Santa Clara (CA) -Intel today released, as anticipated, its WiFi Link 4965 AGN chipset, previously code-named Kedron. The chip promises to boost connection speeds up to 5x, range by up to 2x and battery life by up to one hour.

The 802.11n train is already under full steam and about to leave the station, as Intel joins the party with a draft-n capable chipset for its current "Napa64" Centrino platform. As other offerings in the market, Intel offers more bandwidth (up to 300 Mbps, according to the company) and more range (up to 2x of 802.11a/b/g).

However, Intel tries to differentiate itself with improved power efficiency and claims that Kedron integrates optimized power modes for mobile operation, which can result in up to one hour more battery life than previous versions of the chipset.

Even if Intel joins other draft-n products the question remains why now and why at least one or two quarters before the final specification is expected. According to Intel, there is a trend of converging opinions in the industry with unanimously ratified comments for changes to the first draft-n spec, which indicates that the certification of the standard through the Wi-Fi Alliance is getting closer. However, Intel said that it does not guarantee compatibility with the final 802.11n spec.

Sources indicated to TG Daily that the current status of draft-n may not have been the decisive reason to release Kedron right now. Instead Intel may have been aiming to catch the most recent update cycle in the notebook industry, which ensures that Intel’s draft-n technology is in place once Intel’s upgraded notebook platform ("Santa Rosa") is available Q2 of this year. For Christmas 2007, Intel will have two instead of one notebook generation with 802.11n capability in place and provide itself with a better competitive position in the market.

Intel said that the n-chipset will be available this month from various notebook vendors, including Acer, Asus, Gateway and Toshiba.

More information : Intel announces draft-n chipset (SmallNetBuilder)