Many people when they think of wireless think of their cell phones. Unfortunately, in the US the wireless cellular network does not easily or cheaply support data transmission. So, if you have set up a wireless network in your home or go to your local cafe to use your laptop while sipping coffee then you may be aware of the 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks.

The latest improvement that has been announced is the 802.11n. Vendors are starting to ship both the base stations and the wireless 802.11n cards that will slip into a laptop. Unfortunately, there is no final standard and don't expect one until 2006. So, don't rush out to buy one unless you don't care if you have to replace it in a couple years.

The main benefit of this new technology is that it has higher speed (6 times 802.11g) and is intended to eliminate the dead spots. Vendors never seem to be willing to wait, so a number of companies have announced MIMO (multiple in, multiple out). MIMO means that with the older technology the base station transmit a single data stream, while MIMO send out multiple data streams from multiple antenna.

NetGear and Linksys Products

If you have set up a wireless network at home and your laptop does not currently work everywhere in your home or other desired location you might consider these new products.