1. Introduction

One of the wireless networking stories at this year's Las Vegas CES - aside from the scads of networkable DVD players and "media adapters" - was the battle for bragging rights to the highest throughput "starburst" number. (The "starburst" is the number prominently displayed on the front of a product's box).

As of CES, all the major wireless chipmakers' entries - Atheros' Super G, Broadcom's Afterburner and GlobespanVirata's Nitro XM - are now public, with the companies touting maximum raw data rate numbers of 108, 125 and 140Mbps respectively.

The Atheros Super-G Need To Know took an in-depth look at the controversy that Broadcom has attempted to stir up over what has now become not just a potential wireless LAN killer (at least if you believe Broadcom), but a first-to-market competitor to Broadcom's own technology.

In this article, we'll take a look at GlobespanVirata and Broadcom's entries into the battle to soup up your 802.11g network's speed.