SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AP Avionx (a business unit of AP Labs), a leading supplier of rugged equipment for the commercial aerospace market, is pleased to announce the launch of Cab-n-Connect(TM) - its new 802.11n cabin wireless access point. The company will be exhibiting (booth #214) and also offering live demos of the new product at the 30th Annual World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) Conference & Exhibition in Palm Desert, Calif. this week.
A recent Airline Business/SITA study indicated that some 68 percent of airlines plan to invest in IP broadband connectivity both to and from aircraft over the next three years. In fact, new Wi-Fi services are now being tested and rolled out by many leading airlines including Delta/Northwest, Alaska, Southwest, American, Air Canada, Virgin, AirTran and others.
AP Avionx's new Cab-n-Connect(TM) wireless access point takes advantage of the recently adopted IEEE 802.11n specification, which increases maximum throughput to wireless clients from 54mbps to over 300mbps. Based on Motorola's award-winning AP-7131 enterprise class access point, Cab-n-Connect(TM) provides secure wireless connectivity for commercial airlines and general aviation. The unit supports simultaneous dual radio operation (2.4GHz and 5GHz), is compliant to the I/O requirements of ARINC 763, and can operate in the cabin wireless LAN or terminal wireless LAN modes.
"When compared to other CWAPs available on the market, Cab-n-Connect(TM) offers reduced size, weight and power and is priced to meet the competitive needs of our customers," stated Eric Tarter, director of Commercial Products at AP Avionx. Tarter confirmed that FAA certification (DO-160) is in process, with approval expected by the end of 2009.
The Cab-n-Connect(TM) product has been rigorously tested including recent trials conducted in a wide-body aircraft cabin environment where a single Cab-n-Connect(TM) unit simultaneously streamed video to over a hundred client laptops. This represents a significant performance advantage over competing airborne access points. With a growing demand for bandwidth within the aircraft cabin, existing wireless access points using 802.11a/b/g wireless standards will not support large numbers of high throughput users. Whether it is a business professional using their laptop, or a young gamer on a hand held device, expectations are extremely high, which is another reason why AP Avionx has selected Motorola wireless technology to be at the heart of Cab-n-Connect(TM).
AP Avionx is a business unit of AP Labs, Inc. and specializes in integrated hardware systems for the commercial aerospace industry, in particular, the In-Flight Entertainment & Communication (IFE&C) market. The company's products include critical system components to enable in-flight broadband services including: Internet, VPN access, email, multimedia capabilities, video-on-demand, games and additional entertainment choices in a fully-integrated wireless cabin over a broadband air-to-ground or air-to-satellite link. With a thorough understanding of engineering high-performance, mission critical computers, AP Avionx provides long-life solutions designed to survive in harsh environments. For more information, please visit: www.apavionx.com
About AP Labs, Inc. AP Labs is a premier supplier of rugged enclosures, real-time and integrated system solutions for the defense, aerospace and commercial markets. AP Labs provides a single point of contact for design, test and support of complex turnkey solutions and specializes in the development and manufacture of rugged systems for embedded computer applications that require a COTS approach.
Founded in 1985, AP Labs has developed a reputation for successfully providing customers with products and capabilities designed to reduce project schedule, risk and cost. AP Labs systems and enclosures are deployed on submarines, surface ships, aircraft (manned & unmanned) and ground mobile platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, California, and can be found on the web at www.aplabs.com.