AT&T, Linksys team up for home networking

AT&T Broadband announced Thursday that it would supply home networking services to its Internet customers with hardware from Linksys. AT&T Broadband Internet customers can connect their PCs and laptops to their high-speed Internet connection through a wired or a wireless network. Customers pay about $45.95 for a high-speed Internet connection and the lease of a modem, and can add up to four computers to a home network for $4.95 each, which gives each computer its own (Internet protocol) address for simultaneous access to the Internet. The customer must also buy additional hardware. For a wireless network that runs on the 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, standard, home users need Network Access Point connected to their cable modem, which handles signals to and from other computers and costs about $150 from AT&T. The computers themselves must also have wireless network PC cards or adapters, which range in cost between $80 and $40 each. Prices for wired network equipment are generally cheaper. --Sam Ames, Special to ZDNet News