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Imagine streaming a video file or moving huge database files from an office desktop to a notebook in a conference room in a matter of seconds--without running a single foot of cable. A new generation of wireless networking technology lets you do just that.

Wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.11a (or Wi-Fi5) specification--a sibling to today's 802.11b (or Wi-Fi) spec--promise throughput of up to 54 megabits per second. That's not as speedy as modern-day 100-mbps ethernet, but it's fast enough to manage such tasks as streaming DVD-quality video, something you can't accomplish within the 11-mbps limit of 802.11b.

Fast Mover

We looked at the first Wi-Fi5 products for small and medium-size businesses from Intel (Actiontec, SCM, and Proxim products will be available in January), and found they deliver substantially better performance than 802.11b products can manage. In my tests, two notebooks equipped with shipping $179 Intel Pro/Wireless 5000 CardBus Adapter PC Cards took less than 15 seconds to transfer a 31.7MB (or 253.6mb; 8 megabits equal 1 megabyte) file; when I substituted two 802.11b PC Cards, the file transfer took about 80 seconds.

The transfer time differential narrowed when I moved the same file from a server to a notebook after hooking up an access point to a network hub several rooms away from the laptop. That's because distance and obstacles slow down 802.11a networks more than they do 802.11b networks. It took 50 seconds to transfer the 31.7MB file with a $449 Intel Pro/Wireless 5000 LAN Access Point and the CardBus Adapter, compared with 90 seconds for the same transfer on 802.11b equipment.

Because the first 802.11a products are designed specifically for use with an existing corporate or small-business network, they have drawbacks for home-network use. They cost almost twice as much as their 802.11b counterparts, and access points don't include a router, which you must have to enable multiple PCs to share a single Internet connection (no gateway-type products that incorporate routers have been announced yet). Wi-Fi5 wouldn't speed up Internet access anyway, since most home broadband connections top out at 1.5 mbps.

Less Interference

Wi-Fi5 uses the 5-GHz band (hence the spec's nickname), so it's not subject to interference from microwaves, cordless phones, Bluetooth, or other devices which transmit on the 2.4-GHz band. But 802.11a is completely incompatible with 802.11b, which also uses the 2.4-GHz band.

Wi-Fi5 products won't be worthwhile for most home users who want to share Internet access wirelessly. But for businesses that routinely transfer large data files--for example, graphics, videos, or databases--or that need to accommodate more users per access point, 802.11a's speed and bandwidth may well justify the price premium.

SUMMARY

Intel Pro/Wireless 5000 Fastest wireless access yet for business users; home users should stick with 802.11b for the time being. List: LAN Access Point, $449; CardBus Adapter PC Card, $179