While many Mac-based users already have next-generation, draft 802.11n Wi-Fi technology in their homes (because they use Apple’s Airport Extreme routers) lots of other folks still use slower 802.11g Wi-Fi. This year is when official certification of 802.11n Wi-Fi is supposed to arrive, and the month of January brought some product announcements that point to what the widespread arrival of 802.11n technology might mean, as well as some other announcements on the Wi-Fi front. In this post, I’ll round up some of the more important ones to have on your radar.

Broadcom is a major manufacturer of the chips that will power various kinds of 802.11n devices. Broadcom’s dual-band, single-chip Intensi-fi technology is already showing up in new products, including new Netgear and Linksys routers. It promises large performance improvements over previous 802.11n technologies, and may even need to brand new Wi-Fi applications.
According to Broadcom’s Intensi-fi announcement, these will include handheld devices, printers, digital cameras, digital video recorders, cable set top boxes, game consoles, audio equipment and other consumer electronics devices. Netgear’s new RangeMax Dual-Band Wireless-N router, and Linksys’ Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit router both use Intensi-fi. Among many next-generation applications for these kinds of products, streaming high-definition video around a home will be feasible.
Speaking of streaming high-definition content around a home, the next several months will bring several HDTVs that can stream HD content seamlessly and dependably. At January’s consumer electronics show, LG showed two HDTVs (the PG70 with a plasma screen and the LG71 with an LCD display) that stream compressed HD content. Look for these this summer.
Not all of the Wi-Fi news from January was about 802.11n technology though. The Eye-Fi card (an SD card with integrated 802.11g Wi-Fi) was one of the big hits of the Consumer Electronics Show. It lets you wirelessly send photos to your PC or Mac, and they’re automatically saved to a folder that you pre-define. They can also be simultaneously posted on your favorite photo sharing site on the web. Look for more innovative Wi-Fi implementations in the months to come.
Do you know of any notable new Wi-Fi products or technologies?
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