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HomeRF to Speed Up

An FCC ruling clears the way for 10-mbps HomeRF wireless networks.

By Yardena Arar, PCWorld   

This would bring HomeRF bandwidth in line with that of its competitors in the 802.11 family, and it will make HomeRF more suitable for transmitting music and other audio over a wireless network.

The increased bandwidth will be available in products using version 2.0 of the HomeRF Working Group's Shared Wireless Access Protocol. These products, which should begin shipping by next summer, will also work with older HomeRF products using SWAP 1.x, but the older products won't enjoy the faster bandwidth.

Specifically, the FCC granted a request by the HomeRF Working Group to increase the bandwidth to 5 MHz for frequency hopping in the 2.4-GHz band used by HomeRF's Shared Wireless Access Protocol. Current HomeRF products also operate in the 2.4-GHz band, but in 1-MHz hops.

Available HomeRF products include Proxim's newest Symphony devices, Intel's AnyPoint line, and wireless adapters in Compaq Presario and IBM NetVista PCs. (See "Compaq Bundles Wireless Home Nets.")

Ben Manny, who chairs the HomeRF Working Group, says prices of the next-generation HomeRF devices will be similar to those of today's products; Internet radios, for example, cost about $100.

Ammo Against 802.11

The FCC's rule change gives HomeRF supporters new ammunition in their battle against 802.11 products, which are more expensive but already move data at 11 mbps. HomeRF vendors say their standard is already better suited than 802.11 for voice applications--such as cordless phone systems--but that the new version will support up to eight addressable handsets, versus four on the current version. (See "HomeRF Networking Standard Gains Momentum.")

SWAP 2.0 will also offer improved support for streaming audio and video. The new HomeRF spec will support 4-mbps MPEG-1 video, compared to the current 300-kbps streams of so-called "Internet video" of the type used by Real Audio, for example.