Posted on: Tuesday, August 28, 2001

What you need to bag your cables

Gannett News Service

Wireless home networking is no longer just for NASA engineers. A new generation of affordable, easy-to-use products has put the possibility of Web surfing from the patio or the pool deck within reach of the average home computer user.

• D-Link's DWL-920 USB Wireless Kit ($399, www.dlink.com). This kit isn't cheap, but the network adapters connect to the computers through their easy-to-access Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, so setup is an easy plug-and-play procedure. The network adapters connect desktops and laptops that support USB. The kit comes with two adapters and one access point.

• D-Link's DWL-905 Laptop Wireless Kit ($399). The kit includes two laptop network adapters and one access point. These adapters are PC cards that fit into the laptops' PCMCIA slots. They work with older laptops that lack USB.

• 3Com Home Wireless Router ($399, www.3com.com). This is your access point. Since it's Wi-Fi certified, it can work with Wi-Fi network adapters from 3Com and other vendors. For a list of Wi-Fi-certified adapters, check out the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance Web site ( www.wirelessethernet.com).

• Apple's standard-setting Airport system (www.apple.com/airport). It networks computers through a $299 access point and $99 network adapters, which are now included on some Mac equipment. Airport wins