802.11g Hardware Arrives

DBordello writes "There's been quite a scramble as networking companies the world over rush to be the first to bring their 802.11g wireless gear to market. Linksys missed their early December launch date, and a company named Buffalo Technology has risen to steal their thunder. The company today issued a press release announcing their AirStation G54 broadband router access point and wireless CardBus adapter, the first 802.11g draft standard hardware to hit the market. More information can be found at the company's website." Update: 12/31 21:35 GMT by M : The story submitter apparently found this blurb on broadbandreports.com. Hey people, give credit where it's due. Update: 12/31 22:50 GMT by T : Karen Sohl of Linksys writes to say that despite the slip in dates, "Linksys is shipping our line of Wireless-G products. We have been shipping since last week. Honestly not large volume by any means-- but by the end of this week we'll have shipped over 10,000 units to distribution -- Ingram Micro and Tech Data." That's where even large retailers (think Amazon) buy their stock.

Comments

I'm waiting

[elliotj]

for 802.11xp!

802.11g

[checkitout]

alpha, beta, and now gamma... when's the stable release finally going to be out?

Re:802.11g

[3ryon]

alpha, beta, and now gamma... when's the stable release finally going to be out?

That would be 802.12. Odd number releases are never stable. Sheesh, how long have you been reading slashdot?

Re:802.11g

[gmacek]

Here's a bit from Buffalo's page on the new AP and PC Card: (at bottom of page) Here

NOTE TO OUR CUSTOMERS: As you may know, IEEE802.11g is slated to be certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance in mid 2003. We understand this could affect current 802.11g technology. We are dedicated to ensuring that our customers have the most current and reliable products available on the market today. If the certification materially changes the principal operating features of our pre-standard 802.11g products, we will replace or upgrade any of those products at no charge and provide toll-free technical support. We thank you for your loyalty and confidence in our products.

So in case anything changes they're guaranteeing you'll have what works. That's pretty cool if you ask me. I've worked with these guys before and have purchased a number of AP's and cards and they work well. People are nice to work with too.

On top of things...

[My_nickname_is_taken]

Does this mean my 4Mb token ring is obsolete?

Re:On top of things...

[Lxy]

Does this mean my 4Mb token ring is obsolete?

Your post was funny. I know that. I'm bored and I want to write a speech on why Token Ring is a bitch to upgrade.

Most token ring hubs are 4/16 selectable, but every card needs to be 16 or 4. If even one card is a different speed, your ring comes to a crash. 16Mb token ring hardware is expensive, as is 100Mbit token ring (yes, they make 100Mbit token ring, I have a small test ring set up with it).

Why not ethernet? Well, in a lot of cases, Token Ring installations were wired with a 4 conductor 14 gauge cable with really odd looking hermaphroditic connectors on them. To move to ethernet requires either an investment in recabling or the purchase of an impedence matching convertor, which I really don't recommend. They will bring your ethernet segment to a crash if you're not careful.

If you're running 4 MB token ring, you're probably fux0red unless you have a lot of money to burn.

security?

[trance9]

I'm a little worried about this mad dash to 802.11 technology before any viable security is in place. Of course this is great for those who want to create open networks--but many will use it to create corporate networks, or home networks with unsecured machines attached.

I'm running an 802.11 network and it drives me crazy that there is no way to wholly secure it: I have to secure each and every host on my network as it's impossible to create any kind of firewall (someone will just hack the air interface and get around my firewall).

Hopefully in addition to cool new bandwidth there are some hardcore security features in this one. 802.11 is "ad hoc" in more ways than one :-)

Re:security?

[macemoneta]

Nope, you're right, that works just fine. You don't actually need the DMZ, and you can also use SSH tunnels if you want a more adhoc environment (that's what I'm doing now).

The problem is that most people just take the stuff out of the box and plug it in, leaving themselves open. This article describes the problem.

We can set this up easily enough, but for most people, if it isn't configured by the manufacturer, it will never happen. Even some of my more technically capable friends never upgrade firmware (or manage to destroy their equipment when they try).

Re:security?

[halftrack]

Security is not a hardware issue. If you split open a cat5 that's lying around you can crack right into a unsecure, _wired_ network. Network security is - to most extents - software and transfere protocol reliant and can therefor only exist on a software level. It's fine for vendors to implement hardware firewalling (which really is just hardware implemented software if you get my drift,) but it should not be something to rely on because it's part of the standard (and being part of the standard it would probably be cracked right away.)

No, do not depend on hardware security and don't ever think it's more secure than software security. Secure your LAN as needed, stay in control and know that pretty much anything that goes through the air can be picked up by virtually anyone. VPN, crypt and tunnell (or do whatever it is those security freaks do), don't trust anyone else to secure your network and data.

FYI

[Andorion]

FYI, 802.11g is the spec for wireless networks that provides data rates of up to 54Mbps (54 Megabits per second.)

-Berj

Re:Great!

[Simon Field]

We have had great success in buildings with thick walls.

We use directional antennas such as these and these to get very high signal strengths and low noise.

We use this antenna to go between buildings. These also work great for long distances.

With two of those antennas, we have spanned 2400 feet (and we are planning a similar setup to span a distance of 5 miles).

Don't give up -- there are easy solutions to thick walls.

Re:http://www.linksys.com/splash/wap54g_splash.asp

[sweetooth]

The very bottom of any of the Linksys 802.11G pages say in large bold letters.

Available End of December:

You can also see that amazon.com has the Linksys 802.11G products listed with a status of "Not yet released"

Linksys at Amazon

Maybe you should check your facts Troll.

Hrrmmmn,

[Hawthorne01]

802.11g is out, and MacWorld SF is in a week....

Given Apple's early adoption of 802.11b, are all us Mac users in for a nice surprise at the the SteveNote regarding wireless?

Re:Hrrmmmn,

[jeffehobbs]

Yeah, but what Dynamic Ornamental Appearance will the new 802.11g cards have? Maybe they will change color when your credit card number is being wirelessly intercepted.

~jeff

its cheap too!

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www2.warehouse.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=DEB3 743&cat=pc&blind=

only $130 for the access point

The client card is $50

http://www2.warehouse.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=DE C5 356&cat=pc&blind=

Not bad.

from website: 1 Mbps: 1870ft(570m) outdoor.

[tcc]

Speed outdoor indoor.
54 Mbps. 165ft(50m) 65ft(20m)
18 Mbps: 490ft(150m) 245ft(75m)
11 Mbps. 590ft(180m) 410ft(125m)
1 Mbps: 1870ft(570m) 410ft(125m)

Too bad there aren't any 10Mbs+ *low cost* hardware for let's say 5,000M radius, that would surely be cool for remote regions. Everything is so expensive when you want just a bit more range. It's okay if a community wants to build something behind a bigger pipe, but you need a lot of people to be able to pay off for both the pipe and the hardware at that point. I guess the PDA/cellular combo is still a better option for specific remote cases for now.

802.11g

[r]

btw, for those who haven't heard of 802.11g - it's a new standard for higher-speed transmission in the same 2.4GHz band. it promises 20+ Mbps (maybe even up to ~54Mbps), in contrast to the 11 Mbps of 802.11b.

it's interesting, though, that the standard is still in the draft stage, scheduled for ratification in mid-2003, and hardware manufacturers are already rolling out implementations. not surprising, given market conditions, but let's hope that any changes will be minor, and fixable in firmware. :)

see the P802.11 status report at IEEE for more details...

Well, yes and no...

[Akardam]

AFAIK, 802.11g is the spec that allows up to 54Mbps at 2.4GHz, as opposed to 802.11a, which is 54Mbps at 5GHz.

Bollock! There is no 802.11g

[TechyImmigrant]

802.11g is not a standard. The standard is not yet written. It is in a draft form. At the most recent 802.11 meeting it was in comment resolution and the text was being changed in significant ways.

Claiming compliance to 802.11g at this date is to lie.

PBCC or OFDM phy based equipment at 2.4Ghz is not at this time 802.11 anything. It is proprietary. Buy it and you are buying proprietary, non interoperal stuff. Kids, just say 'no'.

Re:Bollock! There is no 802.11g

[gwernol]

802.11g is not a standard. The standard is not yet written. It is in a draft form. At the most recent 802.11 meeting it was in comment resolution and the text was being changed in significant ways.

Claiming compliance to 802.11g at this date is to lie.

All true, but note that Buffalo do not claim this. From the website linked in the submission:

"54g delivers the fastest possible data rate defined by the proposed IEEE802.11g draft specification"

and

" As you may know, IEEE802.11g is slated to be certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance in mid 2003. We understand this could affect current 802.11g technology. We are dedicated to ensuring that our customers have the most current and reliable products available on the market today. If the certification materially changes the principal operating features of our pre-standard 802.11g products, we will replace or upgrade any of those products at no charge and provide toll-free technical support."

So not only do Buffalo plainly state that this technology based on the draft standard, but they also offer free replacement or upgrade once the standard is ratified. Sounds like a pretty good way to deal with this. Doesn't at all sound like:

It is proprietary. Buy it and you are buying proprietary, non interoperal stuff. Kids, just say 'no'.

Try reading the links before getting on your high horse.

Security mathers?

[alexandre]

Does this 802.11g standard fix the security issue we had with 802.11b ? If not, which 802.11* will fix that? :)

Re:Security mathers?

[TechyImmigrant]

TGi deals with security. So that would be 802.11i.
In the interim there is WPA. WPA is not an 802.11 thing, it is a WECA spec. It is poor mans security, better than WEP but worse than 802.11i.

Re:Security mathers?

[TechyImmigrant]

They [e,f,g,h,i] will all get rolled up into one big honking spec called 802.11-200[3|4|5|6] or whenever. The mismatches between the text of the individual specs get cleaned up at this point. That will be the spec.

The last big honking rolled up spec was 1999. That incorporated 802.11b for 11mbps at 2.4Ghz

The approved individual drafts will get approved by the working group, then approved at sponsor ballot and then they will sit around waiting to be incorporated into a unified spec. The approved drafts that have been through sponsor ballot are OK to implement to, in that they will not change.

Buffalo Gear is Ok...

[Radix42]

...although the manuals are VERY badly translated from Chinese. Had no trouble with a Buffalo AP with various Windows flavors, Mac OS 9 and X, and Linux/BSD releases...but their Windows config program for their 802.11b Card was very icky (it was much easier to get working under Linux, IIRC it was a standard Lucent chipset :-)

Anyway, 2 years ago their gear was the cheapest 802.11b I found, and worked fine (Windows users deserve their pain, no?)

Crash Course, Comin' Up!

[Akardam]

• 802.11b: The first widely available wireless networking spec. Up to 11Mbps at 2.4GHz. Widely adopted by people who really wanted wireless NOW.
  
• 802.11a: The second available wireless spec. Up to 54Mbps at 5GHz. This had the advantage of placing the transmissions in a less populated band. However, most people who wanted wireless networking already had 802.11b equipment, and didn't feel that the faster speed was really worth it, hence the slower adoption.
  
• 802.11g: Basically, faster 802.11b. Up to 54Mbps at 2.4GHz. This has the advantage of running in the same frequency range. I believe that 802.11g equipment may interoperate with 802.11b, but I'm not sure. I also believe that 2.4GHz wireless has a bit of a distance advantage over 5GHz, but don't quote me on that.
  

Hope this helps.

Re:802.11a?

[div_2n]

802.11b and 802.11g operate in the 2.4 Ghz band. The 2.4 range offers three non-overlapping channels. 2.4 Ghz is the natural resonance frequency of water (i.e. microwave ovens).

802.11a operates on the 5.3 Ghz range. It offers eight non-overlapping channels.

You don't hear much about 802.11a because it is newer and has less market penetration than 802.11b. It hasn't had time to come into its own yet.

You should probably expect to hear more about it as the 2.4 range gets really saturated.

Correct

[Andorion]

But 802.11g is also backwards compatible with 802.11b (11Mbps at 2.4GHz) and 802.11a (54Mbps at 5GHz.)

Read up on all the specs for the different 802.11 standards at ZDnet.

-Berj

And in other news..

[xchino]

..Wireless Access Points will now instead be referred to as G-spots.

Range with 802.11b

[dalutong]

They have a chart on the product's webpage, but does the 11Mps (indoor is 410ft) range apply to 802.11b devices? and does the outdoor (1800ft) apply to 802.11b devices?

If it does, I may just get one of these things. The range in my WAP/router (linksys) sucks. then again -- i would buy a booster if i could find one that works well.

Re:Is it reasonably secure now?

[mrneutron]

Weak keys were addressed by 'WEP+', an 802.11b firmware upgrade which negates the weak inititialization vector attack. WEP+ is now available from most vendors.

Many 802.11b APs also allow separate xmit and recv keys, making WEP attacks much more difficult.

Then disable SSID broadcasts (making your 802.11b wireless network invisible to tools like netstumbler).

WEP certainly has its weaknesses (especially when 802.11b was first released), but is arguably 'reasonably secure' today. It's far from perfect, but is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

Re:Is it reasonably secure now?

[TechyImmigrant]

>It's far from perfect, but is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

Oh yes it is.
WEP+ is not a standard. Different vendors have different means of avoiding (or not) weak keys.

Problem 1: Weak key avoidance just makes the IV space get exhausted quicker.

Problem 2: There are likely to be new classes of weak keys discovered that invalidate the weak key skipping mechanisms and further shink the IV space.

Problem 3: If you have no weak keys, then IV space exhaustion gets you in the end.

Problem 4: To solve IV space exhaustion within the current WEP structure, you need rapid rekeying. There is no rapid rekeying spec. 802.1X is used be vendors in the wild, but only in proprietary ways, since as a standard it doesn't work over a non secured channel like 802.11.

Problem 5: 802.1X has some fundamental layer violation problems with networks that don't have an ethertype (like 802.11). Ethernet is fine. It has an ethertype.

Re:Hmmmm ....

[genka]

Hareware isn't a profitable business unless you are Cisco, 3Com, HP, Sun, or Compaq.

You may be wrong. I spoke with Linksys engineer resently, and he told me that they are doing rather well, revenues are up and they don't lay people off. (Linksys is a private company, so their complete financials are not available). They target consumer market and thus have not been hit by downturn.

Re:ingram micro

[wolf-]

I will not only second the afore mentioned opinion, but add that Ingram Micro recently told all its small business customers to go screw themselves, that they were cutting off all their lines of credit.

Was it for bad credit reviews? Was it for late payments? No, it was because you were small, insignificant in their minds. Let me see, buy overpriced, backordered kit form Ingram and pay cash now, or get it on credit from another supplier? Hrm, thanks for your support Ingram. It was the small shops that MADE Ingram Micro, so f*ck them.