Wi-Fi stretches its boundaries
Source: ZDNet.com
Communications equipment maker Proxim became the latest company to sell high-powered Wi-Fi networks that travel long distances, essentially providing buyers with an "ISP in a box," the company's Chief Executive, Jonathan Zakin, said this week.
These versions of wireless networks using the Wi-Fi, or 802.11b, standard create a wireless zone of up to 12 miles long, far beyond the usual 300-foot-radius range that Wi-Fi typically achieves, Zakin said.
Overkill for use inside a home, where most Wi-Fi networks are now found, the long-range Wi-Fi gear from Proxim and others is meant for small Web service providers. It lets them beam long-range signals outside, particularly to sell broadband access in rural areas where DSL (digital subscriber lines) or cable broadband service haven't reached, Zakin said.
