secure over a public WAN infrastructure. Standards-based IP technology provides the common protocol to allow connectivity across separate wireless infrastructures and frequency bands.

"Cisco has clearly found a piece of the wireless market where they can play to their strengths in data networking. It is a natural fit for them," said Yankee Group's Sarah Kim, a wireless market analyst. 

"If the data networks were perfect, there would be no market for a product like this," Kim said. "Cisco can take advantage of the shortfalls of the wireless industry. The fact wireless data networks don't have coverage everywhere and the quality issues where coverage does exist."