Intel Formalizes 802.11 Initiative at Developer Forum

Intel Corp. on Wednesday formalized the initiative it
announced last spring around the increasingly popular IEEE 802.11 wireless
standard with the introduction of the AnyPoint Wireless II Network family of
products — the successor of its AnyPoint product line that previously
relied on the HomeRF standard.

The product line is designed to provide high-speed wireless network
connectivity and shared Internet access for the home, home office and small
office environments. This family of so-called wireless LAN (WLAN) products
consists of a USB model, a PC card and the Intel Wireless Gateway — all
based on the IEEE 802.11b standard, which transfers data at speeds up to 11
million bits per second (Mbps).

At the ongoing Intel Developer Forum in San Jose, Calif., the company
announced that AnyPoint Wireless II will now be available in North America
in leading retail outlets. Suggested retail prices are $129 for the PC card
and $149 for the USB model. The Intel Wireless Gateway is now available for
business use and will be available for consumers in October with suggested
retail pricing to be announced at a later date.

When Intel first announced adoption of the 802.11 standard last spring, the move
was considered a major
blow to the HomeRF standard and its supporters like Proxim . However, since that announcement, Proxim has stepped up its
development efforts on the next-generation of HomeRF (known simply as
version 2.0) as well as diversified its development efforts to
support 802.11a — a next step in the 802.11 migration path.

The AnyPoint Wireless II Network products incorporate the AnyPoint
Connectivity Software Suite, which supports file and printer sharing and
includes Internet security features such as Web site filtering for parental
control, integrated firewall protection, and 128-bit 802.11b Wireless
Encryption Protocol (WEP) encryption.

The products also include the AnyPoint Connection Manager for mobile
connectivity. The AnyPoint Connection Manager
provides a convenient way for laptop users to switch between different
802.11b networks. Laptops equipped with the AnyPoint
Connection Manager and the AnyPoint Wireless II Network PC card can surf the
Web from around the home, at work or from
public hotspots such as Starbucks.

All of the products are compatible with high-speed Internet access
specifications such as digital subscriber line and cable modems. The
products have received the official Wi-Fi certification by the Wireless
Interoperability Compatibility Alliance (WECA).