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New
offerings from SMC
We thought that SMC was going to be introducing some new stuff at
NW+I, but they'd been keeping the info to themselves...until
now! They'll be showing three new wireless products and one
new gateway
Updated 5/7/01
First up is the 2655W,
which is a new 802.11b Access point. It's
smaller than their earlier offering, the 2652W, and supports 64
users vs. the 52's 128 and supports both 64 & 128 bit
WEP encryption. Among its other features are MAC address
filtering, SNMP based configuration and management, and is
Power-over-Ethernet enabled.
The antennas aren't removable, so you couldn't
attach a booster antenna for range improvement. On-line
pricing is about $230, so it's not that much
cheaper than the 2652W which is around $240. No availability info.
If you're into matching components, the new 2662Wwireless USB adapter makes a stylish companion
to the 2655W AP. The Web site picture looks almost identical
(except the dual antennas are down). The 62W also has 64bit WEP
encryption and has on-line pricing of around $130.
No availability info on this one either.
The familiar looking box to the right (except for the new color)
is the 2582W
EzConnect Wireless Bridge. It's intended to be used
in pairs to wirelessly connect two Ethernet LANs. Would be
really handy for connecting the downstairs cable modem connection
to the kids' rooms upstairs, except at around $460
a pop, you may look for less expensive alternatives.
The last of the new products being kicked off is a VoIP
gateway, but we couldn't dig up any info on it.
Have to wait until next week!
ZyXEL
ZyXEL sent word late Friday of four new products that they'll be
introducing. One is an ADSL Ethernet switch, and the second is a
G.SHDSL Access device. The other two products are outlined
below
Prestige 316E Broadband Sharing Gateway with 11Mbps
Wireless Access Point - A new version of their Prestige 316 802.11b wireless
router (reviewed here), the "E's" claim to fame is that it has a connector for
attaching a series of external antennas that ZyXEL will be offering.
Availability is "2Q 2001" and no pricing is available.
ZyWall 100 Internet Security Gateway - A
"business class" version of their ZyWall 10, the 100 supports up
to 100 IPsec sessions and has a separate "DMZ" port for attaching
servers that need to be outside the 100's firewall. This one will also
be available in 2Q, and no pricing was given.
New
802.11b solutions for PDAs
Z-COM
will be showing a Compact Flash adapter for PDA use. Not
sure what OSes it will support, but we'll find out!
