Xirrus, a provider of enterprise Wi-Fi, has recieved $20 million in a funding round led by InterWest Partners, bringing the total investment in the company to $80 million. Xirrus is also backed by August Capital, US Venture Partners, Canaan Partners and QuestMark Partners.
The company aims to replace ethernet in the enterprise, resulting in reduced setup and usage costs for corporate networks. Xirrus has been especially active gaining traction in the university market in the last year. Xirrus constructs Wi-Fi Arrays that improve coverage and performance. The Arrays integrate up to 16 Wi-Fi radios in circular configuration to maximize effect. They also provide a platform for managing their Wi-Fi Arrays and security as well.
Xirrus CEO Dirk Gates previously founded and led Xircom. Xircom specialized in providing ethernet connectivity to mobile computers and was sold to Intel in 2001 for $748 million.
Competitors include Aruba Networks, Cisco, Meru Networks and Ruckus Wireless.