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Its speed has been overhyped, but Lucent Technologies' wireless LAN is a surprisingly economical way to cut the cord. by Jonathan Angel
Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. That's why one of Ty first tests of the WaveLAN IEEE/Turbo was using it to snag a fresh cup of java. Thanks to Lucent's speedy wireless NIC, I was able to lurk in the employee lunchroom as the morning coffeepot filled, while still checking my e-mail and favorite Web sites.
Frivolous? Yes, but that's exactly the point: When wireless NICS sold for S500 or more, they were only relevant to people such as warehouse stocktakers, who couldn't make do with anything else. Now Lucent sells its cards for just $179 apiece. It also makes the Airport equipment (interoperable, with only a few caveats) that Apple sells for even less. In other words, frivolity has become affordable.
The 802.11b-compatible WaveLAN line includes a variety of different products. I tried the WaveLAN IEEE/Turbo Silver NIC and the WavePoint ii hardware Access Point (AP)- the latter a $999 bridge that features a 10BaseT port on one end and a wireless NIC Slot Oil the other.
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