Sometimes products that solve one problem cause others down the road. Such is the case with Logitech's Play Link wireless adapter.

Let's start with the problem it solves: Aimed at consumers, the Play Link system ($100, due out this month) consists of two wireless devices that let you connect Ethernet-enabled devices such as gaming consoles (such as PlayStation 2 or Xbox) to a home network. The wireless portion of the network is an encrypted 900-MHz link, Logitech says.

When used with a gaming device, it lets you play online games without having to be near a broadband connection. One Play Link box connects to a cable/DSL modem or a broadband router, and the second connects (via Ethernet cable) to the gaming device. Similar wireless Ethernet adapters use 802.11b or 802.11g wireless technology, but that requires configuration settings, such as knowing the Service Set Identifier (SSID) or a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key. Because the Play Link uses the 900-MHz frequency, there are no SSID settings or WEP keys to worry about. The system truly is plug and play - just connect and power up, and within seconds your gaming device or other system with an Ethernet port has a network connection. The two boxes are pre-paired, which means you cannot add additional adapters to the system, although you can use two sets within the same environment without interference. The system creates a 1.5M bit/sec connection over the wireless portion of the link, and Logitech says the devices can operate up to 100 feet apart (although walls and other obstructions could shorten the range).

We tried the system with our PlayStation 2. Connections were easy. We plugged in the Ethernet cable to the game console with one box and the router with the other box, then plugged in the power adapter and booted up the game.

The problem Play Link creates is that the system basically works with any Ethernet-enabled device, including laptops. If your company has a problem with rogue users buying consumer access points and plugging them into a wall jack at work, they now can buy a Play Link system, plug in one box to the Ethernet plug in the wall, and plug the other one to their laptop and get a wireless connection (although with only 100 feet of coverage). Even if you have a wireless LAN rogue access-point detection system, it might not be able to detect the Play Link, which uses 900 MHz.

We tested the Play Link at the office and found that over a 10M bit/sec link we could connect our laptop to the Play Link boxes and get an Internet connection. The good news is that over a 100M bit/sec port, which most of our Ethernet wall plugs are configured for, the Play Link did not operate.

But if you have a network with dedicated 10M bit/sec ports, you can use the Play Link to create a de facto wireless connection. So while one problem is solved on the consumer side, it creates a potential problem for the IT network manager at work.

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.