Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Wider Wi-Fi and Pipe Power

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 08:30:33 -0400

Wider Wi-Fi and Pipe Power
Updated chips promise to extend the range of 802.11 wireless, and a new tool can
get the most
from your bandwidth
September 15, 2003

EVERY SO OFTEN I
wander over to Sunnyvale
to meet with Atheros
(www.atheros.com) to talk
about what's coming down
the wireless pike. Atheros
isn't the only player in the
WiFi chip space, but it's
one of the biggest
competitors—nearly all the
major laptop and wireless
equipment makers use
Atheros chips in at least a
few products. And when
the folks there are talking
a new technology, it's
generally not more than a
few months before you
start seeing the features
showing up in products on
the shelves.

On my most recent visit, Atheros was showing off its fourth generation chipset,
which offers a bunch of new features. The high notes include much reduced power
usage, Wake on Wireless and Wake on Theft tools that will allow for easier
wireless device management (if someone walks off with a PC, your network can
know), and, best of all, enhanced throughput and range.
Now, there's a downside on the throughput and range features; They're proprietary
(Standards Plus, in Atheros terminology). In other words, to take advantage, you
have to use Atheros tech on both ends of the connection. If you don't, itÕs not
the end of the world, or your connection—you'll simply drop back to the
standards-based 802.11a/g connection. ThatÕs something you need to know before you
dedicate yourself to the Atheros solution.

If you do take the proprietary plunge, you'll get a fair amount in return. Super G
and Super A/G promise blazing 90Mbps maximum throughputs. That's pretty remarkable
for wireless. The current eXtended Range technology gives about 200m indoors
(double normal 802.11 distances), but in tests they've seen a range of over a
kilometer outdoors.
The chipsets start shipping later this month, so expect products to arrive this
November or December with the bulk of new products appearing in 2004.

At the same time, Peribit (www.peribit.com) is ready to release the latest updates
to its SR series of bandwidth maximization products. In case you don't know the
company, Peribit produces appliances that sit on either side of a WAN connection
and can dramatically improve throughput over a given connection.

The latest upgrade is Packet Flow Acceleration (PFA), which looks to cut latency
in network connections by up to four times, thereby improving application
performance. Your mileage will vary depending on the latency between you and your
remote connection, of course, but for companies struggling with latency issues, it
could be a valuable tool.

The company also unveiled a new version of its appliance, dubbed the SR-80, which
offers the choice of gigabyte copper or optical connections, a wire-speed gigabit
pass-through, and nearly three times as many connection points as the previous
SR-55. Pricing starts at $22,500. PFA will ship on all systems starting in
September.  The SR-80 will begin shipping in November.

http://www.cio.com/online/techtact_091503.html

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