Netgear Makes Bold WiFi Prediction
The VAR Guy, like everyone else, has been waiting for 802.11n to become an official WiFi standard. But technical hurdles and vendor debates have repeatedly delayed the higher-speed wireless standard.
Still, the market for preliminary 802.11n gear appears to be gaining traction. “Last year was exhausting,” concedes Som Pal Choudhury, product line manager for advanced wireless at Netgear. “This year will be rewarding.”
Although an official 802.11n standard isn’t expected to be completed until 2008, Netgear and many other networking firms are already shipping wireless access points that adhere to 802.11n draft specifications. Early users are finding that preliminary 802.11n gear offers five times the throughput and twice the range of traditional WiFi systems.
So far, roughly 10 percent of consumer and small business WiFi sales involve 802.11n gear. By the end of this year, Choudhury expects 802.11n gear to dominate more than half of all consumer and small business WiFi network sales.
Pundits think a new partner program from Intel will help ensure product interoperability until the official 802.11n standard is completed in 2008. The VAR Guy, however, is holding off on 802.11n until more products arrive later this year.