The New Wireless Standard A new wireless standard is on the way, but when?

As the alphabet soup of Wi-Fi continues to stew, there is, as usual, a new standard on the way. Talk of 802.11n has been floating around for a while, but we're finally closing in on the ratification of the new standard. After a long bout of infighting between companies, the Enhanced Wireless Consortium emerged from the mire. Heavy-weights such as Apple, Cisco, Intel and Toshiba are all members of the group, which looks set to help push a standard through, possibly sometime this year.

Here's the buzz on 802.11n: Using MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) techniques, it should provide a minimum bandwidth of 100Mbps and possibly as much as 300Mbps. It should also feature signifi-cant gains in range and coverage quality.

All the confusion hasn't stopped Wi-Fi equipment manufacturers from coming out with pre-standard devices, usually described as pre-n or MIMO upgrades to 802.11g. Impatient entrepreneurs in need of more bandwidth and better wireless coverage should be aware of the potential trade-offs of pre-n adapters, though.