Centrino wireless upgrade

Intel has added new wireless capabilities to its Centrino mobile technology for laptops. The chip vendor introduced a new wireless LAN (WLAN) adapter module with tri-band support, and software to help users configure their wireless connections. New security capabilities for enterprise users support the latest IEEE 802.11i standard.

The Intel Pro/Wireless 2915ABG adapter, available immediately, is Intel's first module to support the three major WLAN standards, 802.11a, b and g. Although other adapter card makers already supply tri-band kit, a laptop must have an Intel module to be branded as a Centrino model. The new card should be available in laptops from major vendors in the next few weeks.

Along with the adapter itself, Intel is supplying updated client software, Intel ProSet Wireless version 9.0. This includes a new feature, the Intel Smart Wireless Solution, to help roaming users connect to multiple wireless networks - such as their home and office WLANs. It consists of a configuration wizard, advanced trouble-shooter, and automated security settings. The system detects and shows all available networks and manages multiple user profiles for acc- essing them, Intel said.

"Wi-Fi networks continue to increase rapidly in number, but users still have concerns over how hard it will be to connect and whether the network is secure," commented Jim Johnson, vice-president of Intel's Wireless Networking Group.

The Pro/Wireless 2915ABG adapter supports the recently ratified IEEE 802.11i standard, which encrypts wireless communications using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. This offers enterprise users the highest level of security currently available, according to Intel. Staff can also make use of a single sign-on feature during login to gain authentication for access to the wireless network

With tri-band support, a laptop should be able to link to any WLAN using whichever of the three standards is the most appropriate. The most widely used spec is 802.11b, which supports speeds up to 11Mbit/s; 802.11a and 802.11g both support speeds up to 54Mbit/s, but 802.11a uses frequencies in the 5GHz range, while 802.11g uses frequencies around 2.4GHz, similar to 802.11b.

A PCI Express version of the Pro/Wireless 2915ABG will be a key component of Sonoma, an update of Centrino that will feature a Pentium M chip with 533MHz system bus and chipset support for DDR2 memory and Serial ATA storage. Sonoma was originally slated for this year but has now been pushed back until 2005, according to reports.