Multi-Tech Announces Secure SMB Wi-Fi VPN Router

When an organization wants to add a router with Wi-Fi capability to a remote office, the same security concerns exist at the remote office as with the main office. Because of these concerns, the best choice may not be a basic wireless router that just adds Wi-Fi, but a more advanced security appliance. It only makes sense to equip remote office network gear with the same advanced security as headquarters. That means, in addition to Wi-Fi capability, a remote router needs VPN tunnels for corporate network access over the Internet, 3DES and AES encryption for securing data, a Stateful Packet Inspection firewall for attack protection, and a way to separate Wi-Fi traffic from wire LAN traffic to prevent sensitive data from being accessed by nearby Wi-Fi clients.

Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., based in suburban Minneapolis, is announcing a new product that combines the advantages of having Wi-Fi access at remote offices with the security of a full-featured network security appliance. The new RouteFinder SOHO Security Appliance, the company says, is ideal for the small branch office that needs secure access to the corporate LAN while providing the convenience of Wi-Fi communications. In addition to providing secure and selectable isolated Wi-Fi communications, it features one or two WAN Ethernet ports for DSL or cable broadband Internet access, secure client-to-LAN and LAN-to-LAN connectivity, and Internet firewall services. Both the single and dual Ethernet port RouteFinder SOHO Security Appliances (Models RF820-AP and RF830-AP) are priced at US$349 and are expected to start shipping next quarter.

"Some companies utilize two routers at small offices to accomplish Wi-Fi connectivity and VPN access," states Chip Harleman, vice president of sales and marketing for Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. "While this solution typically is more expensive, it does provide basic Wi-Fi and VPN connectivity. The problem is that this solution does not answer the separation of data issue. Being able to separate sensitive corporate data from general Wi-Fi usage can be important in any office. Without this capability, visitors cannot safely use Wi-Fi connectivity without having to manage their access. Multi-Tech's new RouteFinder SOHO Security Appliances allow for this separation of sensitive data from Wi-Fi traffic while combining the functions of a VPN and Wi-Fi router into a very robust and cost effective product for branch offices."

The Multi-Tech Systems RouteFinder SOHO Security Appliance combines a stateful packet inspection firewall with up to 15 IPSec VPN tunnels and strong 3DES and AES encryption with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi capabilities into a complete remote office security system. The new Wi-Fi VPN routers are available in one (Model RF820-AP) or two (Model RF830-AP) WAN Ethernet port models. They support IPSec VPN tunnels and PPTP tunnels, include dual WAN load balancing (RF830-AP) Internet and VPN Failover (RF830-AP), provide shared Internet access via PPPoE, DHCP or static IP, include a serial port for dial-backup (RF820-AP) and include a built-in 4-port 10/100M bps switch. They feature network monitoring via Syslog, configuration management using any web browser and include advanced packet filtering rules for controlling network access.