Sonnet Technologies recently launched its Aria Extreme N PCI 802.11n wireless PCI card for Power Mac G4 and G5 as well as Windows desktop computers. The new product has three 2TX/3RX antennas, and the card is backwards compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g routers and related equipment. It connects to any Windows PC via a PCI or PCI-X card slot and supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 security protocols, while network encryption is handled by AES and TKIP standards.

The draft-N wireless card offers as much as twice the range and about 2.5 times the speed of the previously fast 802.11g network. It will work with AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express base stations and equivalent wireless hubs.

The Aria Extreme N PCI card is compatible with Mac OS 10.4 and newer in the Power Mac G5 with PCI or PCI-X slots and the Power Mac G4, excluding the Cube, as well as Windows XP SP2 or Vista PCs. It is currently available in stores and online, priced at nearly $100.