Aerohive demos at Wireless Field Day 2

Aerohive’s Paul Levasseur demonstrates Secure Guest Access, Branch on Demand, and “Value on Demand”, configuring the BR100 branch routers on the fly.

During the Wireless Field Day 2 presentation, Paul Levasseur detailed several of Aerohive’s innovative features, beginning with Secure Guest Access. This approach aimed to improve security and reduce reliance on open networks by allowing guests to self-register through a captive web portal and receive private pre-shared keys (PSKs). The network could dynamically assign access credentials based on guest information, with policies further set up according to user profiles and device types. Aerohive also showcased a network-based mobile device management (MDM) approach where policies are applied at the access point level, leveraging user agents and domain logins to control network behavior based on device type or user identity.

Levasseur next demonstrated the Branch on Demand solution, using BR100 routers that can be rapidly deployed across branch sites. These devices come pre-registered with Aerohive’s redirector service, enabling them to auto-configure and find the correct HiveManager regardless of location. Aerohive’s routers support LTE connections for primary or backup access and can switch autonomously in the event of a WAN failure. These routers also act as firewalls, NAT devices, DHCP servers, and local RADIUS servers, integrating easily with external web security solutions like WebSense and Barracuda. The system allows centralized policy creation, including SLAs, user-based whitelisting, and dynamic route provisioning without requiring traditional routing protocol overhead.

Aerohive’s demo culminated in a live, from-scratch setup of a fully functioning corporate router and wireless environment on 14 sites using an iPad. Within 15 minutes, Levasseur configured IPsec VPNs, dynamic routing (OSPF), multi-level user access, web filtering integration, and more. Audience members participated in hands-on tests using private PSKs and self-registration portals. The GUI-driven HiveManager Pro interface allowed seamless management across wireless and wired ports. Emphasizing simplicity and scale, Aerohive presented a compelling case for its distributed, controllerless architecture as a robust and efficient alternative to traditional wireless solutions.