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Trapeze Networks Overview
Trapeze Networks was founded in 2002 as a venture-backed startup. While it was still an independent company, Trapeze focused on enterprise WLAN products, offering access points, controllers (switches), an operating system for access points and controllers, WLAN management software, and a location appliance. No wired networking products were offered.
Trapeze Networks was acquired by Belden, Inc. in July 2008. Belden offers cabling products (copper and optical fiber), connectors, industrial Ethernet, and industrial automation products. Belden executives positioned the Trapeze acquisition as a way to offer enterprise customers tailored connectivity solutions that benefit from blending the strengths of copper, fiber, and wireless technologies. Trapeze Networks is now a Belden brand, operates as an autonomous Belden division and represents a small portion of Beldens total revenue. For example, Trapeze represented 4% of Beldens total revenue in FY2009 and 1% of revenue in FY2008 (Source: Belden 10K filing). Since the acquisition, Trapeze products and messages have undergone only minor changes.
The Trapeze market posture is to emphasize a technical value proposition via their Smart Mobile architecture, with a focus on nonstop wireless reliability, product performance, and system scale. Trapeze promotes the use of a WLAN overlay on existing wired networks, centralizing all WLAN functionality into Trapeze controllers to create the perception of simplicity. Access point products are focused on indoor deployments and do not have options for standalone operation. Two outdoor access points are offered. Controllers range from small capacity to large capacity. Trapeze promotes the importance of controller capacity and nonstop operation in marketing materials.
The Trapeze management application, RingMaster, provides planning, configuration, and monitoring. Trapeze has integrated selected wireless IDS/IPS functions into APs and controllers. Previously, Trapeze had partnered with AirDefense for wireless IDS/IPS (prior to Motorolas acquisition of AirDefense in September 2008). Other security interoperability partnerships include AirTight Networks, Bradford Networks, Juniper, and Microsoft.
In March 2009, Belden acquired Newbury Networks, which offered Wi-Fibased location technology and products. The location products have been rebranded as Trapeze and include the location appliance (LA-200) with location software, the Active Asset application, and the AT-320 Wi-Fi asset tags. These products are targeted at specific industries, such as healthcare, in which asset tracking, inventory management, workflow optimization, and other applications that value an objects (or a persons) X-Y coordinates are important.
Trapeze was privately held prior to the Belden acquisition and did not report financial or shipment information to industry analysts (such as DellOro or Synergy). The executive team had focused on OEM relationships, refreshing the product line, developing the Trapeze brand, and completing the integration with Belden. Prior to the Belden acquisition, Trapeze received $102.5 million in venture funding. Belden paid $136 million in cash for Trapeze (Source: Belden 10K filing).
Trapeze Financial Profile
2006 2007 2008 2009
Dollars in Thousands
Total Revenue $14,000 $53,200
Cost of Goods
Gross Margin
Sales/Marketing
Research/Development
Administration
Operating Income/(Loss)
Operating Profit/(Loss%) ($54,317 ) ($28,325 )
Operating Profit/(Loss%)
Trapeze Market Position 2006 2007 2008 2009
World Wide Enterprise WLAN Market Share*
- - 0.5% 2.3%
Table 48: Trapeze Financial Profile
* DellOro Group, WLAN Market ReportFebruary 2010, Enterprise WLAN Market Share.** No financial information available prior to 2008 since Trapeze was a private company before the Belden acquisition. The Belden 10Q and 10K reports provide only minimal Trapeze financial info.
No market share reporting to DellOro prior to 2008.
As of September 2009, Trapeze claims to have 4000 direct and OEM end-user customers. Trapeze has OEM relationships with Nortel, 3Com, D-Link, Enterasys, and NEC. The company also sells products through partner channels. Recently, there has been constant disruption among the Trapeze OEM customer base. For example: Nortel enterprise products was acquired by Avaya and now offers their own Avaya WLAN products, 3Com was acquired by HP, and Enterasys is offering Siemens HiPath WLAN products. These events reduce OEM revenue requiring Trapeze to seek other sales channels to maintain or grow revenue. Belden provides only a few items of financial information regarding Trapeze in SEC filings. Trapeze is referred to as the Wireless Segment in the 10Q and 10K filings. No financial info on Trapeze is available prior to 2008 because the company was privately held (Table 48).
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Trapeze WLAN Products
Figures 70 through 78 summarize information about Trapeze WLAN products. All product information is current as of July 2010 and is based on publicly available sources.
Figure 70: Trapeze Access PointsIndoor
Figure 71: Trapeze Access PointsOutdoor
Figure 72: Trapeze Controllers
Figure 73: Trapeze Mobility System Software
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Section III: Enterprise CompetitorsFigure 74: Trapeze RingMaster Software
Figure 75: Trapeze RingMaster Global Software
Figure 76: Trapeze SmartPass Software
Figure 77: Trapeze Location Appliance
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Section III: Enterprise CompetitorsFigure 78: Trapeze Active Asset
Typical Trapeze WLAN Configuration
Tables 49 through 52 summarize typical configurations for Trapeze products. All product information is as of July 2010 and is based on publicly available sources.
Table 49: Trapeze Access PointsIndoor
Table 49: Trapeze Access PointsIndoor
Trapeze Access PointsIndoor
Model/Series MP-71* MP-371B MP-372A* MP422B MP-522 MP-82 AP432
Product Number
MP-71* MP-371B MP-372A* MP422B MP-522 MP-82 AP432
Cisco Aironet Equivalent
541, 1130 541, 1130 1130, 1240 1130, 12401040,
1140, 35001040,
1140, 35001140,
1260, 3500
Wireless
Single-radio 802.11 a or b/g (b/g only)
Dual-radio 802.11 a/b/g
Single-radio 802.11n
2x3:2 MIMO
Dual-radio 802.11n
2x2:2 MIMO
3x3:2 MIMO
Trapeze Access PointsIndoor (continued)
Model/Series MP-71* MP-371B MP-372A* MP422B MP-522 MP-82 AP432
Product Number MP-71* MP-371B MP-372A* MP422B MP-522 MP-82 AP432
Cisco Aironet Equivalent
541, 1130 541, 11301130, 1240
1130, 1240
1040, 1140, 3500
1040, 1140, 3500
1140, 1260, 3500
Wireless
Antennas External
Internal; Includes External Connec-
tors
Internal; Includes External Connec-
tors
Internal; Includes External Connec-
tors
Internal or External Versions
Internal
Internal; Includes External Connec-
tors
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Number of Clients Supported
500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Multi-band RF Monitoring
RF Management: RF Auto-Tuning (Power, Channel)
Client Load Balancing (Includes Band Steering)
Distributed Forwarding
Cisco CleanAir/Spectrum Intelligence Equivalent
None None None None None None None
Standalone Operation
No No No No No No No
Controller Operation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Security
WPA/WPA2 Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes
VLANs (ESSIDs) 32 32 64 64 64 64 64
Intrusion Protection System (IPS): Operate as Sensor
Rogue AP Detection
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Trapeze Access PointsIndoor (continued)
Model/Series MP-71* MP-371B MP-372A* MP422B MP-522 MP-82 AP432
Product Number MP-71* MP-371B MP-372A* MP422B MP-522 MP-82 AP432
Cisco Aironet Equivalent
541, 1130 541, 11301130, 1240
1130, 1240
1040, 1140, 3500
1040, 1140, 3500
1140, 1260, 3500
Security
MAC Filtering
CAPWAP: APController Tunnels
No, Proprietary
No, Proprietary
No, Proprietary
No, Proprietary
No, Proprietary
No, Proprietary
No, Proprietary
Management Frame Protection (MFP)
No No No No No No No
Remote AP No No No No No No No
Mesh AP/Bridging (optional)
VPN Support No No No No No No No
QoS
802.11e
Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)
Network Interfaces
10/100 Ethernet 1 2 2 2
10/100/1000 Ethernet
1 1 2
Management
Via GUI
Via Controller
Via RingMaster
Management
Plenum MP-522E only
Wi-Fi Certified: WPA/WPA2
Wi-Fi Certified: WMM, WMM-PS
* MP-71 and MP-372A are listed only on the Chinese website.
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Section III: Enterprise CompetitorsTable 50: Trapeze Access PointsOutdoor Table 50: Trapeze Access PointsOutdoor
Trapeze Access PointsOutdoor
Model/Series MP-620B MP-632
Product Number MP-620B MP-632
Cisco Aironet Equivalent 1400, 1522, 1524 1400, 1522, 1524
Wireless
Dual-radio 802.11 a/b/g (a + b/g)
Dual-radio 802.11n 3x3:2 MIMO
AP with Backhaul
Point-to-Point Bridging
Multi-point Bridging
Mesh
Antennas External N-Type External N-Type
RF Management: RF Auto-Tuning (Power, Channel)
Integrated Lightning Arrester
Multi-band RF Monitoring
Cisco CleanAir/Spectrum Intelligence Equivalent
None None
Standalone Operation No No
Controller Operation Yes Yes
Security
WPA/WPA2 Yes/Yes Yes/Yes
VLANs (ESSIDs) 16 16
IPS: Operate as Sensor
Rogue AP Detection
MAC Filtering
CAPWAP: APController Tunnels No, Proprietary No, Proprietary
Management Frame Protection (MFP) None None
Remote AP (or Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet [PPPoP] Connection)
None None
VPN Gateway No No
QoS
802.11e
WMM
Trapeze Access PointsOutdoor (continued)
Model/Series MP-620B MP-632
Product Number MP-620B MP-632
Cisco Aironet Equivalent 1400, 1522, 1524 1400, 1522, 1524
Network Interfaces
10/100 Ethernet 1
10/100/1000 Ethernet 1
Fiber
Power
PoEExternal 48v
(Not 802.3af-compliant)External 48v
(Not 802.3af-compliant)
100v-240V AC with Adapter
DC Power via Solar Panels
DC Power over Cable
Management
Via Web GUI
Via Controller
Via RingMaster
Physical
IP Rating IP67
NEMA Type 4x
Wireless Certifications
WPA/WPA2
WMM/WMM-PS
Hazardous Certifications
Class (I to III)/Division (1 or 2)
ATEX Zone (02)
IECEx
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Trapeze Controllers
Model/Series MXR-2 MX-8
Product Number MXR-2 MX-8
Cisco WLC Equivalent 2106, WLC in ISR 2112
Scalability
Maximum APs 4 12
Maximum Remote APs N/A N/A
Maximum Clients Not Specified Not Specified
Throughput-encrypted (3DES) Not Specified Not Specified
Throughput-encrypted (AES) Not Specified Not Specified
Form Factor
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Section III: Enterprise CompetitorsTable 51: Trapeze Controllers
Trapeze Controllers (continued)
Model/Series MXR-2 MX-8
Product Number MXR-2 MX-8
Cisco WLC Equivalent 2106, WLC in ISR 2112
Security
Management Frame Protection (MFP)
AAA Server
VPN None None
IPS
QoS
IP Flow-based
Policy-based
QoS
WAN No No
PoE Yes Yes
RF Management
RF Auto-Tuning: Power, Channel, Coverage, Hole Detection
RF Coordination Across Controllers No No
Cisco CleanAir Equivalent No No
Management
RingMaster
CLI (Serial, Telnet, SSH)
GUI (HTTP, HTTPS)
MIBs
Syslog
Out of Band
MX-200/216 MX-400* MX-800R MX-2800
MX-200/216 MX-400* MX-800R MX-2800
4402, 4404, 5500, WiSM with Catalyst 6500
4404, 55004404, 5500, WiSM with
Catalyst 65005500, WiSM with Catalyst 6500
None None None None
No No No No
No/Yes No No No
No No No No
No No No No
* MX-400 is listed only on the Chinese web site.
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Discontinued Trapeze Products
Trapeze has stopped selling the following products as of July 2010:
Access Points: MP-372 except for China
Controllers: MX-400 except for China
Management Software: RingMaster versions 6.x and earlier
Trapeze Weaknesses
Loss of the Trapeze OEM customer base: Nortel was acquired by Avaya who is now offering their own WLAN products, 3Com was acquired by HP, Enterasys is now offering Siemens HiPath products.
Current products are WLAN only. No other IP network infrastructure products are offered, such as routing, switching, security, or VoIP.
Solutions for wired and wireless security, wired and wireless VoIP, wired and wireless location, and essential network services can be implemented only when Trapeze products are used in combination with partner products. This entails added operational cost for coordination of vendors, products, interoperability, and support for technical issue resolution.
VoWLAN interoperability with handsets and selected partners. No solution certification program.
Trapeze Management Software
Model/Series RingMaster 7.x RingMaster Global 7.x SmartPass
Product Number RingMaster 7.x RingMaster Global 7.x SmartPass
Cisco Equivalent WCS WCS Navigator Cisco NAC Guest Server
Scalability
Minimum APs5 (software)
250 (RM-200 Appliance)Not Specified N/A
Maximum APs1000 (Software)
5000 (RM-200 Appliance) Claim 100,000 N/A
OS
Windows Server 2000 or 2003
Red Hat/SUSE Linux
Mac OS X
Windows Server 2003 SP2 or Later
Windows Server 2000 SP4
Windows XP SP2 or Later
Windows Server 2008
Windows XP SP2 or Later
Windows Server 2003
Form FactorSoftware or RM-200
Appliances Software Software
Devices Managed
Switches/APsTrapeze APs, controllers,
and LA-200
Note: Requires RingMaster to be installed for
operation
Guest access for wireless clients and devices
Functionality
RF planning and site survey (indoor/outdoor)
ConfigurationAPs and controller
MonitoringRF, client, rogue, fault, reporting
Guest access service configuration and monitor
VoIP services configuration and monitor (QoS, CAC, etc.)
RF Auto-tuning configuration and management
Manager of managers for RingMaster
Up to 20 RingMaster instances (RM-200 or software)
Aggregation and summary of RingMaster info
Network status and alarms
Analysis of network loading and traffic patterns
Executive snapshots via dashboard views
Set and enforce access rules based on: SSID, user name pattern (e.g., domain\username), user type, location, accounting (lifetime or session), time of day, VLAN
Integration with location (LA-200)
Time of day and duration of access
Guest pass access
Open APIs for integration with other applications
Trapeze Management Software (continued)
Model/Series RingMaster 7.x RingMaster Global 7.x SmartPass
Product Number RingMaster 7.x RingMaster Global 7.x SmartPass
Cisco Equivalent WCS WCS Navigator Cisco NAC Guest Server
Functionality (continued)
Integration and management of Trapeze location appliance
Integration with HP OpenView Network Node Manager
Optional integration with wireless IDS/IPS systems
Distributed or centralized deployment
SSL encryption of client-server links
Web APIs
Claims scale to 10,000 users per server
RADIUS based accounting and reporting
Centralized database (not in each controller)
Bandwidth lockdown for heavy users
SSL encryption of client-server links
Web APIs
Table 52: Trapeze Management Software Table 52: Trapeze Management Software
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For solutions that require Trapeze and multiple partner products, coordination of responsibility for support may result in higher costs for the customer.
Belden provides very limited financial information on the Trapeze operation in 10K and 10K filings. This limits the ability to understand the financial attributes of the operation and associated risks.
Trapeze and Belden do not offer wired switching products for enterprise campus, branch and remote office deployments. Trapeze and Belden dont have solutions in this space compared to the choices offered by Cisco.
Trapeze does not provide validated reference designs to reduce the risk during customer deployment.
The Trapeze 802.11n access point provides lower performance with legacy 802.11 a/b/g clients because they provide nothing comparable to Cisco ClientLink functionality.
Trapeze does not offer a solution for RF spectrum intelligence or Cisco CleanAir technology. These Cisco solutions provide detection, classification, location, and mitigation for RF interference. Thus, RF troubleshooting with Trapeze products may increase the operating cost in customer WLAN deployments.
Trapeze wireless IPS/IDS functionality is limited. Ciscos comprehensive wireless IPS solution offers multiple levels of functionality including controller-based features and comprehensive integrated wireless IPS (wIPS) running on the Cisco Mobility Services Engine (MSE) and integration with the wired network,
The Trapeze 802.11n access points and controllers do not include Cisco VideoStream optimization for multicast. As a result, video traffic on Trapeze WLANs may create excess traffic over the wired network and may deliver poor video performance over the WLAN segments.
Trapeze APs do not provide remote AP functionality of any kind. There is no ability to tunnel from the controller to APs over the internet. Thus, all remote deployments require a controller which can increase network complexity and cost. Cisco offers remote AP deployment options including Hybrid-Remote Edge Access Point (H-REAP) and Cisco OfficeExtend with centralized controllers and centralized management which can result in lower implementation cost.
The dual-radio Trapeze 802.11n access points require more power than 802.11af can deliver. The MP432 data sheet recommends a high-power PoE injector for full operating performance. Thus, deployments will require special power adapters or multiple 803.3af connections. No LAN switches are offered to deliver additional power.
Only selected Trapeze indoor APs are certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance for WPA, WPA2, WMM or WMM-PS operation. Neither outdoor AP is certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This may lead to interoperability issues for customers.
Only selected Trapeze indoor APs are plenum rated restricting deployment options. All Cisco indoor APs are plenum rated for maximum deployment flexibility
The Trapeze outdoor access points are not certified for hazardous environments.
Trapeze is experiencing increased competition from Aruba, Motorola, HP, Meru, and others.
Trapeze Sales Tactics
Trapeze claims that OEMs validate their technology.
Trapeze claims the Belden acquisition validates their technology.
Trapeze claims that Belden provides financial strength.
Trapeze generally proposes a simple overlay WLAN for any wired network. This requires customers to configure and administer security and other network services separately for the wired and wireless network.
Trapeze messaging focuses on a user mobility vision. However, Trapeze sells only WLAN products and does not offer mobility services, mobile devices, or software.
Trapeze messaging focuses on a technical-value proposition centered on Smart Mobile and NonStop Wireless messaging.
The Smart Mobile messaging emphasizes that Trapezes packet forwarding architecture provides both centralized and distributed switching of traffic (at the AP or controller). Cisco WLAN products offer these forwarding options.
The NonStop Wireless messaging emphasizes system reliability including dynamic RF adjustments, redundancy, and controller failover characteristics. Cisco WLAN products offer similar functionality.
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Product information provided in this Guide is derived from sources including competitor data sheets and testing performed by Cisco Systems. Product information provided is believed to be accurate as of August 2010. Cisco is not liable for redistributing inaccurate information received from third-party sources.
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To the best of our knowledge, information in this Competitive Reference Guide is current as of the date this document was released by Cisco Marketing.