Meru Networks, Inc., the pioneer in 802.11n enterprise networking, today announced that Camden Public Library has made high-speed wireless access available to its more than 150,000 annual visitors with a new 802.11n wireless network from Meru Networks.

The Meru WLAN allows visitors to the coastal town's historic 80-year-old library building to gain access to the Internet or use the library's web site to browse the collections, research books they're writing, put a "hold" on a book they wish to check out, and even download audio books wirelessly.

The Meru WLAN replaces an earlier wireless network that failed to provide sufficient signal strength to library guests and led to frequent user complaints, especially with the summer tourist influx.

“In today’s world so many people bring their own laptops into the library that we were facing severe bandwidth limitations," said Jamie Ritter, deputy director, Camden Public Library. “Camden has about 5,500 residents, many of whom regularly use the public internet services the library has to provide to stay in touch globally with friends and relatives. In the summer that population doubles or triples and many more individuals rely on the library as a source to check email and the like. With an estimated 60,000 library visitors in June through August alone, we needed a wireless solution that would let many users at once get onto the network from anywhere in the library – including the main portion of our library which is underground – and not lose the signal even when they're moving from one area to another."

Camden-based IT solutions provider Know Technology, which had deployed a Meru WLAN to support a diverse and tech-savvy audience at Camden's Pop!Tech conference in 2008, suggested Meru's WLAN Virtualization architecture to address similar issues for the library.

“Blown Away" by WLAN's Speed, Reliability

Since installing its Meru WLAN in December 2008, the Camden Public Library has had a similar experience. The 802.11n wireless standard on which the WLAN is based provides users with wireless access at speeds up to five times faster than legacy 802.11a/b/g networks.

Meru has also addressed security concerns that the library had with its previous WLAN, which allowed any wireless user logging-in to see the activity of other users. With Meru’s WLAN, the public is fully segregated from a wired network used by the circulation desk and other library staff functions, and the two networks are supported by different Internet service providers. But staffers can easily log onto the wireless LAN and continue their work if issues arise with the wired network.

The Camden Public Library WLAN deployment uses Meru AP302 access points, which have two 802.11a/b/g radios (both software-upgradeable to 802.11n). A Meru MC1000 controller provides centralized intelligent RF management, advanced quality of service and security for all access points.

Future plans call for additional wireless access points to be placed in the park areas surrounding the library building, so users can access the WLAN from anywhere on the campus, indoors or outdoors.

About the Camden Public Library

The Camden Public Library is a cultural and intellectual center for Camden, Maine, and surrounding communities. Open continuously since 1928, the library in 1996 underwent a major expansion, opening the Centennial Wing to accommodate larger collections and computer-based technology without compromising the scenic or historic value of the original building. In February 2009 the Library Journal rated the Camden Public Library a "Four Star Library." For more information, visit http://www.librarycamden.org.

About Meru Networks

Founded in 2002, Meru Networks develops and markets wireless LAN infrastructure solutions that use virtualization to deliver pervasive, high-fidelity wireless service for business-critical voice, video and data applications. The company first introduced its award-winning virtual cell wireless architecture in 2003, and Meru products embody a complete departure from typical hub-based WLAN approaches, offering a wireless solution with levels of performance, reliability, security and cost-effectiveness previously found only in wired networking environments. Meru's solutions have been adopted in all major industry vertical markets, including Fortune 500 enterprises, healthcare, education, retail, manufacturing, hospitality and government. Meru is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.