from cmpnetasia
Marie Lingblom, 26-Mar-2003

SMC Networks Tuesday unveiled a new wireless PC card with longer-range capabilities as the first product in its new EliteConnect High Power family.

The SMC2532W-B 2.4GHz 802.11b High Power Wireless PC Card, scheduled for early April availability and priced at US$139.99, features transmit power of up to 200 milliwatts and operating range of up to 2,700 feet. That range can be increased by attaching an optional high-gain antenna to one of the two available MMCX connectors, according to the company.

SMC's new wireless PC card is IEEE 802.11b-compliant and Wi-Fi certified, can be configured to operate in ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) or infrastructure mode and operates on any 802.11b network, according to SMC.

Connections are secured via 64/128-bit WEP encryption and the new Wi-Fi Protected Access, following an update in the second quarter. Also expected in the update is 802.11x user authentication, which helps ensure that only authorized users can access the resources of the wireless network.

Jon Bettino, SMC's network product marketing manager, said the new wireless PC card is aimed at providing better range and security to customers. SMC plans to release other products in SMC's EliteConnect wireless networking product family soon, according to the company.

This story first appeared in CRN, a US-based CMP publication.