7Gbps Wi-Fi Networking Kit Could Launch In 2010

Mark.JUK writes "Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN 802.11) adapters capable of speeds 'up to' 7Gigabits per second could be in stores by the end of this year. The Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig), which seeks to advance the worldwide adoption and use of 60GHz wireless networking technology, has published a unified specification for its approach and opened an Adopter Program. The move means that WiGig members can now begin developing a Wi-Fi kit that uses the unlicensed 60GHz spectrum."

Comments

The keyword:

[Anonymous Coward]

"Could".

Re:The keyword:

[ls671]

Yep, industries always slows down implementation of new technologies in order to keep sort of a backlog in the pipeline of new technologies available for marketing purposes. By slowing down the pace, they also save in R&D because they make their investment in a given technology more profitable by extending the lifetime of the said technology.

I know some will say that this is contrary to free market rules, the company owning a new technology should rush it out the doors. But the big players might often be involved in some kind of collusion not always known to the general public. Really breakthrough technologies are often bought by the biggest players and put on a shelf.

This is true in all kind of fields. The important thing is to keep the appearance of a free market so consumers are happy ;-)

After all, corporations are there to make to most money possible, not to make the technological world move faster at their own expense.

Re:The keyword:

[cgenman]

Is this the industry that launched 802.11N before the draft specification had even hit 2.0, and 6 years before the spec was finished? That were selling computers "With Vista" (upgrade coupons) almost two years before vista launched? That

I don't disagree that many industries milk adequate-but-not-best technologies because they're more profitable at the moment. But the consumer tech industry has a tendency to push things out the door before they're done.

Re:Doesn't Matter if Throttled

[FauxPasIII]

> It doesn't matter if you're throttled. I barely use bandwidth, and I'm still throttled all to hell.

That's only true if your only IP traffic is via your throttled connection to the Internet. Who doesn't have a big media file server somewhere on their LAN these days?

Re:Speed=Good, but How About Distance?

[Goaway]

At 60 GHz? No. It's hard enough getting that to propagate through air, let alone walls. This is for short-range communication exclusively.

"Municipal WiFi" will never happen on a large scale and in the long run, for this reason: If you want signals to propagate, you need to stick to low enough frequencies, and that means there just isn't enough bandwidth to cover a large number of people at the same time. It just barely works now, and bandwidth demand will only grow. Wires are here to stay: You'll still need to wire every house, every apartment, and have local transceivers if you want a wireless connection. There just isn't enough bandwidth in the open air.

Re:No

[Anonymous Coward]

Number one at least is hugely alleviated at 60Ghz.
If those waves propagate through windowpanes, I'd be amazed...

but everything else is the real deal-killer anyway.
A plugged wire either works, doesn't work or intermittently works. Getting a wire that works is pretty easy and a surefire solution to all medium-issues. Wireless on the other hand ALWAYS works intermittently....except when it doesn't work at all.

Feature inflation...

[Five Bucks!]

Consumer companies will jump on this shit like crazy just to maintain teh price point of wireless routers and APs. I always expected to get a 802.11g router for cheap once 802.11n came out. Instead, it's harder to find g routers.

To me, and most people I know, a new 802.11 standard won't mean a row of beans and yet they'll still have to shell out $50 to buy a new router when they spill their coffee on it.