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Cisco to Release 802.11n Wi-Fi Access Point

6:35 am on September 6, 2007 | Category: Business, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology

Cisco Systems has reversed its position that the emerging 802.11n Wi-Fi standard is not yet ready for business use, announcing that it will use the technology in forthcoming products.

Cisco’s 802.11n-based Aironet 1250 access point, due out next month, can be used on its own or as a thin access point connecting to wireless switches. It is theoretically capable of 300 Mbps throughput, although actual bandwidth will probably be closer to 100 Mbps. Current 802.11g access points, by comparison, offer a theoretical maximum of 54 Mbps throughput, and practical bandwidth of approximately 20 Mbps in most cases.

Cisco also announced a partnership with chipmaker, Intel, to demonstrate its forthcoming 802.11n products in real-world settings and prove that it works with Intel-based Wi-Fi clients.

“This technology is real and ready for deployment,” commented Cisco’s VP of marketing, Marciej Kranz. Intel’s wireless marketing director, Randy Nickel agreed, stating that “the changeover to N has exceeded our expectations.”

Even though the 802.11n specification is more than a year away from receiving final IEEE approval, Cisco and Intel say that the Wi-Fi Alliance’s endorsement of a draft version of the technology should be enough to gain the trust of users.

Analysts expect Cisco’s use of the 802.11n standard to open the floodgates for similar next-generation products from other networking vendors.

“What Cisco is basically saying is, ‘There’s a new technology available, the risk is very low, we know that customers want to buy it, so we’re in the game,” explained Farpoint Group analyst, Craig Mathias.

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