Thursday, October 31, 2002 -- Happy Halloween

The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced Wi-Fi Protected Access (CPA), a solution for replacing WEP encryption and improving the security of 802.11-based wireless networks. Read the details at 802.11 Planet.

D-Link today announced the D-Link AirPlus Enhanced 2.4GHz Wireless Broadband Router, the DI-714P+, a 22Mbps 802.11a router with built-in print server, 4-port switch, parental controls, NAT firewall and VPN pass-through support. The $189.99 MSRP unit should be available in late November. It comes with a one year warranty and D-Link's typical free 24/7 tech support.

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

SMC Networks is shipping the $299.99 TigerSwitch 10/100 SMC6709L2 intelligent standalone Fast Ethernet switch which has eight 10/100TX and one 10/100/1000 port, plus two slots for optional fiber uplinks.

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

Netgear will be including a copy of Mentor for Networking in select network products for homes and small offices in the future. Mentor for Networking is a multimedia introduction to networking made by Mentor, a multimedia training designer, which works over the Internet and comes up to show new facets of networking as needed. They've designed a specialized Web site together at www.netgear.trymentor.com. Any Netgear customer can download a copy of the software at the site (it's 2.43MB).

3Com has announced several new products including the NJ200 (and upgrade of the NJ100) Network Jack that puts a switch in the wall near your computer, a new 802.11b PC Card adapter with XJack antenna, and a Wireless LAN Outdoor Bridge, a weatherproof antenna for connecting separate networks wirelessly. Read more about the products at 802.11 Planet.

ReefEdge is offering an one-hour online version of their seminar, "How to Secure and Manage Your Wireless Network" on November 7, 2002 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST. It's a in-depth crash course in 802.11 security and management. Registration information at: http://www.reefedge.com/seminar.

Lexmark will start shipping the Lexmark 802.11b Wireless Print Adapter in late November. The $199 unit will connect to any Ethernet-capable printer or multi-function unit to provide wireless printing from Wi-Fi clients.

Thursday, October 24, 2002

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance has announced HomePlug AV, the latest version of the specification for networking using the existing power lines in a building. HomePlug AV is designed to support "data and multi-stream entertainment including High Definition television (HDTV) and Standard Definition television (SDTV)." The new spec should work with not only PCs but also in TVs and set-top boxes, and should coexist with current HomePlug products. HomePlug AV is currently under development by the alliance member companies and should be finished in 18 to 24 months.

Tuesday, October 22, 2002

Cisco has announced a move into the small business arena after purchasing network security firm Psionic Software earlier this week. Read more about it at InternetNews.

SonicWALL has announced the TELE TZX, a security appliance that creates a "trusted zone" between an corporate office and a telecommuter's home network. It has an auto-sensing 4-port switch built in to protect multiple systems. The unit isolates an IPSec virtual private network (VPN) tunnel to the office and secures the Internet connection with a stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall. The price will be $595 and it's available now.

SMC Networks has launched two new wireless products. The SMC2455W 2.4GHz 11/22 Mbps Auto-Sensing Wireless Access Point is a typical access point that uses the Texas Instruments ACX100 chipset for faster 802.11b speed. It offers a reported coverage of 1,155 feet. The SMC2482W 2.4GHz 11/22 Mbps Auto-Sensing Wireless Bridge will connect separate networks that are up to 20 miles apart using optional high-gain antennas from SMC -- this update to the SMC2682W also uses the TI "802.11b+" chip to get a faster throughput than standard 802.11b. Each will sell for $129.

Monday, October 21, 2002

The big guns are getting behind Wi-Fi: Intel has announced plans to invest over $150 million in 802.11-based companies and technologies. Read the full story at 802.11 Planet.

Netgear has launched the first eight-port Gigabit switch capabile of 10/100/1000 Mbps speeds. The GS108 comes at a price of $700.

Thursday, October 17, 2002

Broadband Hooks Up 13.1 Million Users: Despite slowing growth, Jupiter Research finds that 21 percent of online households in the U.S. connect to broadband service providers for high-speed Internet access. Read about it at ISP-Planet.

D-Link has announced an updated version of the D-LinkAir DWL-810 Ethernet to Wireless Bridge that supports the Xbox and PlayStation2 gaming consoles, giving each access to wireless broadband connections or an ad-hoc mode connecting one console to another. It still works also with any other Ethernet-equipped product, from PCs to printers to network switches.

PRISMIQ has announced the PRISMIQ MediaPlayer set-top box, their attempt to link the Internet connection from your PC to the TV and stereo equipment in your living room. The MediaPlayer can reportedly show DVD-quality video, play surround sound, stream MP3s, browse the Web on your TV, and more. The unit connects via 10/100 Ethernet and can take PC Card adapters for 802.11 or HomePNA (Phoneline) networking. It should ship to online stores such as Amazon in time for Christmas and will retail for $249.95.

Wednesday, October 16, 2002

Asoka USA has release its PlugLink USB Wall Mount (PL9720-USB) and Ethernet Wall Mount (PL9620-ETH) products, both supporting HomePlug 1.0 networking. Both feature 56-bit encryption security, and guaranteed minimum speeds of 1Mbps (Homeplug is rated at 14Mbps).

Netgear is working with America Online to make sure all Netgear home networking products are compatilbe with the cable-based AOL Broadband service. Products from Netgear will be identified at "AOL Broadband compatible" on the box.

HomePlug hits Europe: Phonex Broadband's $129.99 NeverWire 14 Powerline Ethernet Bridge QX-201 products have been certified for sale in the European Union. Products can be purchased directly at the Phonex Web site or retail partners.

Monday, October 14, 2002

Conexant Systems announced today that they have created a reference design for building a router that supports the HomePlug 1.0 specification. This should let vendors easily build and manufacture routers that will share an Internet connection to computers on a powerline-based network.

Friday, October 11, 2002

Now shipping: the D-Link PersonalAir DBT-120 Bluetooth adapter for use with PC and Mac. It will sell for $59.99.

Thursday, October 10, 2002

Compex this week rolled out the SKW811 Wireless Internet-In-a-Box, a kit that includes a Compex NP16 4-port Wireless Gateway, a Compex WL11A 802.11b Wireless PCMCIA Card, a Compex WLU11A 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter, a Cat 5 cable, and a Serial Port cable, all for $199.

3Com has rolled out the 3Com's Embedded Firewall Solution is a 10/100 Ethernet network interface card with a built-in firewall, based on Secure Computing Corp. firewall software. It will come in PC Card version for $219 and PCI version for desktops for $179. Get more details at eSecurity Planet.

Wednesday, October 9, 2002

SMC Networks announced the SMC2670W 2.4GHz 11 Mbps Wireless Ethernet Adapter this week. The unit lets you hook Ethernet-enabled equipment (PCs, printers, even game consoles) to your wireless network, without even needing driver software. The price will be about $99.99 and should be available this month.

Linksys is having a good week: In addition to being ranked as the 19th fastest growing technology company in Orange County/San Diego by Deloitte & Touche (the company's fifth year on the list), a recent report by In-Stat/MDR says Linksys is the leading vendor in the wireless home networking market based on having captured 24.1% of the sales in the first half of 2002.

The In-Stat/MDR report also pegs wireless LANs as now making up 38% of all home networking hardware sold; wired Ethernet made up 60%. HomePlug (powerline) and HomePNA (phoneline) networking is only a fraction, but In-Stat thinks HomePlug will ramp-up through the year.

Efficient Networks released new HomePlug based products that use home electrical wiring for network data transmission this week. The SpeedStream 2521 Powerline 802.11b Wireless Access Point is a bridge between wireless 802.11b-based networks and powerline and can be used to extend the range of a Wi-Fi network. They have also launched a SpeedStream 2502 Powerline Ethernet Adapter and SpeedStream 2501 Powerline USB Adapter for directly connecting Ethernet or USB-capable PCs to the HomePlug network. The products should be available sometime before the end of the year, but no pricing was announced.

The Wi-Fi Alliance will begin certification testing on 802.11a products in November of this year. Read the full story at 802.11 Planet.

Thursday, October 3, 2002

Dual-band 802.11a/b products continue to debut: D-Link has just announced the first PCI adapter for desktop computers that puts 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks on the same card. The $189.99 D-Link AirPro DWL-AB520 should be available now. It supports 802.1X authentication and AES encryption on top of standard WEP.

Wednesday, October 2, 2002

Asanté Technologies has released a new PC Card 802.11 adapter: the FriendlyNET AeroLAN AL1511 wireless PCMCIA card (99-00793-01) uses an "Xwing" design so the user can position the dual antennas for best signal strength. The card comes with a built in site-survey utility for Windows systems and will retail for about $75.