Posted on: Tuesday, August 28, 2001

Geekspeak to know: 802.11b and Home RF

Gannett News Service

The 802.11b networking standard is not the only way to install a wireless home network.

There's also what's known as Home RF (radio frequency), but with a peak data transmission speed of 1.6 megabits per second (Mbps) it's much slower than 802.11b with its peak speed of 11 Mbps.

That said, Home RF networking is expected to reach speeds of 10 Mbps by the end of the year.

With its central hub-and-adapter card configuration, Home RF equipment is similar in setup to 802.11b gear.

Proxim (www.proxim.com) is among the most respected makers of Home RF equipment.

Networking two computers using Proxim's Symphony Home RF gear and linking them to the Internet through a high-speed connection would cost about $460.