SOHOware combines Intersil Wi-Fi with broadband

SOHOware has adopted Intersil's Prism WLAN technology as the basis of its new CableFree NetBlaster 11 wireless system specifically designed for the SOHO market.

SOHOware has adopted Intersil's Prism WLAN technology as the basis of its new CableFree NetBlaster 11 wireless system specifically designed for the SOHO (small office, home office) market.

To capitalise on the growing number of households that have a broadband Internet connection (via cable modem or DSL line) and two or more PCs or peripherals, SOHOwarehas integrated Intersil's Prism technology into its new CableFree Netblaster II Series of affordable and easy-to-install WLAN systems capable of linking-up PCs throughout the home to a single broadband connection.

SOHOware Netblaster II products are being offered by Time Warner Cable as an affordable home wireless networking solution for customers of Time Warner's Roadrunner high speed online service in the new Jersey area of the US.

"Sharing a broadband connection using a home Wi-Fi (802.11b) networking system has been a target application for Prism right from the beginning", said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager for Intersil's Wireless Networking Business.

"The SOHOware and Time Warner Cable wireless LAN (Prism-based Wi-Fi) solution now brings the technology into the home as a bundled offering allowing hassle free networking at consumer prices.

With prices for Wireless LAN now reaching consumer price points and distribution channels, the home wireless market has definitely reached the point where it is ready to take off in a very big way".

Wi-Fi technology is ideal for linking up multiple PCs throughout the home, because it avoids the bother of running network cable along floors or through walls.

Furthermore, notebooks can be easily carried from one room to another without losing their networking connection, thus allowing family members to maintain access to e-mail and the Internet wherever they need it.

According to market research firm Cahners In-Stat Group, more than 11.5 million broadband Internet connections (4.6 million DSL lines and 6.9 million cable modems) are now in service.

And leading analyst firm the Yankee Group predicts more than 12.4 million US homes will adopt home networking capabilities over the next year.

"Today's subscribers recognise the full advantages of high speed broadband access, but they may not know how easy it is to share Internet access with all family members", said Andy Chang, vice president of marketing at SOHOware.

"With our technology partner Intersil and leading-edge service providers, we're bridging the gap and turning single-PC broadband users into multi-PC broadband homes".

Intersil's Prism is the most highly integrated WLAN chip set on the market today, delivering wired Ethernet-equivalent data rates and compliance to the Wi-Fi global standard.

Optimised for high data rate wireless networking, Prism-based systems are feature-rich and provide better, more reliable performance in all types of networking environments.

"Our experience and ability to deliver cost-effective, low-power solutions is resulting in a growing list of leading home and small office wireless customers like SOHOware", commented Ciaccia.

Back to top