Speed, distance barriers fall
Summary
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Proxim, a company that's been in the wireless networking business just about as long as wireless networking has been around, has, in its Harmony product line, virtually every Wi-Fi device an enterprise would need to cover both long and short haul wireless networking. At NetWorld+Interop, the company announced that its 802.11a access point and adapters will support 802.1X security. 802.1X security features dynamic keys that help stymie hackers, and authentication based on a Radius database, which allows for greater scalability. As Proxim adds 802.11a products to it bevy of Wi-Fi devices, it will help ease migration headaches for its customers by providing support for both 802.11b and 802.11a in its products.
Proxim's 802.11a products use a technology the company calls 2X Turbo Mode to pump up throughput to about 100Mbps--nearly twice 802.11a's rated speed of 54Mbps. Other companies, such as SMC, are also pushing their 802.11a products beyond the speed limit, but most are achieving maximum rates of 72Mbps. Proxim warns, however, that the increased speed does have a price--coverage cells will be smaller.
A Costa Mesa, CA-based company, EnGenius, is intent on exceeding another Wi-Fi limitation--range of operations. EnGenius has been in the telephony business for 23 years, and used Networld + Interop to draw attention to its recent forays into wireless networking. The company sells a range of 802.11b products, from consumer-oriented devices to enterprise offerings such as outdoor access points, routers, and bridges.
EnGenius claims that its Type II PCMCIA wireless adapter has about twice the range of a conventional adapter. The EL-2511 CD Plus operates at 200 milliwatts compared to a typical adapter's rating of 100 mW.
Other wireless companies are undoubtedly working on 802.11 products that will exceed the protocol's published limits. This, of course, is business as usual in the tech world, but it could be a big shot in the arm for Wi-Fi. With speeds approaching--and even exceeding--those of wired network and ranges ever widening, deploying Wi-Fi in enterprise and public environments will not only get a lot easier, but those implementations will be more usable. 
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