PePLink, the company that specializes in client devices to access municipal wireless networks, has come out with a new product that combines landline and wireless access.
The PePLink Balance 30 is a $600 device aimed at Small Office/Home Office environments. It connects through both a wired broadband connection (via DSL/Cable modem) and to citywide Wi-Fi (via the wireless PePLink connection).
The PePLink Balance 30 is the entry-level model in the PePLink Balance series that includes the Balance 200/300 and Balance 700 for Enterprises.
Ruckus Wireless has a competing $129 wireless bridge for connection to city-wide Wi-Fi networks (for simple wireless connections).
The Ruckus MetroFlex (right) is an 802.11b/g wireless access gateway that uses the company’s “smart” antenna array technology. Four horizontally and two vertically polarized arrays connect through a high-power amplifier. The integrated smart-MIMO antenna technology can “beam” a signal dynamically, enhancing range and reducing interference.
System software automatically selects the combination of antennas to yield the “best possible RF path” at any given time. Other features include WPA PSK wireless security, 802.1x authentication, dynamic channel selection and Tropos Networks’ Metro Compatible Extensions Specification (TMCX) program. TMCX specifies use of WPA2/802.11i for security as a minimum, and implementation of WME or WMM services for QoS.
The company claims that the Ruckus MetroFlex system is “the most sensitive and reliable in-home Wi-Fi receiver in the world”
Of course, a $50 USB WiFi Client with antenna connector might get the job done too - especially if you screw in a 19db panel.
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[...] The inconvenient truth about Wi-Fi is that the maximum range is about 1,000 feet. You’ll need to buy an external client with an external antenna if you can’t pick it up. [...]
Left by dailywireless.org » Ten Cities Under Colorado Cloud on November 10th, 2006