Comdex Fall 2001 Report - Part 2: 802.11a :
In contrast to the excitement that I felt while exploring the Bluetooth products, the feeling in "11a land" was very low-key. Many of the companies that I talked to about 802.11a products weren't as aggressive as I'd thought they'd be, and some were holding off on even announcing products.
This may be due to the fact that the conflict between 802.11a and its European rival standard HiperLAN2 has not yet been resolved. Or the laid-back approach might also spring from a desire to wait for the dual-mode 802.11a/b chipsets that were mentioned by just about everyone that I spoke to about 802.11a. Although dual-mode client products will be more expensive, they will have the advantage of compatibility with both 802.11a and 802.11b networks, easing mixed network deployments. I also got a few hints of snags in Access Points that pointed at Atheros as the cause, but Atheros wasn't talking.
NOTE: All 802.11a products are based on Atheros' AR5000 chipset, except for Cisco's. They snapped up Atheros' competitor Radiata last year in order to lock up Radiata's technology for their exclusive use.
Whatever the reason, here are the 802.11a slowpokes:
ORiNOCO previously announced an "802.11a ready" high-end access point (the AP-2000), but is taking a slower approach on client adapters, with no announcements.
3Com issued this reported demo of an 802.11g product that uses TI's chipset!
D-Link was in a suite at the Venetian, and I didn't make it over there, but I haven't seen or heard anything from them on 802.11a.
Netgear didn't formally announce or show any 802.11a products, but from my discussion with them, I'd expect them to have something in Q1 2002.
On the flip side, there were a few companies who definitely are in the 802.11a "gung-ho" department:
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Proxim, is fielding two 802.11a product lines. They announced their Skyline 802.11a product family at Comdex, adding to their previously announced 802.11a Harmony Cardbus adapter and Access Point (which were awarded "Best of COMDEX" in the wireless networking system category). The Skyline 802.11a CardBus Card and Access Point are targeted at non-enterprise users such as schools and small businesses and will be available in December at list prices of $179 and $499 respectively. Note that's about twice the going rate of 802.11b PC cards and APs. Ouch! The products look virtually identical, as you can see from the product shots, but Proxim told me that the software for the Skyline products will be more consumer oriented, i.e. easier to set up and with more limited AP controls. |
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SMC was demonstrating their EZ Connect 802.11a Wireless Access Point (SMC2755W) and 802.11a Wireless CardBus Adapter (SMC2735W). Shipments are supposed to start in December at estimated street prices of $365.00 for the Wireless Access Point and $145.00 for the Wireless CardBus Adapter. SMC seems to be embracing 11a enthusiastically, and if they're not the first to ship an 802.11a Access Point, they will be the most aggressively priced! |
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