Linksys today announced the first of its Ultra RangePlus wireless networking products.
The Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WRT600N) and Dual-Band Wireless-N Notebook Adapter (WPC600N) are 802.11n Draft 2.0 Wi-Fi Certified and operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands. The WRT600N has two radios for simultaneous dual-band coverage. Both products are based on Broadcom Intensi-Fi draft 11n chipsets.
The second installment of our series shows you how to use equipment you already have to scan the airwaves for problems.
SmallNetBuilder has discovered a hole in the Wi-Fi Alliance's 802.11n Draft 2.0 test suite that can allow Wi-Fi Certified products to interfere with existing wireless networks, in direct violation of a mandatory Certification requirement.
A long-running battle in the standard has been whether to allow the use of "wide-channel" operation in the 2.4 GHz band that is used by the majority of Wi-Fi products. The mode, also referred to as "channel bonded" or "40 MHz bandwidth" mode, uses up two of the available three non-overlapping channels in the band, making it impossible to avoid interfering with other wireless networks operating in the center of the band.
Interference from draft 802.11n channel-bonded networks can, at worst, render 802.11b and g wireless networks inoperable and, at minimum, cause slowdowns and unreliable connections.
Broadcom today announced what it says is the world's first full-featured, single-chip 802.11n solution.
The Broadcom BCM4322 combines all of the elements of a wireless LAN subsystem onto a single silicon die, including 802.11 MAC, baseband processor, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios and other WLAN components. Broadcom claims that the device can deliver " over 200 Mbps of actual wireless throughput".
Today's announcement by Linksys of its "affordable" Range Plus product line (WRT100, WPC100) is an odd one. The product line is described as using "MIMO" technology to provide extended coverage at a price point around $100. But a look at the FCC Test report reveals the real technology used.