Netgear Adds MIMO To Access Point

Netgear said Monday that it has expanded its line of products based on pre-standard Multiple-Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) technology to a new wireless access point.

MIMO, which eventually will be built into the future Wi-Fi standard, increases both range and speed of wireless connections. The company recently released its RangeMAX MIMO router and adapters (reviewed here). The company's access point uses seven internal MIMO antennas, which, the company claims, provides as much as 10 times the range of standard WLAN equipment.

The company noted that it is aiming the access points at small offices.

"Range is obviously a growing concern for wireless LAN deployments in office environments," Lianne Caetano, a product line manager for Netgear, said in a statement. "But with the emergence and rapid adoption of advanced applications such as video streaming and Voice-over-IP, the ability of the wireless solution to provide higher, more stable speeds at those longer distances will become absolutely critical."

The company claimed that, besides as much as 10 times the range when used in conjunction with other RangeMAX equipment, the access point provides up to 50 percent more range even if standard Wi-Fi clients are used.The company provided no availability or pricing information for the access point.