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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.
alpha, beta, and now gamma... when's the stable release finally going to be out?
Does this mean my 4Mb token ring is obsolete?
"No Matter Where You Go.. There You Are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
FYI, 802.11g is the spec for wireless networks that provides data rates of up to 54Mbps (54 Megabits per second.)
-Berj
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.
Free book: Science Toys You Can Make
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...
My other car is a cons.
AFAIK, 802.11g is the spec that allows up to 54Mbps at 2.4GHz, as opposed to 802.11a, which is 54Mbps at 5GHz.
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).
Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.
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.
Look a monkey!
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.
Sailing over the event horizon
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
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