3M (NYSE:MMM) announced commercial availability of its Volition Ethernet IP Gateway for residential and enterprise applications for the convergence of voice, video and data over TCP/IP. With the ability to support 100 or 1000 Mbps, the Volition IP Gateway can easily accommodate real-time DVD-quality video-on-demand, HDTV, high-speed Internet and local and long distance phone service, simultaneously.
Designed for Ethernet applications, the gateway enables fully symmetric bandwidth using a dedicated 100 Mbps fiber uplink and seven 10/100 Ethernet switched ports for connectivity to video set-top boxes, PCs or other network equipment. Two RJ-11 ports accommodate analog telephones, fax machines or modems.
The gateway is available with three uplink configurations including 100 Base FX, 1000 Base-LX and 100 Mbps single mode. The gateway also supports voice over IP (H.323v2, MGCP and SIP) protocols and offers switching characteristics and management functions such as SNMP and web-based management. Enhanced versions of the IP gateway will also support routing protocols such as OSPF, RIP1 and RIP2.
3M also announced the Volition mini-switch for dedicated fast Ethernet bandwidth in the workgroup, small office or classroom. The Volition Mini-Switch enables groups of computers with copper NICs to connect to a fiber optic network.
With a Fast Ethernet VF-45 fiber uplink and eight RJ-45 copper ports, the Volition mini-switch enables computer users in remote rooms to connect to a network up to 2000 meters away ? making it ideal for many classroom, office and manufacturing environments. Unlike hubs, where users share the network bandwidth, the mini-switch provides 100Mbps bandwidth to each user for fast access to email, databases, file servers and the web.
The Volition system consists of all the products needed to install, or evolve toward a complete fiber optic LAN. This complete line of fiber-based networking products makes 3M able to offer end-to-end fiber networking solutions from passive cabling infrastructure to active equipment including desktop and server-based fiber NICs, media converters, modular workgroup and core switches. The Volition system's VF-45 fiber connector is a two-part interconnect similar to the RJ-45 modular jack that takes about two minutes to install, terminates two fibers at once and brings high bandwidth to the desk.
The Volition IP gateway is now available for customer trials and is expected to be commercially available July 1, 2001. Prices begin at $995, depending on uplink configuration.
The Volition mini-switch is currently available for $332.
About 3M
3M is a technology company in the electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office, health care, safety and other markets. For more information, visit www.3M.com.