TerraWave Solutions

TerraWave Antennas work with any manufacturer access point!

Question: Does TerraWave's line of premium WLAN antennas meet FCC standards to operate with any major manufacturer's access points, including Cisco's?

Answer: Yes. According to the July 20, 2007 update on WLAN antenna product regulations for the FCC regulatory domain, this is indeed true.

The latest FCC regulations update for certification of antennas indicates that preferred third party antenna solutions are unique and innovative in the antenna marketplace and are indeed certified to operate with any manufacturer's access points, including Cisco, 3Com, Proxim and Motorola. These specialized antennas add value and encourage competition in the marketplace by offering customers high-quality, equivalent alternatives to other WLAN antenna manufacturer's product lines.

Preferred Third Party Antenna Solutions

"In 1994 the FCC added regulations to the 2.4 and 5 GHz WLAN bands, requiring unique connectors or permanently attached antennas. A unique antenna connector was defined as a nonstandard RF connector, not readily available to the general public. At the same time, only antennas certified with a specific WLAN were permitted. The only exceptions to these rules were for transmitters that were certified for installation by a professional installer.

While the requirement for unique connectors remains, the regulations for certification of antennas have changed with the rules introduced in October 2004. These regulations permit any user to install any antenna that is of the same family or style, and equal or lower gain, than any certified antenna. For example: if a 10-dBi patch antenna is certified for use with a specific WLAN transmitter, any patch antenna with a gain of 10 dBi or less may also be used, regardless of its manufacturer. Or if a Yagi directional antenna with a gain of 13.5 dBi is certified with a transmitter, any Yagi antenna with 13.5 or less gain may be used with that transmitter.

Customers can consult the Cisco Aironet Antenna and Accessory Guide for a list of antennas that have been approved for operation with Cisco Aironet devices." To read the full Cisco white paper on the FCC Regulations Update, click here.