News
Issue #2001 - 41 (October 2001)
(Updated Oct. 12, 2001)

INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Actiontec Announces IEEE 802.11b Wireless Products and Faster IEEE 802.11a Initiatives 

Actiontec Electronics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of broadband-based application and Internet access products, has announced the shipment of three 802.11b Wireless products that will fit into any home or office networking environment. 

These new adapters will work with any desktop or notebook computer that has a USB port, a vacant PCI slot or a PCMCIA port, allowing users to share Internet access, printers and files at up to 11 megabytes per second and at distances ranging from 100 feet indoors to 300 feet outdoors.

The Actiontec USB 802.11b Wireless Adapter allows you to effortlessly and easily connect any computer with an available USB port into a wireless network. The adapter is "plug and play", which means it virtually installs itself in any Microsoft Windows environment using the plug and play protocol. Plus, it has a small form factor which is easy to carry or can be mounted on a wall.

The Actiontec PCI 802.11b Wireless Adapter is the first solution to incorporate the functions of both a wireless PCI adapter and a PC card into one product. Because of this, it doesn't require the purchase of a separate PCMCIA 802.11b wireless card.

The Actiontec PCMCIA 802.11b Wireless Card is compatible with most laptop computers and provides the convenience of mobility and wireless networking in the home or office environment.

"The versatility of these new wireless adapters allows virtually anyone to set up their own wireless network with minimum effort," stated Ramzi Al-Harayeri, general manager of the wireless division for Actiontec Electronics. "And, since they're 802.11b compliant, they will work within any network using that protocol."

The Actiontec PCI and PCMCIA 802.11b Wireless Adapters are compatible with any computer or network running Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, NT 4.0, Windows ME or Windows 2000 and supports ad-hoc networking with other wireless devices and other 802.11b compliant access points. The USB 802.11b Wireless Adapter is compatible with Windows 98, 98SE, ME or 2000. 

Faster 802.11a Initiatives

Actiontec and Atheros ( a wireless LAN chip manufacturer based in Sunnyvale, California with R&D in India and Japan) earlier announced an agreement to use AR5000 to develop faster 802.11a products that will be available by the end of 2001.

Pricing and Availability
All three wireless adapters are currently shipping and will be available at most computer retail outlets by the end of October at a cost of $119.99 for the Actiontec USB 802.11b Wireless Adapter and the PCI 802.11b Wireless Adapter and $99.99 for the PCMCIA 802.11b Wireless Card. IEEE 802.11a wireless card and access Point will have suggested retail price of $ 169 and $499 respectively. 

For more info http://www.actiontec.com

Mobileinfo Comments and Advisory: We find Actiontec 802.11b products to be competitively priced. While use of Actiontec's card in IBM ThinkPads is a good validation of its product line. more testing and user reaction is required. MobileInfo expects IEEE 802.11b products to come down further in prices as faster 802.11a products become available from several companies. We also recommend that wireless LAN network designers should plan for newer multi-mode (802.11aand 802.11b) access points.

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology architectures.  All trademarks used in this summary are the property of their respective owners.