BIOS: Technology Means Business

SMC Networks has announced the first shipment of its new line of draft 802.11n-compliant wireless networking products.

Bringing the speed, distance and bandwidth advantages of 802.11n, along with mission-critical backward and cross-vendor compatibility with 802.11b/g wireless, the new SMC Barricade N Wireless 4-port Broadband Router (SMCWBR14-N), the EZ Connect N Wireless PCI Adapter (SMCWPCI-N) and EZ Connect N Wireless CardBus Adapter (SMCWCB-N) are all available now.

The new draft 802.11n products are capable of achieving data transfer rates of up to 300Mbit/s – 25 times the rate of standard 802.11b devices and 5 times the rate of 802.11g. Excelling in demanding applications, the new products incorporate ‘StreamEngine’ technology, which provides intelligent stream handling by automatically managing the flow of traffic going to the Internet, without the need for user configuration.

As a result, real-time interactive traffic, such as gaming, VoIP, instant messaging and video conferencing, is automatically given the appropriate priority when other users and applications use the network, effectively eliminating lag and breakup problems. The SMC Barricade N Wireless 4-port Broadband Router (SMCWBR14-N) is an ideal all-in-one networking solution for connecting wired or 802.11b, g, or n wireless devices, to share your cable or DSL connection.

This platform-independent, multi-function router combines a 4-port 10/100Mbps LAN switch with Automatic MDI-MDIX and a wireless Access Point (AP) that supports speeds up to 300Mbit/s. It is secured by NAT firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), incorporates intelligent stream handling technology and comes with a user-friendly Web-based management interface for ease-of-use.

The device’s built-in wireless AP maximises performance and compatibility with next generation IEEE802.11n draft v1.0 specification compliance, incorporating advanced MIMO (Multiple-In, Multiple-Out) technology to deliver incredible speed and range whilst maintaining full backward-compatibility with the IEEE802.11b/g standards. Its advanced technology provides enough bandwidth to simultaneously stream HD video, listen to digital music, play online games, transfer large files, make VoIP calls and surf the Internet.

The SMC Barricade N Wireless 4-port Broadband Router incorporates Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) technology for quality-of-service (QoS) via prioritisation and optimisation of applications. For secure connections of both new and legacy devices, it features the newest WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption, as well as WEP 64-bit and 128-bit.

The new EZ Connect N Wireless PCI Adapter (SMCWPCI-N) and EZ Connect N Wireless CardBus Adapter (SMCWCB-N) supply pure draft N connections for the best performance available. Connected to a network anchored by an SMC Barricade N Wireless 4-port Broadband Router (SMCWBR14-N), they offer instant, seamless high-speed network connectivity. The EZ Connect N Wireless PCI adapter (SMCWPCI-N) and EZ Connect N Wireless CardBus adapter (SMCWCB-N) bring wireless connectivity to desktop and notebook computers to bring fast connections (up to 300Mbit/s) and great coverage with the same enterprise-class security provided by SMC’s 802.11n-draft wireless networking family.

“SMC’s new products based on the 802.11n draft v1.0 specification deliver the speed that our customers seek, along with full backward compatibility”, explained James Harris, SMC Networks Product Manager. “By retaining interoperability with existing 802.11b and g equipment, the benefits of 802.11n can be introduced without compromising legacy users.”

Delivering the speed and throughput promise of the 802.11n standard, SMC’s first 802.11n draft products, the SMC Barricade N Wireless 4-port Broadband Router (SMCWBR14-N), the EZ Connect N Wireless PCI Adapter (SMCWPCI-N) and EZ Connect™ N Wireless CardBus Adapter (SMCWCB-N) are all available now from SMC Networks’ resellers and integrators priced at SRPs of 139.99, 89.99 and 79.99 euros, excluding local taxes.

[Best Wi-Fi Pricing UK]
[Best Wi-Fi Pricing US]