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Dell offering draft-802.11n card for notebooks
Like many consumers, Dell is getting a little sick of waiting around for the IEEE's Task Group N to pull it together and roll out a final version of the next-gen WiFi standard, so the company has decided to start offering its own draft-802.11n card in all XPS and select Inspiron laptops. As you're probably already aware, 802.11n will be a wireless networking protocol that uses MIMO technology to offer greater range and speed than traditional 802.11a/b/g networks, but has been famously bogged down by delays and questions of interoperability. Dell's implementation comes in the form of its redundantly-named Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n dual-band wireless card, which utilizes Broadcom's Intensi-fi flavor of draft-N -- available in such products as Netgear's RangeMax Next lineup -- to provide those desirable performance boosts. Usually we'd recommend that you wait to take the plunge until the dust settles and a final standard is announced, but since that may not happen in our lifetimes and Dell's backwards-compatible card is only $59 (or less, plus the cost of a router), it doesn't sound too risky to give this option a try.[Via Notebook Review]
D-Link releases RangeBooster line of draft-N gear
Probably feeling left out now that all its competitors have released gear conforming to the troubled draft-802.11n WiFi standard, D-Link has finally entered the game with a pair of routers that promise increased range and throughput over traditional 802.11/a/b/g equipment while maintaining compatibility with previously deployed products. So far the reviews we've read about similar routers from Linksys, Buffalo, and Netgear have not been all that positive, so we're not expecting too much from the 3-antenna RangeBooster N 650 and 2-antenna Rangebooster N, although the fact that you can pick up the latter for under a hundred bucks may convince you to give it a try. Still, you're probably not gonna get anywhere near the bandwidth that D-Link promises, and with the controversy over 802.11n still raging on, you're probably better off with a MIMO-equipped 802.11g model instead.Read- RangeBooster N 650Read- RangeBooster N[Via PCMag]
Adaptix new SX-300 and SX-500 Mobile WiMax base stations
They may be jumping the gun, oh, just a little, but Adaptix is launching two new Mobile WiMax base stations, the SX-500 and SX-300, intended for mobile and vehicular uses, respectively. But doing IEEE 802.16e-2005 compliant OFDMA WiMax isn't just all this thing does; these devices will be imminently updatable and upgradeable as they're equipped with software defined radios. For example, already plans are in place to shoehorn in MIMO capabilities and 802.22 Wireless Regional Area data networks over TV bands into these units; in theory they could even be hacked to be WiFi APs or WiMax Bluetooth DUN modems -- but we'll not get ahead of ourselves here. No, as always we'll patiently wait for Adaptix get these in the hands of the users before we start letting our imaginations run away with us in wireless flights of fancy.
TRENDnet announces upcoming pre-n gear
All of the controversy, delays, and performance concerns surrounding the IEEE's notorious pre-802.11n wireless networking spec haven't deterred TRENDnet from being the latest to announce a new family of products based on the non-final version of the MIMO-powered, next-gen WiFi standard. As you'll recall, there's been no small amount of concern that pre-n gear won't play nicely with legacy 802.11a/b/g equipment, which is why TRENDnet goes it out of its way to stress the "good neighbor behavior" exhibited by its WPA and SPI-protected TEW-631BRP router and TEW-621PC PC card -- both of which use Atheros' XSPAN technology to supposedly ensure interoperability in mixed-network environments. TRENDnet promises real-world speeds of between 150Mbps and 180Mbps , which in theory should be enough to stream around a little HD content and download some torrents while you're chatting on your wireless VoIP handset about that great post you're reading on Engadget. Both new products, along with a $150 access point and a $100 PCI adapter, are scheduled to ship on July 25th, with the router priced at $130 and the card going for an even $100.
Dell to start shipping pre-N enabled laptops in Q3?
We've already seen plenty of routers, and even one laptop, embracing the pre-N standard, but industry rumblings would suggest Dell has made a large order for compatible devices that will ship in some of their third quarter lappies. Most of the time we're all for early adoption, but embedding devices that might end up being incompatible with the final version of the N standard seems awfully risky to us. Then again, we aren't billionaire business tycoons, either.
Airgo makes advances in WiFi-delivered IPTV
Airgo Networks seems to have made some significant advances in the delivery of IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) over WiFi, and has announced that Caton Overseas and STMicroelectronics will be using their technology in set-top boxes. According to Airgo, the company has further tweaked its MIMO technology (which is, of course, the same technological basis for the still-to-be-determined 802.11n standard) to better deliver wireless video around the house. Airgo's latest chips, called True MIMO Gen3, can apparently provide transmission speeds up to 240mbps throughout a 6,000 square foot home -- enough to handily transmit three HD channels -- under ideal conditions though, as it was tested in Airgo's model home. And we know our homes often ain't model when it comes to wireless transmission, now don't we?
IEEE source: draft 802.11n timeline slipping yet again
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]
IEEE "Task Group N" rejects first 802.11n draft proposal
In a move that came as little surprise to those who know how these things work, but that will still probably hurt manufacturers who've been releasing MIMO-enabled networking peripherals for the last few months, the IEEE 802.11 working group tasked with creating a next-gen WiFi standard has recently rejected the first draft of the highly-anticipated 802.11n. Not only did the first 802.11n draft fail to capture the 75% supermajority needed for passage, it couldn't even muster a regular majority among "Task Group N," which is a troubling development for those consumers who have already gone out and purchased pre- or draft-N gear from Linksys, Netgear, and the like. As we've reported in the past, some manufacturers had warned -- and independent testing corroborated -- that draft-N gear could negatively effect current 802.11b/g products already on the market, by hogging the available 2.5GHz bandwidth and causing performance issues on existing WLANs. Still, taken in a historical perspective, rejection of the first draft of a proposed 802.11x specification is not uncommon, and actually seems to be the rule, rather than the exception, in the life-cycle of these multi-year, multi-party standards talks.
Linksys touts draft 802.11n gear interoperability
Despite earlier concerns voiced by chipset manufacturer Airgo that draft 802.11n gear will "degrade" or "disable," current 802.11b/g networks, Linksys claims that it has tested and approved its upcoming suite of draft-n routers and adapters for interoperability with current products on the market. Since 802.11n relies on the multiple channel MIMO technology to deliver higher bandwidths, there has been some speculation that pre-N networks would dominate the spectrum designated for 802.11 communications, even though the draft specification specifically requires so-called mixed mode operation. While it's certainly reassuring to know that Linksys has been working with multiple vendors to ensure that current WiFi gear will perform at "peak levels" in the presence of 802.11n signals, the real test will come when we start seeing actual real-world deployment of these speedy new networks.
Airgo and Asus team for MIMO laptop
So, you've ordered a brand-new draft-n router and want to get a laptop to match. Sure, you could always pick up a card and slot it in. But if you want a portable with the latest WiFi card built-in, you may want to take a look at the version of the Asus A6T being marketed by Asus and Airgo. The laptop includes an Airgo True MIMO card, which Airgo says is capable of throughput of up to 240 MBps, along with full backwards-compatibility with existing 802.11 networks. While we don't expect Asus to sell a whole lot of these, if you want bragging rights to the laptop with the fastest built-in WiFi networking (when operating on a compatible network, that is), now's your chance.
Pre-N WiFi gear: consider yourself warned
So for those not following the IEEE 802.11n draft spec pending approval and ratification, it could still be a while before that gets sorted out and "true" 802.11n gear hits the market. Of course, that hasn't stopped manufacturers from making 802.11n-speed (or faster) and MIMO wireless devices for the past couple of years, but now that the spec drafts are merged into one, the first "proper" pre-N chipsets are hitting the market, and finding their way into actual devices. However, eWeek and the Farpoint Group advise a big caveat emptor on pre-N purchases, as early gear tested by the two has shown issues from incompatibility to poor performance and range that's sub-par to existing non pre-N Airgo Gen 3 True MIMO chipset-based devices. So do you really need that pre-N gear that much? Obviously it's your call, but being an early adopter does have its tradeoffs.
Netgear intros RangeMax Next "draft spec" 802.11n products
We're not sure how this is much different than all those pre-n routers that have been floating around for a while, since a device that holds to the draft specifications of 802.11n still has quite a slim chance to actually work with official 802.11n devices. But that's not stopping Netgear from releasing a new line of RangeMax Next wireless products, which tout 300Mbps speeds and HD video streaming power. The WNR854T router supports gigabit Ethernet, while both the router and WN511T use MIMO (multi-in, multi-out) to reach those 802.11n speeds. It seems we've waited so long for 802.11n products that it has lost a lot of its appeal, but we're sure Netgear will find a way to keep busy.
802.11n is coming soon to an HDTV near you
Why do we care about faster WiFi? Say it with me people: "streaming HDTV without wires." Ok,maybe we're a little obsessed with the whole HDTV over WiFi thing, but it really impresses the ladies. Now that the Enhanced Wireless Consortium voted 40-0 on a joint 802.11n proposal, it's more likely that the IEEE will move the standard forward. Full ratification may take all year, but you can bet we'll see more "pre-n" gear and less "pre-pre-n" equipment which kills our product suggestion of "Finding MIMO."The new 802.11n standard is expected to increase wireless networking speeds up to five times over 802.11a/g, which are currently pegged at 54Mbps, but we all know that the real throughput is currently about half of that, right? Greater compression rates will also help as current MPEG-2 HD requires up to 19.39Mbps of pipe.
