Atheros puts out powerline, Wi-Fi router combos
updated 03:05 pm EDT, Fri October 22, 2010
Atheros intros three powerline/Wi-Fi routers
Atheros Communications will release three hybrid home networking hardware designs that use Wi-Fi, powerline and Ethernet connections. These are said to extend both range and bandwidth of home networks, and include a mix of Atheros chips and Intellon's, which was bought by Atheros in the fall of last year. Intellon makes powerline chips, while Atheros is known for Wi-Fi hardware.
Early products are due as soon as November. Some of the new reference products include yet-to-be-announced Atheros chips.
The basic design includes a HomePlug adapter with outputs for Fast Ethernet links and a retail price of under $50. Next up will be a HomePlug adapter with an integrated Wi-Fi range extender and a price tag of between $50 and $100. The highest-end offering will sport a single-band (2.4GHz) 802.11n Wi-Fi router with 2x2 MIMO antennas that also supports HomePlug AV powerline networking. It should cost under $100.
Atheros juggles data between the powerline and Wi-Fi networks using Ethernet, and provides software that allows users to manage this as a single network. The HomePlug chips are said to provide application-layer consumer data throughput speeds as fast as 200-230Mbps. [via EETimes]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2010
networking alternatives
These are really great tools you can use to extend the WiFi network you have in your house, specially to those devices which really don't have WiFi capabilities. If you're looking for an alternative though, I recommend the Netgear Universal WiFi Internet Adapter. This WiFi adapter is compatible with most internet-ready devices such as TVs, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and more. You can also use it to connect notebooks, wireless printers, and other networked home theater devices. For more information about the Netgear Universal WiFi Internet Adapter, visit http://bit.ly/bByST7 and discover this wonderful device from Netgear. Enjoy!