Linksys Shows Five Wi-Fi Products at COMDEX

Linksys showed five new 802.11b Wi-Fi certified WLAN products today at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Designed for the SOHO and SMB market sectors, the products include a Wireless Presentation gateway, a wireless-ready broadband router, an 802.11b Compact Flash Card, a Wireless to Ethernet Adapter, and Instant Wireless Print Servers.

The Instant Wireless Presentation Gateway (WPG11) enables multiple wireless-enabled PCs to control a presentation or projector screen from the user’s keyboard. This could be used in corporate meetings, conferences, or interactive training sessions, according to Linksys. The 802.11b Presentation Gateway has an estimated price of $299.

Designed for Pocket PCs, the Instant Wireless Compact Flash Card (WCF11) is available for use with the additional CF sleeve. It has an estimated street price of $129.

Linksys’ Instant Wireless to Ethernet Adapter (WET11) enables Ethernet-equipped network hardware – like a PC, printer or router – to connect to the wireless LAN. It can also act as a repeater station to increase signal strength on the WLAN.

The Instant Wireless-Ready Cable/DSL Router (BEFSR41W) gives users the capability of inserting an 802.11b card into the unit to transform it into a wireless access point. The estimated price is $99.

Finally, Linksys revealed a wireless print server (WPS11) and peer to peer server (PPS1UW) enabling users to print from anywhere in either mode without the need for any dedicated print server PC. The print server can also be remotely accessed and maintained via the network.

Matthew Peretz is Managing Editor of 802.11-Planet.com