High Speed Wireless For Schools
Lucent Technologies’
ORINOCO Home Networking System is a high-speed (11Mbps), wireless networking system that enables users to easily and inexpensively set up a high-speed data network to share resources like files, scanners and printers. The system also enables multiple users to share the same Internet connection within the same building.
Operating in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band, the system works indoors and outdoors, can transmit through walls and floors, and provides a range of up to 1,500 feet. It is fully IEEE802.11 High Rate compliant, meaning it can work with all other 802.11 compliant wireless networking systems, including the Apple AirPort. The 11Mbps speed provides Ethernet quality networking without cords or cables.
The system consists of PC Card radios that slip into the PCMCIA slots of laptops and portable computers, ISA and PCI adapters to enable the PC Cards to work inside of desktop computers, and a RG-1000 Residential Gateway access point that acts as a central base station in a school or institution. The Gateway includes a built-in 56K modem that can be directly plugged into a phone line, and a 10baseT Ethernet jack for connecting to an existing wired Ethernet network, or to a xDSL or cable modem Internet connection. Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ, (800) 928-3526, www.lucent.com.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2000 issue of THE Journal.