ZyXEL puts out first LTE-to-Wi-Fi router
updated 03:45 pm EST, Tue December 8, 2009
ZyXEL ZLR-2070S shares 4G locally
ZyXEL claimed a first today by offering the first 4G router for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. The ZLR-2070S (not yet shown) can take a connection at up to 50Mbps downstream and share it over a local network through either 802.11n Wi-Fi or its four-port Ethernet switch. It's already considered an ideal alternative to wired service for providers that can't or prefer not to run a traditional landline service.
The peripheral will have a USB port to share a printer or an external drive across the local network and will have DLNA support to share media between similarly aware devices, like Sony's PS3 and some computer apps.
When the router will be available isn't definite, but it's most likely to be available through carriers rather than as a stand-alone device. Bell, Telus and Verizon will be the first in North America to switch on LTE sometime in 2010 and will be followed by AT&T, Rogers, T-Mobile and smaller carriers from 2011 onwards.
