Connect802 Corporation - We've Got You Covered

Connect802 Corporation designs, develops, and markets turnkey wireless networking equipment and service packages called Connect EZ Solution Suites™ and also applies advanced computer-aided-design engineering to provide a custom communication system design consulting and equipment specification service called a Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey. A patent has been filed for the unique wireless network design methods developed by Connect802. These products and services are sold directly and through channel sales partner companies across the United States.

Connect EZ Solution Suites™ address the specific needs of small- to medium-size business that need "easy-to-choose / easy-to-use" in-building wireless network connectivity systems. The quality, reliability, performance, and affordability requirements of these customers are met through the application of a patent-pending wireless network design method created by Connect802.

The executive management team at Connect802 combines engineering, sales, business development, and corporate management experience to create a cohesive strategy for providing communication's solutions to a business community often perplexed by today's accelerated growth and deployment of complex technology.

Since 1994, the company's clients have included mid-sized and major corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions, providing networking design, analysis, and support services coupled with consulting and product sales. Our sales and marketing philosophy is centered around the needs of small- to medium-size business but our expertise is applied to the larger enterprise and public sector organization as well. There is no substitute for experience and the team at Connect802 stands ready to partner with your organization to provide secure, "easy to choose / easy to use" wireless network solutions.

Mission Statement

Connect802 provides equipment and services that facilitate the design and implementation of secure, cost-effective wireless networks. Connect802's goal is to leverage our expertise and experience, in partnership with our customers and affiliates, to create turnkey solutions that will meet their communication requirements. We strive to create exclusive solutions that match current and emerging technology with customer requirements in ways that simplify the selection of products and services. Connect802 is committed to integrity and professionalism in all areas of business conduct with a mutually beneficial value proposition forming the basis of every transaction.

Brief History of the Company

Connect802 Corporation is privately held California corporation and was originally founded in 1994 as Optimized Engineering Corporation. In its early years the company focused on wired Ethernet network design, troubleshooting, protocol analysis, and customer education services. It became evident that Ethernet networking, as a technology, was beginning to stabilize, and wireless networks were going to become the next major challenge for the business community. The name of the company was changed in 2003 to reflect a new focus on IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless networking. At the end of 2003, the corporation completed an exclusive 3-year contract with WildPackets, Inc. (the manufacturers of the EtherPeek and AiroPeek line of network protocol analysis and monitoring tools) and now continues independently. Since 1994, the company's clients have included mid-sized and major corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions to whom the company has provided networking design, analysis, and support services coupled with consulting and product sales. Our sales and marketing philosophy is centered around the needs of small- to medium-size business but our expertise is applied to the larger enterprise and public sector organization as well. The corporation is listed on Dun & Bradstreet and is a member of the Contra Costa County Better Business Bureau. We are certified for RF wireless network design and our technical staff maintains industry-standard engineering certifications. The Management page on the Connect802 website provides details on the executive management team.

The Evolution from Wired to Wireless

• 1994 - Company is incorporated in California as Optimized Engineering Corporation
• 1996 - Contract technical instructors from Optimized Engineering make up 30% of the Network General Sniffer University instructor pool and the company is delivering training and consulting services for HP Test and Measurement (now Agilent), Wandel & Goltermann (now Acterna) and other leading companies.
• 1997 - McAfee acquires Network General forming Network Associates. Optimized Engineering shifts focus to other protocol analysis equipment vendors.
• 2000 - Optimized Engineering is providing technical and instructional services for numerous major protocol analysis tool vendors, including AG Group, which will change its name to WildPackets.
• 2001 - Optimized Engineering enters in to a 3-year contract with AG Group at the point that their name changed to WildPackets, Inc. The Optimized Engineering team establishes professional services and channel sales for WildPackets. The Optimized Engineering team is instrumental in many aspects of the AiroPeek 802.11 wireless network analyzer and RF Grabber remote analysis probe development process.
• 2003 - The principles at Optimized Engineering reduce their commitment under the WildPackets 3-year contract to prepare for the re-focusing of the company at the end of the contract. The name is changed from Optimized Engineering to Connect802 Corporation.
• January 1, 2004 - With the WildPackets commitment complete, Connect802 continues its decade-long history of technical excellence and world-class service.

Equipment Sales

Connect802 is a Wi-Fi wireless network equipment vendor. Connect802 resells wireless network equipment and other related components as an authorized resale representative for many major equipment vendors. The company has established reseller relationships both directly with the equipment manufacturers and indirectly through distributors. All equipment sold by Connect802 carries not only the full original manufacturer's warranty and technical support commitment, but adds Connect802's own Connection Coach™ technical support service for installation, configuration, management, and maintenance of the equipment. Our technical support, sales, and engineering team has received all recommended vendor-sponsored product training and is knowledgeable in the application, implementation, and support of each product. In every case your staff can rely on vendor sales and technical support to compliment Connect802's comprehensive product support. The Products section of the Connect802 website provides complete details. The following represents some of the major types of equipment available through Connect802:

• Wi-Fi Access Points for 802.11b, 802.11b/g, 802.11a
• Wireless Mesh Routers and Wireless Distribution System equipment
• Ethernet Switches for the Wired Infrastructure including Power-over-Ethernet
• Network Analysis and Security Monitoring Tools and Distributed Systems
• High-Gain and Directional Antenna Options for In-Building and Outdoor Wi-Fi applications
• Firewall Routers, DHCP Servers, NAT Gateways
• HotSpot Access Controllers for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
• Wireless Switches and Centrally Managed Enterprise Wi-Fi Systems
• Point-to-Point Outdoor Communication's Equipment (WiMAX and similar technologies)
• Wireless Video Surveillance Camera Systems
• Specialized Law Enforcement Scene and Emergency Responder Communication Software

The Connect802 Patent-Pending Wireless Network Design Method

In July, 2004, Connect802 filed patent applications for, "A Method for Predicting Design Requirements for Wireless Networks" (US Patent Office Serial Nos. 10/909,002 and 10/909,003). These methods give Connect802 a strong competitive edge in the current wireless network marketplace by allowing the accurate prediction of equipment requirements based on building construction characteristics prior to any type of on-site survey of a facility.

Overview of the Connect EZ Solution Suite Concept

Connect802 has applied its patent-pending design methodology to the creation of a set of pre-designed, turnkey Wi-Fi wireless network equipment and service packages called Connect EZ Solution Suites. Each package includes the necessary Access Points, Ethernet switches, Firewall Routers, and all other equipment to implement a particular group of features in a particular size building of a particular construction category. The feature groups (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Enterprise, HotSpot, and Infrastructure) offer progressively enhanced capabilities, or alternate capabilities. Buildings are categorized into seven types of construction. The categorization of building construction type and the pre-definition of system feature groups allows Connect802 to quickly provide customer's with the information they need to make an informed buying decision without having to become an RF engineer just to understand the issues. Each Connect EZ Solution Suite includes a Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey to create an installation plan for the site. The Connect EZ Solution Suites section of the Connect802 website provides complete details.

Overview of the Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey

Computer CAD modeling and simulation is used in every major field of engineering, from airplane design, to automotive design, to the design of heating and air conditioning systems. When a cell phone carrier or a television broadcaster erects an antenna on a hillside they invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the planning and construction of the structure. They don't "guess" at the right location, they use sophisticated computer simulation tools to calculate the right location based on the RF characteristics of the local topography. The same software used to position outdoor cellular antennas also provides the ability to do RF modeling of interior space. The software is too expensive for an individual to purchase for the design of one wireless network. Connect802 licenses and uses this software (created by a company called Wireless Valley) to create RF models based on architectural plans. This is called a Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey. Without simulation and modeling it's necessary to have a consultant at your site to perform a typical "site survey". Of course, it would be a costly and time consuming effort to accurately measure 100% of the space at your site. Predictive computer modeling, however, takes all of your building into consideration. The exact location each access point antenna is determined so that installation can be done right the first time.

Another way that the Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey is used is to identify the right location for wireless network monitoring and remote analysis probes. Knowing exactly what part of a network is being "heard" by a monitoring probe device assures that performance, security, and network operations being assessed with the probe is accurate and complete. The Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey section of the Connect802 website provides complete details.