“Networking specialist SMC today shipped its first hardware that can match the high speeds of Wi-Fi’s 802.11n standard in its current first-draft form. Integral to the launch is the Barricade N, a wireless router that uses multi-antenna MIMO support to connect at rates as high as 300Mbps to other devices that support the new wireless format. The router comes with a 4-port Ethernet switch and is intelligent enough to both prioritize video streams as well as protect against intrusion with an SPI firewall. SMC sells the router for $120,” Electronista reports.
Full article with image and linkshere.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Inside Apple’s 802.11n adapter – October 31, 2006
802.11n WiFi Card in new iMacs? – September 25, 2006
How is this related to Apple? And how is it different from Netgear’s Wireless N routers and cards that have been available?
Interesting. Certainly gives more credence to the rumor that Apple might do something similar with the iTV…
Excuse my ignorance in this area, though – but what happens if the powers that be decide to go with another specification of 802.11n? Will that mean that devices that use this draft specification will not function with new, “approved” 802.11n hardware?
plasticmd the iTV is a device dependant on 802.11n. If 802.11n is a market reality then the iTV will be reality.
I could swear that the final 802.11n spec was supposed to be approved three weeks ago. Where’s the news article there?
R,
The answer is a big “it depends”. Hopefully the fixes to the various problems with 11n can be done in software, which means a quick ROM flash and you’re ready. Like the supposed 11n compatible Airport cards in later model Apples that are “throttled back” to 11g standard. That functionality could presumably be turned on with a software update.
If not, then the “early adopters” are screwed again.
They don’t call it “bleeding edge” for nothing…
speaking of 802.11n… i want to buy an airport extreme base station. should i wait? will apple do an ‘n’ base station soon? any ideas?
Should this cause panic?
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1957247,00.asp
( I wish I knew how to do that link format thing instead of pasting the web site address)
eweek
I have not had good luck with SMC routers. They do not invest resources in firmware upgrades. Stick with Linksys or Airport
Thanks for the info B-Sabre.
macca and Mac users: DO NOT BUY ANYTHING related to “Airpot” until after Macworld keynote. Jan 8.
Sorry, “Airport”. Don’t take the pot.
Love my SMC barricade router.
NAT, SPI, lockdown by mac address, email when intrusion attempts detected, virtual server, and a bunch of other stuff I don’t understand.
Also, someone should tell SMC they are shipping these.
Their website has no mention of this product.
Bizarro Balmer-
Your link is from early 2006 – so a bit out dated.