Wireless Home Networking Gadgets from Intel

Anyone who has been putting off installing a router and wiring all of their home computers to the DSL line (and we know a few) is probably keeping an eye on other, less labor-intensive, networking strategies. If you are already paying for broadband access, why should you have to spend a Saturday afternoon and several hundred dollars just so that the whole family can use it? Well, it's still going to cost a few bucks, but a whole bunch of companies are working to help you avoid running cables all over your house. Intel is one of those companies and they just announced their new Intel Wireless Gateway, a new base station for home and small offices. The Intel Wireless Gateway combines an access point, router and firewall into a single device to share an Internet connection among several desktop PCs, mobile PCs or handheld devices. Intel says that the system can be set up within minutes of removing it from the box. That sounds a little optimistic, but it's a step in the right direction. Based on the IEEE 802.11b specification, the Intel Wireless Gateway is WiFi-certified and supports a network of up to 32 computers. It also provides 128-bit encryption and an embedded firewall. It will be available in August for around $299. If you want to hook your PDA up to the system, Intel also just announced a new wireless LAN module for the Palm m500. The module snaps onto the back of the handheld device. The company also makes modules for the HandSpring Visor and Compaq iPAQ. The Xircom (a division of Intel) Wireless LAN Module for the Palm m500 series will be available in July for $299. It's kind of interesting that the PDA module costs as much as the base station. Hope the system doesn't cost $299 per device or many of us will have to bite the bullet and run those cables some fine sunny weekend.