Visitors to the Legrand booth at CEDIA Expo 2019 had plenty of new audio, video and smart home solutions to discover. But all those solutions increasingly depend upon a robust home network infrastructure and that's where Luxul's solutions deliver complete, simple-to-deploy, professional-grade IP networking solutions for use by custom installation professionals, without the complexity associated with traditional networking gear.
At CEDIA 2019, Luxul introduced a wide range of solutions that deliver reliable, high-performance networks in smart homes, including a new wireless mesh solution and cloud remote monitoring and management system; Self-Healing managed Gigabit switches; the next generation of wireless controller technology; “Good, Better, Best” dual-band wireless access points (AP); and dealer tools designed to speed up installations and deliver exceptional WiFi experiences.
Making its debut at CEDIA Expo 2019, Luxul’s Epic Mesh kit comes with two dual-purpose mesh nodes that can each serve as either a router or satellite. Simple to install, integrators turn one of the two nodes into a router in under two minutes using the Luxul Easy Setup App. The other becomes the satellite node, which is placed around the residence to create a powerful wireless mesh. There is no need to run additional wires; integrators just plug the satellite node into an available outlet. Each node in the network can talk to all the others, forming a point-to-point mesh for fast, reliable, truly wireless Internet.
An innovative tri-band (2x2, 2x2, 4x4) antenna array enables two 2x2 bands for client connectivity and a third powerful 4x4 5GHz dedicated backhaul channel to ensure strong connectivity back to the router, so homeowners get fast internet anywhere in the home. Luxul leverages the most current technology available with Wave 2, utilizing MU-MIMO for this high-performance WiFi mesh solution, and further meets the needs of integrators by providing eight SSIDs for networking flexibility. Additional satellite nodes can be incorporated as needed to accommodate installations of any size, and if one node falls offline, the others still have a path back to the router node, maintaining a connection to the rest of the network.
In addition, Luxul introduced a new cloud Remote Monitoring and Management solution for integrators. This new solution is a free service to integrators managing customers’ systems remotely, freeing them up from rolling a truck to service a client. The new system makes it simple for integrators to remotely monitor their clients' networks, get real-time notifications of failures, and quickly resolve issues. With cloud management, integrators can access their customers' Luxul networks and connected devices at any time — from anywhere — in map or list views via an intuitive web interface. Site-level indicators provide the online/offline status of connected devices and the availability of firmware updates, while customizable alerts notify integrators of issues via text or email.
Using cloud management, integrators can configure devices remotely, perform firmware updates on select Luxul routers and wireless access points (AP), and remotely power-cycle PDUs and PoE switches that fall offline. By allowing integrators to handle these simple system management tasks without rolling out a truck for a service call, the solution lowers operation costs while delivering a better experience for customers.
Highlighted managed Gigabit switches featuring Self-Healing capability include the 18-port/16 PoE+ L2/L3 AMS-1816P and 12-port/8 PoE+ XMS-1208P. The units empower integrators with two advanced features: Auto-Recovery and Power Scheduling. With Auto-Recovery, devices connected to the switches by PoE are automatically rebooted when they fall offline or become unresponsive. With Power Scheduling, integrators can trigger the switches to power PoE-connected devices on or off based on any schedule they create within the switch interface.
Also on display was the next-generation XWC-2000 wireless controller, featuring Luxul’s exclusive Roam Assist technology to ensure the active roaming of mobile client devices and simple deployment of up to 32 wireless access points (AP) for large installations. In wireless networks that utilize more than one wireless AP, the XWC-2000’s Roam Assist technology ensures that mobile devices are always connected to the best AP for the highest performance. This allows users to move freely throughout their home without the frustration of intermittent whole-home audio and slow Wi-Fi speeds.
Newly deployed APs are automatically added for plug-and-play installation, and the controller installs in minutes using a simple, intuitive setup wizard. The XWC-2000 is compatible with existing AP models, like the XAP-1610, XAP-1510, XAP-810, XAP-1240, and XAP-1440 — and future Luxul APs (excluding bridging APs) — allowing installers to mix and match to meet the needs of each project.
“Fast roaming doesn’t improve network performance and many people don’t even realize that a sticky device problem exists,” says Mike Grubb, vice president of marketing at Luxul. “With the introduction of our next-gen controller, we’re educating dealers on the differences in performance between a fast roaming solution and active roaming. With Roam Assist, support for up to 32 APs, and an easy-to-use setup wizard that allows SSIDs to be pushed to all connected APs, the XWC-2000 stands out from the pack, bringing active roaming and installation simplicity to large networks.”
Luxul also showcased a “Good, Better, and Best” offering of wireless Apex APs. For smaller networks where budgets are a concern, Luxul’s “Good” XAP-810 is a cost-effective wireless AP offering 802.11ac 2x2 dual-band technology and 5GHz beamforming for data rates up to 1200Mbps. The “Better” XAP-1510 features 802.11ac 3x3 dual-band technology and 2.4 and 5GHz beamforming for data rates up to 1900Mbps throughout a facility. The “Best” XAP-1610 — Luxul’s fastest ever — features advanced Wave 2 4x4 MU-MIMO 802.11ac technology and 2.4 and 5GHz beamforming for data rates up to 3167Mbps.
Highlighted dealer tools include Luxul’s Easy Setup App and the company’s free network design service (Customer Assurance Program, or CAP). Available as a free download from the Apple and Android stores, Luxul’s Easy Setup App allows integrators to install a Luxul wireless router and up to two wireless APs at the same time, in under two minutes, from the convenience of a mobile phone. Luxul’s CAP provides dealers with certified wired and wireless network designs, which are guaranteed to deliver WiFi networks that meet their customers’ reliability and performance requirements. Over 2,800 certified networks have been provided to the company’s dealer network in the program’s first year.
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