Wireless LANs Speed Up

Capable of speeds up to 10 megabits per second, Proxim's new Symphony HomeRF product line is the first wireless network to comply with the long-awaited wireless HomeRF 2.0 protocol. The line also has other enhancements that could make it a strong rival to products that use 802.11b (aka Wi-Fi), a popular competing wireless standard--at least on paper.

The greater bandwidth presumably puts this new version of HomeRF roughly on a par with 802.11b's maximum throughput of 11 mbps (original HomeRF products had a maximum speed of 1.6 mbps). In addition, HomeRF 2.0 provides many of the benefits of the original HomeRF standard.

Better Security

Backers of HomeRF say its frequency-hopping technology makes it inherently more secure and less prone to interference than 802.11b. HomeRF more easily integrates with existing cordless telephone products, too, so it's a good fit with the coming generation of voice applications for home networks, allowing you to add phone lines without adding more telephone wires. And HomeRF 2.0 is backward-compatible: People who have HomeRF adapters can use them with the HomeRF 2.0 Base Station, though they won't realize any speed gain.

Networks rarely reach their theoretical bandwidths, however, and in my tests with shipping models of the $200 Symphony HomeRF Base Station and two $99 PC Cards, HomeRF 2.0 lagged significantly behind 802.11b in speed. Transferring a 17MB file (which equals 136 megabits, at 8 megabits to 1 megabyte) between two notebooks equipped with the Symphony products took about 3.5 minutes, compared to just under 2 minutes when I performed the same test using the two notebooks and 802.11b hardware. That translates to about 0.65 mbps and 1.15 mbps, respectively, in real-world use, making HomeRF 2.0 about 40 percent slower than 802.11b in my tests.

Uphill Battle

Even if the new HomeRF delivered on speed, it would still be a dark horse in the wireless LAN competition. For starters, 802.11b has offered superior bandwidth for some time. And 802.11b enjoyed a head start because it originated in the corporate world with users who were happy to be able to use their enterprise-issued notebooks on a home network with the same Wi-Fi PC Card they used at work.

Though Symphony HomeRF products are attractively priced (the line also includes a $99 USB adapter), comparably priced 802.11b products aren't difficult to find. Finally, 802.11b has received boosts from the increasing number of public networks that use the standard, and from notebooks that come with 802.11b clients built in.

Though Wi-Fi may not be flawless, HomeRF 2.0 doesn't shape up as its nemesis.

SUMMARY

Proxim Symphony HomeRF Competitively priced, easy-setup wireless networking system doesn't quite deliver on promised speed; not an 802.11b killer. List: Base Station, $200; PC Card or USB Adapter, $99.