Netgear, we're here to tell you it's been far, far too long since you threw any new 802.11n gear our way, so we're pretty stoked to see a few new pieces roll out today. The outfit is formally introducing the WNR2000 Wireless-N router and DGN2000 Wireless-N router with built-in DSL modem this morning, both of which boast the company's own Push 'N' Connect with Wi-Fi Protected Setup to eliminate the need to remember those pesky network security passwords. Both units are available in kit form as well, which sees a USB wireless adapter bundled in just in case your rig is operating sans an 802.11n WiFi module. Everything is available now for anywhere between $89 and $129.

If you haven't made the leap to 802.11n (or, even better, 5GHz 802.11n), you might want to start holding on to that loose change -- you'll probably have enough by the end of the week to pick up D-Link's new DIR-628 router, which has an official MSRP of $119, but will sell at Best Buy for just $79. The dual-band router obviously isn't the most feature-packed unit out there, but in terms of straight connectivity, it'll get the job done as long as the firmware is reasonably stable -- and to be honest, that's all we really want a router to do. Should be out now -- we're telling you, 5GHz is freaking amazing.

[Via SmallNetBuilder]

Linksys is keeping us busy with their new Ultra RangePlus family of home networking gear. Announced are the draft 802.11n Gigabit Router ($130 WRT310N, pictured), the draft-N Broadband Router ($100 WRT160N), and a trio of Dual-Band draft-N products including a USB Notebook Adapter ($80 WUSB600N), an ExpressCard Adapter ($80 WEC600N), and new Gaming Adapter ($90 WGA600N). The WRT310N and WRT160N both feature new un-Linksys designs with a dumbed-down, flash-based user interface and enhanced RangePlus internal antenna to keep the clutter down. The dual-band gear split the load between 5GHz (HD streaming or gaming) and 2.4GHz (everything else). The WGA600N, WUSB600N and WEC600N will be available soon, the others now.

You might remember that the 802.11n "Draft 2.0" specification was finally approved just a couple months ago, and since the final 802.11n standard is guaranteed to be compatible with that version, the Wi-Fi Alliance (the trade group that controls the Wi-Fi spec) has retooled the Wi-Fi logo and decided to start certifying products as "802.11n Draft 2.0 certified," in anticipation of the spec being formally released in 2008. There's only a few products on the list released today: router / card combos from Atheros, Broadcom, and Marvell; Cisco and Intel APs; and a chipset / router combo from Ralink. This is, of course, in contrast to the veritable cornucopia of products (hello, Santa Rosa) that meet the earlier draft-n spec, which the Alliance did not certify. While we understand the need for the Wi-Fi Alliance to somehow regulate the enormous number of possibly-incompatible draft-n implementations out there, we'd much rather it just hurry up and finish the 802.11n spec already -- it's been two and a half years. Peep the full list of Draft 2.0 certified products after the jump.

It's been a long, hard road for all of us -- consumers, manufacturers, developers, and a little club called the 802.11n Working Group -- but the next-gen, MIMO-powered WiFi standard has finally reached an important milestone in its tortured journey from a wee pre-N to a full-fledged spec (hopefully!), with 83.4% of eligible voters approving the latest Draft 2.0 revision. As we all remember from the overwhelming initial rejection of Draft 1.0, a 75% supermajority is required for moving on to the next stage, so the fact that there was this much support coupled with relatively few comments (3,000-some versus the 12,000+ for that famous Draft 1.0 flameout) means that we may actually be on track for a planned April 2009 publication of the final IEEE spec. The best part is that since Draft 2.0 is guaranteed to be fully compatible with the finalized 802.11n, your current gear with the D 2.0 badge of honor will definitely play nice with future components. So we're in the home stretch now, folks -- all that's left is some nitpicking over technicalities and language -- and it looks like the naysayers will have been proven wrong after all; although when WiMax comes to town and makes WLANs irrelevant, there's a good chance that this whole ordeal will be quickly forgotten anyway.

[Via Ars Technica]

As we edge ever closer (right?) to finally seeing a finalized 802.11n protocol, companies are shoving (sometimes in secret) draft-spec 802.11n kit into their products to take advantage of the here and now. Taking yet another baby step towards the goal, Qualcomm is releasing a fourth-generation chipset, dubbed the AGN400, to take advantage of Draft 2.0 of the IEEE 802.11n standard. The chipset itself was crafted by Airgo, who just so happened to be acquired by dear Qualcomm in one fell swoop, and also features Airgo's True MIMO Gen-N technology. Although Airgo has had its quibbles with backwards compatibility in the past, this device will supposedly play nice with all previous 802.11s, including the earlier draft of 802.11n and the typical trio of 802.11a/b/g. Reportedly ready to fit a "full array" of interface buses for OEM products, this Draft 2.0-compliant chipset purportedly provides "significantly better performance, a greater feature set, and enhanced interoperability" over the previous rendition. While pricing details weren't discussed, it should be ready for the world to see by CES, while True MIMO Gen-N products should be available by "the first quarter of 2007."

[Via PhoneMag]

Starting in March 2007 the Wi-Fi Alliance will start certifying next-gen WiFi products, which puts us at ease a little bit. As CNET reports, the ultimate goal is, of course, to make sure that all the prelim 802.11n stuff out there plays nice with each other, which currently can mess up existing legit WiFi networks. For those of you who haven't been keeping score at home, 802.11n has been fraught with total confusion since the beginning. Back in May 2006, the IEEE rejected the first 802.11n draft by a wide margin, failing to garner a simple majority, let alone the required 75 percent supermajority. Later that month, Glenn Fleishman at Wi-Fi Net News told us that Task Group N received around 12,000 comments on the proposed draft -- compared to the 2,000-some that most drafts generate -- which is another very bad sign. Unfortunately though, it still looks like the real deal officially official final ratification won't be done until 2008. The short version? Just to be safe, stick with your current WiFi setup until there's a new man in the White House, ok?

[Via Wi-Fi Net News]

More bad news for MIMO fans (if there is such a thing): Glenn Fleishman over at Wi-Fi Net News is reporting that an IEEE member has informed him of a delay in the timetable for expected approval of the final draft of the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, from sometime this summer to late fall or even early winter. Fleishman's source claims that Task Group N received around 12,000 comments on the proposed draft -- compared to the 2,000-some that most drafts generate -- which is yet another bad sign following the group's earlier failure to garner even a simple majority in favor of the current proposal, much less the 75% supermajority needed for passage. With draft approval seemingly several months off at the least, it could be a year or even a year and a half before a final 802.11n standard is ratified, meaning that those folks who are already snatching up pre-N gear will have to wait even longer to find out if their hardware ends up being compatible.

[Via Ars Technica]