WLAN silicon technology provider Intersil Corporation today announced the availability of Microsoft Windows XP drivers for wireless networking products based on the company’s PRISM technology. Intersil stated that it plans to release the source code and distribution licensing to its OEM customers for driver software coinciding with the OS launch.
Windows XP supports the IEEE 802.1x standard, providing authentication and automatic distribution of encrypted keys. This feature is not currently supported in the existing 802.11b standard. Intersil’s drivers comply with Microsoft’s NDIS 5.1 spec that enables its OEM customers to achieve Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) certification for upcoming products.
The addition of the Windows XP driver set completes Intersil’s support for MS operating systems including Windows 2000 Pro, Win NT 4.0, Win 98, and Win CE. Intersil stated that its drivers support all existing generation of its PRISM chip sets including PRISM II, PRISM 2.5, and PRISM 3 – in various form factors including PCMCIA, USB, and mini-PCI.
With the addition of the Zero Configuration Feature in Windows XP, PRISM-based adapters in a mobile PC automatically search for the WLAN and connect with minimal user intervention.
Matthew Peretz is Managing Editor of 802.11-Planet.com