[6:00 AM] Skyways Become Crowded As Farallon Announces Product To Compete With AirPort
by Staff
Farallon has officially announced SkyLINE 11Mb, a wireless networking card for PowerBooks and PCs that use that other operating system. SkyLINE works with base stations that conform to the IEEE 802.11b open standard, and that included AirPort from Apple. In addition, users can connect two SkyLINE equipped notebooks without a base station. According to Farallon:
Farallon Communications, Inc. today announced an 11Mb version of their popular SkyLINE Wireless PC Card for portable computers. SkyLINE provides both Macintosh PowerBook and PC notebook users access to network resources such as file servers, e-mail, printers and the Internet without the hassle of wires.
Farallon's SkyLINE 11Mb Wireless PC Card is based on the currently shipping award-winning 2Mb SkyLINE solution. In addition, SkyLINE 11Mb comes with support for 40-bit WEP encryption and enhanced Control Panels for simplified configuration and management. As with the 2Mb version, SkyLINE 11Mb is compatible with Apple's AirPort wireless solutions as well as other IEEE 802.11 DSSS compatible access points from vendors like Nokia, Lucent and Maxtech.
SkyLINE 11Mb Wireless PC Card Networking
SkyLINE 11Mb users can connect to a wired Ethernet infrastructure network via 802.11 DSSS access points or base stations. In addition, ad hoc peer-to-peer wireless networks can be created without an access point between two or more SkyLINE-equipped portables.
SkyLINE 11Mb features 40-bit WEP encryption for increased security, Farallon test utilities and at-a-glance link LED to simplify troubleshooting, a unique Control Panel with real-time signal strength meter and network statistics, as well as dynamic configuration capabilities omitting the need for restart every time a change is made. Additionally, in order to get the maximum operating range, SkyLINE 11Mb will automatically step down from 11Mbps to 5.5 Mbps, 2Mbps and 1Mbps as users distance themselves from the access point.
SkyLINE 11Mb Wireless PC Card Specifications
Type II PC Card (PCMCIA) with the Intersil PRISM WLAN chip set for advanced Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology in the 2.4GHz radio frequency band.
11Mb IEEE 802.11b High Rate (HR) standard, including translation and encapsulation addressing modes, for maximum data rate and seamless integration with any Ethernet network.
Multi-platform drivers for use in Macintosh PowerBooks 2400, 3400, G3 Series or Windows 95/98, NT notebooks. (Future support: PowerBook 190, 1400, 5300 & Windows 2000)
Compatible with other 802.11b 11Mb DSSS clients such as Apple's AirPort, as well as 802.11 2Mb clients.
Compatible with 802.11 2Mb and 802.11b 11Mb DSSS access points from manufacturers such as Apple, Nokia, Lucent, Maxtech and others.
40 bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection) encryption support for increased security.
Support for all major network protocols including TCP/IP, NetBEUI, IPX and AppleTalk.
Operating range of approximately 150ft (dependent on environment) to an access point or other wireless device - automatic fallback rates of 5.5Mbps, 2Mbps and 1Mbps for maximum range.
Free Dr. Farallon technical support and 3 year warranty.
SkyLINE 11Mb Requirements & Certification
Macintosh PowerBooks: 2400, 3400, G3 Series (Future support: PowerBook 190, 1400 & 5300) Available Type II PC card (PCMCIA) slot Mac OS 7.5.5 or higher and OT 1.1.1
Windows PC Card Notebooks Available Type II PC card (PCMCIA) slot Windows 95/98, or NT (Future support: Windows 2000)
NOTE: SkyLINE 11Mb will be certified for use in North America, Japan, Australia and Europe.
Pricing has not yet been announced. The product is due to ship in April of this year.
