Adtran this week rolled out a series of Ethernet switches for the small-to-midsize market that are more power efficient, higher density and Wi-Fi "friendly" than previous generation platforms.

Adtran unveiled six new NetVanta switches in all – four in the NetVanta 1230 series and two in the 1530 line. (Compare access switches.) 

The 1230 series includes 24- and 48-port Fast Ethernet devices that include four Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports supporting copper, or a combination of copper and fiber. They provide optional support for Power over Ethernet (PoE), feature a limited lifetime hardware warranty, and are compliant with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) specifications.

The 1530 line includes 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switches that feature two Gigabit uplink ports, optional PoE, and RoHS-compliance.

Optical interfaces on both switching lines are modular and standard small form factor pluggable (SFP). That means customer can use any SFP transceiver from a variety of vendors – not just Adtran.

PoE capabilities include support for standard IEEE 802.3af and pre-standard PoE implementations to support VoIP, Wi-Fi and video surveillance. The switches also enable users to budget PoE power and power down the devices when not in use, Adtran says.

For Wi-Fi, the switches can manage up to 24 access points without needing a dedicated wireless LAN controller, Adtran says. This allows users to manage a hybrid wired/wireless infrastructure through a singe interface, the company says.

For added VoIP support, the switches support the Link Layer Discovery Protocol and LLDP-Media Endpoint Discovery to discover and configure IP phones according to policy, which is designed to ease deployment, troubleshooting, and moves, adds and changes.

The switches will go up against comparable SMB offerings from Cisco and HP ProCurve, Adtran officials say.

The 1230 series switches are priced from $595 to $2,195. The 1530 series is priced from $1,695 to $2,895.