Meru Networks has introduced a security gateway appliance designed for FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 Level 3 security for U.S. and Canadian government agencies and other security-conscious organizations as they broadly adopt wireless LANs.

The Meru SG1000 Security Gateway has been formally recommended for validation at FIPS 140-2 Level 3, the highest security level thus far sought by any WLAN vendor, the company said.

Unlike Level 2, which provides evidence of a breach only long after one has occurred and requires constant on-premises crypto-officer supervision, Level 3 provides physical tamper-proof security mechanisms, including a hard epoxy enclosure, as well as strong identity-based authentication.

Upon certification, Meru’s enterprise customers will be able to ensure full FIPS 140-2 compliance of their wireless networks simply by adding an SG1000 to an existing deployment.

The Meru SG1000 Security Gateway is priced starting at $19,000. Because it resides behind the wireless LAN, one SG1000 typically can support a large network with multiple controllers.