Cisco's Aironet 1200 is top of the very popular Aironet range of wireless network access points, and offers a real degree of future-proofing by simultaneously supporting both 2.4GHz (802.11b and 802.11g) and 5GHz (802.11a) wireless networking standards. It also supports single and dual band configurations.

This modular design allows you to configure the Aironet 1200 to your own particular needs, and by virtue of its 200MHz PowerPC processor, expandable memory and a 10/100Mbps Ethernet interface, the device can be easily upgraded for future developments.

The basic Aironet 1200 chassis and 802.11b module are currently the only options available in the UK, as the 802.11a module is still awaiting approval. The reason is that the latter's use of a radio frequency of 5GHz could potentially interfere with satellite and radar communications in Europe.

The first thing that strikes you about the Aironet 1200 is the build quality; no dodgy plastic here but instead a silver finished, alloy case. The assortment of mounting brackets and screws provided with it means that it can be mounted almost anywhere.

Unlike some similar products the Aironet 1200 is easy to set up; just plug it into your network and start configuring it. For the home user - albeit the rich home user - it comes with a default IP address which can be accessed by a local Web browser.

The range of features provided with the Aironet 1200 make it an IT manager's dream. Aside from the usual routing and security features (including 128-bit encryption), it also provides comprehensive logging and filtering capabilities. It can log the number of connections made to it and if necessary forward these to a syslog server. It also allows filtering of network services and can be configured to block ports from unwanted applications.

Another notable feature of the Aironet 1200 is its Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) support. The Aironet 1200 is one of the first wireless devices on the market to fully support the new EAP encryption standard. EAP improves on existing wireless security but requires a Remote Access Dial-In User Server (RADIUS) to authenticate users. EAP also generates WEP keys on a rotating modulation to limit the chances of network break-ins.

One good thing about devices like the Aironet 1200 that are fitted with dual radio transmitters is they can talk to clients on two different frequencies, which is an added bonus if you don't want to compromise your existing 802.11b setup while upgrading your network.

Cisco's Aironet 1200 series offers a fair degree of future-proofing, especially with its support for 802.11a, and has a wide range of management features, but it does all come with an expensive price tag.