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ie8 fix

802.11

High-speed Wi-Fi standard nears ratification

The latest version of the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard is close to final ratification.

802.11n is much faster and of higher bandwidth than its predecessor, 802.11g. Last Friday, the 802.11 working group--a subset of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)--held its final approval vote on the standard, according to Trapeze Networks' Matthew Gast, a member of the working group.

Gast blogged Monday that the vote was passed overwhelmingly, after which the working group passed the standard on to the "higher layers" of the IEEE 802 wireless standards group for publication.

Those higher … Read more

Wi-Fi Alliance: Wireless-N to be finalized soon

Matthew Gast, a voting member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), suggested in his recent blog that the current Wireless-N (or 802.11n Draft) specification is going to be finalized in September.

If this is true, that would mean the specification took about seven years to become finalized from the day it was conceived.

So what does it mean for consumers? Apparently not much, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, the group that tests and certifies wireless networking products to ensure their interoperability.

The group announced Thursday that it will not change the baseline requirements of its 802.… Read more

BOL 1023: 802.11N(ever)

Supposedly, we will get finalization on the 802.11N wireless standard in September. Of course, we've been waiting for that for years now, so we're not too confident. We also almost forget we're talking about the new Yahoo home page, and only I am impressed by Microsoft contributing to the Linux Kernel. But, I still think it's cool!

Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video) EPISODE 1023

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802.11N should be finalized by September

Leaks lead to new Hadron Collider delay

Coming soon: Downloaded 3D movies at home… Read more

Get a Netgear 802.11n USB adapter for $9.99

Note: If this post sounds familiar, that's because it's a "rerun"--but with a lower price than when it first appeared a couple months ago.

I have an 802.11n router in my house, but not all my PCs and laptops have 802.11n adapters. Most of them run 802.11g, which drags down the overall performance of the network (it's a lowest-common-denominator kind of thing).

Cheap fix: Newegg has the Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N USB 2.0 Adapter WN111 for $9.99 shipped. It's a refurb, but, hey, something like this either works or … Read more

Friday roundup: Dirt-cheap Netbooks, MP3s, 802.11n, Peggle

I couldn't pick just one deal today, so here are five to jump-start your weekend:

Much as I'm loving the iPhone version of Peggle, I think it's a little pricey at $4.99. Good news: Right now it's on sale for just 99 cents [iTunes link]. No-brainer. Buy it. Thanks to reader Harold for the tip!

I'm not loving Amazon MP3's current selection of $5 albums, but there's one standout: Holst's The Planets, one of my all-time classical favorites. ("Mars" gets all the attention, but "Jupiter" is really … Read more

Get a Netgear 802.11n USB adapter for $13.99

I have an 802.11n router in my house, but not all my PCs and laptops have 802.11n adapters. Most of them run 802.11g, which drags down the overall performance of the network (it's a lowest-common-denominator kind of thing).

Cheap fix: Newegg has the Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N USB 2.0 Adapter WN111 for $13.99 shipped. It's a refurb, but, hey, something like this either works or it doesn't.

To get that discounted price (it's normally $24.99--and new units list for $70!), you need to apply coupon code EMCLSNW25 at checkout. You also … Read more

Get a Netgear 802.11 Draft-N router for $25

If your wireless router doesn't have the muscle to reach all corners of the house, or you need faster throughput for copying files and streaming videos, it might be time to consider an upgrade. Newegg has refurbished Netgear WNR2000 802.11n Draft 2.0 routers for $24.99. Use coupon code SHIPNETGEAR to get free shipping.

For those unfamiliar with it, the "new" 802.11 Wi-Fi standard (which seems forever destined to be known as Draft-N) promises better range and faster throughput. The WNR2000 is backward-compatible with older 802.11 hardware and comes with four Ethernet ports, … Read more

Tropos joins 802.11n outdoor mesh router club

Meraki debuted the first outdoor 802.11n mesh router a few months ago, but another vendor has thrown its hat into the outdoor wireless mesh network arena.

Tropos Networks, another big name in wireless broadband mesh networks, joined the outdoor Wireless-N club with its latest line of 802.11n-based wireless routers. The new line includes three routers: Tropos 7320, Tropos 6320, and Tropos 6310. All three are mesh outdoor routers; however, each has its own distinctive design and features.

The Tropos 7320 outdoor mesh router is the company's flagship product and it supports 2.4GHz- and 5GHz-based clients and … Read more

Next iPod Touch may be extremely wireless

As programmers continue to pick apart the code underlying Apple's iPhone 3.0 OS, details are surfacing that point to possible new hardware features for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. One of the first details unearthed from the code is the addition of stereo Bluetooth-audio streaming--a feature that current (second-generation) iPhone and iPod Touch owners will be able to take advantage of once the new OS is available this summer.

Of course, some new features will be available on the next generation of the iPod and iPhone hardware only (ain't that always the way?). Case in … Read more