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NetComm Goes 3G With New Range |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Thursday, 06 September 2007 |
ASX-listed
networking and communications vendor, NetComm, has announced the first
in what it says will be a range of 3G enabled wireless routers designed
to take advantage of the growing interest in wireless broadband.
First
in the new range is a 3G compatible wireless router, the N3G001W. The
first device of its kind that is compatible with all the available 3G
networks in Australia including Telstra's Next G, Hutchinson's 3, Optus
and Vodafone. The device is also compatible with the iBurst wireless
broadband network from Personal Broadband Australia.
The
wireless router itself is not 3G capable and this first product must
have a PCMCIA data card and SIM card from one of the carriers to
connect to the mobile data networks. The
N3G001 allows the sharing of one PCMCIA 3G card so multiple users can
access the Internet from their notebooks or desktops simultaneously.
This saves them having to buy multiple PCMCIA cards and allows
high-speed and high-quality connection to the Internet for all users.
"It's particularly
appealing to those people who are on the fringe areas of the ADSL
network," said David Stewart, Managing Director of NetComm.
"These people will now be able to receive a reasonable if not
higher-quality data network where they haven't previously been able to
get ADSL. It will also appeal to renters who have not previously wanted
to pay the costs and make the commitment to ADSL. Of course it will
also appeal to users in the huge bush market who are still waiting for
any form of broadband."
Stewart told
mobilised the next product in the range will be available before
Christmas and will accept any of the carrier's USB wireless modems
rather than the PCMCIA cards.
That
model also has a built-in 4 port switch rather than the
1-LAN-port/1-WAN-port configuration on the N3G001W. NetComm has
previously committed to waiting for the 802.11n standard to be ratified
before releasing products, so the device is 802.11g (54Mbps) capable
rather than the pre-standard Draft N wireless now being made available
from other vendors.
Stewart said one future wireless broadband
device will specifically target existing
CDMA data users with a Next G compatible serial network device. With
the Telstra CDMA network likely to be turned off early in the New Year,
Stewart says that up to 30,000 users who currently rely on the regional
phone network for remote access and control of meteorology stations,
refrigeration
cabinets, windmills and gates will be left without a solution.
Ultimately
the company plans to release device that will act as a 3G home gateway
similar to the wireless broadband modem released in July by Virgin
Mobile. Stewart said NetComm hopes to be able to lure a major telco player or ISP
into a deal to distirbute the device.
First products off the shelf will be the N3G001W, though. Availabile immediately the 3G wireless routers is priced at $229.
Key features of the N3G001W include:
- Combatable with Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Hutchinson and 3 networks
- Transportable and flexible 802.11g (54mbps) wireless connection
- Provide easy configuration tool for setup
- 10/100Mps WAN interface for DSL or cable broadband access
- 3G/UMTS PC Card Slot for Mobile Internet Connectivity
- Built-in NAT function to allow connection sharing by devices
- Browser-based interface for configuration and management
- Built-in firewall to protect your Intranet.
- VPN support: pass through of PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec
- Easy to manage: using Web or UPnP utility for system management
- 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2,
WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK and TKIP/AES
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