Linksys Ships Lower-Cost MIMO Wi-Fi Router

Linksys Tuesday shipped a Wi-Fi router based on Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO) technology that is less expensive than previous routers using that technology.

MIMO employs multiple smart antennas to increase both network speed and range. While not yet standardized, some version of MIMO eventually will be a part of the next Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n.

Aimed at home and small office users, Linksys said its WRT54GX2 router will have a street price of less than $100.

"The WRT54GX2 makes MIMO technology a viable option to users looking to spend a little less money on their network while still realizing performance greater than traditional Wireless-G products," Tarun Loomba, Linksys' director of product management, said in a statement.

The release comes on the heals of a the release by BelkinBelkin of a router using the same underlying technology. Both routers use recently-released, lower-cost MIMO technology developed by Airgo Networks.The Linksys router has a built-in firewall and supports WPA security and is available now.