Wireless Speed Demon Hits Homes
Source: Wired.com
The new Ferrari of wireless networking has just hit the market, driving techies mad with the promise of more speed than even they can handle.
The new system, which can zip music files between computers and let laptop users surf the Web from coffee shops at never-before-seen speeds, is actually too fast for average users, since the Internet suffers from other bottlenecks, but that does not slow down enthusiasts.
"I can't wait," says Avi Rubin, technical director of the Information Security Institute at Maryland's Johns Hopkins University. He has ordered a setup from Apple Computer for his souped-up home network, one of the few customized to handle the new speed.
Called Wireless G, the new networking system is the latest version of the popular WiFi standard that already powers most wireless networks in homes, coffee shops and airport lounges.
The new version works with the older one, costs about 50 percent more, and is five times as fast -- a blazing increase.
However, that makes it about 50 times faster than most cable Internet connections, a level of speed that is irrelevant for many users, at least for now.
Linksys, a leading WiFi seller, believes the faster technology offers a degree of insurance against as-yet-unavailable applications with high demands, said Allen Huotari, director of research and development.
"What do you expect your home network to do a year from now?" he asked in a phone interview. "For pure Internet access, you probably don't need it (Wireless G)."
Wireless G could stream a number of high-quality videos at once, while the older standard, Wireless B, can barely handle one stream in good circumstances. But legal issues about outside users seeing video feeds from home networks have slowed wireless video use.
