Now you’ve bought one of those wonderful network storage devices you’re going to need a network that’s up to speed literally with those large data files. Well SMC have just released a wireless 802.11n router, the Barricade WBR14S-N2, to meet your speed needs. This little sucker will send files around your home or office network at up to 300 Mbps and over four times the range of an equivalent 802.11g network, so you’ll probably be sharing your files with your neighbour too :)

Whilst the 802.11n standard is readily available in other makes and models, the WBR14S-N2 comes with a price tag of US$60 and couple that with SMC’s Wireless USB 2.0 adapter (WUSBS-N) at $US40, you can hook up an 802.11n network for a snip under $100.

So what other bells and whistles do these puppies have? 4 port 10/100 LAN switch, WPA and WPA2 encryption, NAT/SPI firewall and a web-based management interface. Nothing to write home about, but surely the price tag alone merits a letter to mom.

Source: Business Wire

Featured Tags barricade, router, smc, wireless


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Good news for all you wireless fans out there, a Georgia Tech press release states that scientists at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) based on campus have already reached data transfer rates of 15Gbps (Giga bits per second) over a distance of one metre. Unfortuantely the speed is inversely proportional to the distance between transmitter and receiver so at a relatively small distance of 5 metres the speed degraded to 5Gbps. Still an impressive speed though.

This quote from the press release made my eyes light up

Wireless high-definition video could also be a major application of this technology. Users could keep a DVD player by their side while transmitting wirelessly to a screen 5 or 10 meters away.

The concept of total wireless data transfer around the home at speeds high enough for media files seems to be a closer reality. Anyone want to buy a bunch of HDMI cables?

Featured Tags wireless


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Despite Tesla lighting two hundred wireless light bulbs over a hundred years ago, we are still shackled by the power cable. The more gadgets we have, the more power leads we have trailing across the floor. Wireless technology has managed to abolish the network cable but still the power lead snakes it’s crazy path around our homes. Until now …

Well actually not quite yet, but on July 7th, (yes 7/7/07) there may be a solution to our trailing cable woes in the Wildcharger from, err, WildCharge. Apparently

No more will you have to deal with the clutter of cords, chargers, adapters and congested outlets for your mobile electronic devices. A single WildCharger™ is all you will need at your home, office or on the road. In fact, charging a mobile device will soon be as simple as placing it on a table…

The funky little WildCharger, which looks like a large mouse mat, blasts out power and juices up anything sitting on it. The pad can be rolled up for easy storage, but looks as if it would slip neatly into any laptop bag.

A gadget collector’s dream come true? Certainly their partner’s dream come true! But there has to be a catch, surely, I hear you say. Well, yes, at least initially you will need a WildCharger adapter for each device you wish to power up with the WildCharger. And despite offering a price range of US$39 to US$100 for the WildCharger there are no details on how much the adapters will cost.

However, the concept is great and this is a giant leap forward in removing almost all the power cables for your chargable devices - you’ll still need one for the Wildcharger. As device manufacturers come on board the need for adapters for the WildCharger and its kind will also disappear and we shall be shackled by the power cable no more!

Source: ComputerWorld

Featured Tags power, wildcharger, wireless


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Even though the first iPhone model isn’t out on the market yet, Apple is already thinking of the future and it’s preparing a wireless 3G iPhone version. Rumors say that a Swedish firm received assurances that the first version of iPhone would arrive in September and the 3G version will be on the market January 2008, the earliest.

However this is not shocking news, since Steve Jobs already discussed and announced his long term 3G plans with the iPhone.

“Most cellular-based Internet access in the world today, including the AT&T EDGE network which the iPhone will first use, is considered second-generation (2G). Few would mistake 2G-level wireless for a truly fast connection. Downloads typically crest at a few hundred kilobits per second even under ideal conditions; uploads are regularly far worse, frequently hovering around just above dial-up access. 3G ultimately amounts to the addition of extra channels on a cellphone network to boost those anemic speeds, particularly in terms of uploads. Where downstream access rarely exceeds 800Kbps on present 3G networks, upstream levels are a much healthier 400Kbps. The technology smoothes out wrinkles in mobile Internet access that make some tasks impractical or even impossible on 2G networks, such as uploading large photos in e-mail attachments or video messaging.”

Apple Insider

Featured Tags 3g, apple, iphone, wireless


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