Linksys Launches 802.11n Wi-Fi Products for Small Businesses

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Linksys Launches 802.11n Wi-Fi Products for Small Businesses

7:00 am on August 2, 2006 | Category: Wireless Technology, Wi-Fi

Cisco’s wireless networking division, Linksys, is attempting to lure small business customers with its newest series of 802.11n WLAN hardware products. The new products include a security router with VPN, an access point, and a CardBus adapter for laptops.

Designed for better handling of bandwidth-hungry applications such as VoIP and video, these new devices feature longer range and higher bandwidth than those based on older standards. This could enable businesses to more easily cover their entire offices with wireless broadband reception, allowing employees to work away from their desks without encountering dead spots.

The access point and laptop adapter products are now available to U.S. small businesses at prices of $169 and $129, respectively. The VPN router, meanwhile is expected to hit the market in September, at a cost of $229.

These highly functional new devices are sure to provide many immediate benefits to businesspeople, but enterprises everywhere should remember to be careful. The 802.11n draft specification has been initially approved by the IEEE, but hasn’t yet been tested by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which will have to happen before it is ratified. As of now, the technology works, but there is no guarantee that it will be interoperable with future 802.11n products.

Businesses that don’t want to take a risk on hardware that could be obsolete in a matter of months should hold off on all 802.11n products until this advanced new specification has been fully tested and ratified.