Yesterday a standard was agreed upon which will push wireless speeds up to a minimum of 100Mbps, up from the maximum 54 Mbps we enjoy now with 802.11a/g. The new standard is 802.11n and is currently in draft form. It will take about a year to get the draft standard to a formal specification, but already devices have been created which comply with the new standard. Broadcom is producing sample batches of a new chipset called Intensi-fi which dramatically increases performance through multiple antennas. Marvell has also created a compliant chipset which they state is already in full production mode.
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Speaking of speeding up wireless connections, WiMax has finally reached approval and is available in the US for the first time. WiMax is a broadband speed wireless connection based on two standards, one for stationary connections and one for mobile. Only the stationary one is in place. The basic premise of WiMax is to jump from the 2.4 and 5 Ghz ranges to the 10 to 66 Ghz ranges (current products use 11Ghz). According to the standard, it supports speeds up an amazing 268 Mpbs EACH WAY.
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-- Matt Ranlett