Intel Centrino Wi-Fi upgrade
Intel’s Centrino mobile-computing technology has been stepped up with a new Wi-Fi wireless LAN standard designed for high throughput at longer ranges in the office or home, as well as longer battery life.
“The Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection enables both 802.11b and the higher-speed 802.11g wireless networking capabilities for notebook PCs running Centrino,” says Wireless NewsFactor’s Jay Wrolstad here.
“With 802.11g capability, portable machines can get data-transmission rates of up to 54 million bits per second, which is about three times faster than the rates offered by 802.11b,” he says.
Intel’s PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection comprises a communications and radio chip, both designed and developed by Intel at its wireless-networking facilities in Haifa, Israel, and San Diego, California.
NewsFactor quotes Lesli Fiering, vp of mobile computing at Gartner, as saying adding the new 802.11a/g radio component gives Intel a product that lets it keep pace with the competition while deterring some customers from seeking third-party 802.11g technology.
The additional bandwidth offered by 802.11g represents the wave of the future, says Fiering. As Wi-Fi technology evolves, Intel and others are working on 802.11a/g combinations as well as tri-band 802.11a/b/g.
“The Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection also features Intel PROSet for Wireless software and advanced profile management, which enable multiple setup profiles to connect to different WLAN networks as the user moves among different access points,” adds Wrolstad.
Among manufacturers who plan to use the new Wi-Fi technology, Intel said, are Fujitsu, Matsushita Electric Industrial, NEC, Sony and Toshiba. The PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection sells for US$25 in 10,000-unit quantities.
