Technology distributor PC Range has launched three Minitar wireless networking devices that comply with the draft IEEE 802.11n wireless standard, which runs much faster than current WiFi technology.

The trio of new products, a wireless broadband router, a wireless PCI card and a wireless USB adapter, comply with current 802.11g and 802.11b WiFI standards as well as the draft 802.11n standard.

Although the 802.11n standard is not expected to be finalised until next year, leading manufacturers such as Minitar are already designing products that deliver the performance benefits of the current draft. The 802.11n standard promises wireless speeds as fast as 300 megabits per second (Mbps) with coverage as far as three times greater than current WiFi networks.

A key feature of the 802.11n draft standard is that it works by using multiple wireless antennas to transmit and receive data. Referred to as Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO), this equips 802.11n to coordinate simultaneous radio signals, increasing both the range and throughput of a wireless network.

• The Minitar MWNAPR-1 802.11N wireless broadband router (RRP $129) delivers high-speed Internet access by allowing four wired and 250 wireless users to share a single cable or ADSL broadband connection. The MWNAPR-1 also supports advanced network and security features such as special applications, DMZ, Virtual Servers, Access Control and Firewall.
• The Minitar MWNPC-1 b/g/n Wireless LAN PCI card (RRP $69) boasts a 300 Mbps receive rate and a 150 Mbps transmit rate, with support for Windows 2000/XP/XP64/Windows Vista as well as the WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption-based security. The card has two external antennas.
• The Minitar MWNU-1 b/g/n Wireless LAN USB adapter (RRP $65) has a comparable feature set, albeit with two internal antennas and a USB form factor that allows it to be used in most notebook computers.

Raaj Menon, managing director of Minitar's Australian distributor, PC Range, said Minitar was releasing the three wireless n products to meet demand from Australian customers. "The 802.11n protocol has taken a very long time to finalise," he said.

"People are sick and tired of the speed and coverage constraints of the current standards, so they are looking to draft n products to improve their performance. Minitar's new products deliver that improvement immediately.

"The beauty of the Minitar products is they are very affordable, which means customers can get a rapid payback because of the improved performance they receive."

PC Range will distribute the Minitar wireless N products through its national reseller network this month. Details are available at http://www.pcrange.com.au/where_to_buy.php.

About Minitar

Based in Taiwan, Minitar Corporation is a leading manufacturer of communication accessories including telephone accessories, ADSL filters, Category 5, Category 5 enhanced structure cabling accessories and fibre optics accessories. In 2002, PC Range became a partner of Minitar Corporation to market ADSL modems, other broadband products and Wireless LAN devices in Australia, Europe and the US markets.

About PC Range

PC Range is the exclusive Australian distributor for technology convergence products including Billion broadband equipment and Minitar wireless networking devices

For more about Minitar products in Australia, visit http://www.minitar.com/index.php.
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