GERMANTOWN, Md. -- Cognio, the market leader in spectrum analysis and management for WiFi, today announced the addition of SNMP to its spectrum management solution. With Spectrum Expert 3.1, shipping today, WLAN operators can integrate spectrum information into their network management systems, receive traps and alarms based on performance and security information, and leverage Spectrum Expert running in a remote laptop as a wireless sensor for ongoing analysis. This capability adds valuable missing physical-layer information to existing wireless management systems, making these systems more robust and better able to support the innovative, real-time communication services enterprise IT managers are moving to deploy.

Additionally, Cognio has integrated this same information into its base release, making the technology available not only through Cognio, but also through Cognio’s OEM relationships, including AirMagnet, Fluke Networks and WildPackets. With Spectrum Expert 3.1, virtually any SNMP-based network management tool, such as HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli or even other open source offerings, is able to integrate spectrum information via Cognio’s new SNMP trap capabilities. This level of integration streamlines WLAN service management and delivery options, and makes it easier for enterprise IT managers to leverage, secure and optimize their wireless investment.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application layer protocol that facilitates the exchange of management information between network devices. It is part of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol suite. SNMP enables network administrators to manage network performance, find and solve network problems and plan for network growth.

AirWave, one of the most innovative wireless management solutions companies, will be able to utilize Cognio’s platform to extend their management capabilities of WLAN networks.

“With this upcoming integration, when the AirWave wireless network management software detects a performance problem in a particular area, IT can dispatch an engineer with Cognio’s Spectrum Expert to determine the cause of the problem and then transmit the information back to the management software via SNMP, creating a permanent record and audit trail,” said Greg Murphy, AirWave’s chief operating officer. “This type of integration helps IT managers identify and resolve RF problems more efficiently, resulting in improved performance and lower operational cost.”

Cognio Inc.