Updated: Cisco said today it’s won a contract to supply equipment for Clearwire’s WiMAX network deployment, but buried in that release was a one-line sentence announcing a mobile WiMAX device that the networking giant plans to release later this year. According to Cisco spokesman Kevin Petschow, the device is not a handset, and will be associated with the company’s Linksys Wi-Fi home router brand. My guess is that it’s some sort of WiMAX version of Verizon’s MiFi router that takes a 3G signal and uses it as the backhaul for a Wi-Fi hot spot. When I asked if the product could resemble the MiFi router, Petschow said, “It sure could.” Update: Clearwire already offers a similar device made by CradlePoint called the Clear Spot Personal Hotspot.
Such a device would use WiMAX as the backhaul to the Internet and offer a Wi-Fi connection. It could subsequently help WiMAX gain a following because it would enable the wide variety of devices out there that already contain Wi-Fi chips to get the benefits of WiMAX speeds. I’m far more likely to buy a WiMAX service package if I can essentially make all my WiFi-enabled devices slightly more portable.
The smart grid gurus over at our sister site, Earth2Tech, however, think this could be Cisco’s home smart grid play. Cisco has confirmed that it will use its Linksys brand for smart grid applications, and folks like GE and Intel are pushing WiMAX as a smart grid radio network. Cisco plans to release this device later this year, so we all have time to speculate. What do you guys think?
Clear has been showing prototypes of such devices (not from Cisco, I don’t think) in tradeshow booths for a while. I saw a little battery operated WiMax->ethernet hub at CES… maybe even CES a year ago. Trying to remember if it had both wired and 802.11… not positive.
Clear has announced and is shipping a “personal wi-fi router” called Spot – http://newsroom.clearwire.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=214419&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1271811&highlight
Clearwire already sells this type of device. It’s called the Clear Spot.
Ah thanks, guys. I knew it made a lot of sense. Let me update the story.
A NewTeeVee post on Clearwire with a pic of their first portable wimax hotspot:
http://newteevee.com/2009/04/07/photos-clearwires-wimax-in-car-video/
WiMAX as the backhaul to the Internet and offer a Wi-Fi connection. It could subsequently help WiMAX gain a following because it would enable the wide variety of devices out there that already contain Wi-Fi chips to get the benefits of WiMAX speeds.