Zyxel this morning gave fresh competition to the MiFi with the MWR211. The pocket 3G router is a carrier-independent option and should share most any USB modem over 802.11n Wi-Fi. Compared to its Novatel-made counterpart, however, the maximum number of users is uncapped and limited only the 3G connection.
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.
Sprint has already slipped details of what its WiMAX-based Xohm wireless service will feature when it launches later this month, a set of hidden pages show. The company'S device list and FAQs show the firm will have just the N810 WiMAX Edition as its stand-alone device and will primarily rely on PC adapters, including a ZyXEL router as well as a Samsung ExpressCard modem and a ZTE USB modem. Notebooks with WiMAX built-in will also support the service and are known to include an ASUS Eee PC variant and new Toshiba notebooks.
Sprint's long-delayed full rollout of its Xohm WiMAX Internet service should start in September, company chief technical officer Barry West said Wednesday at the WiMAX Forum's Global Congress event. The executive now claims that the 4G-class wireless network will start its normal, paid business in September with a first run in Baltimore; Chicago and Washington DC, which have also participated in early trials, will see their networks opened to the public sometime in the fall. Other cities should come soon after, West says.
