Combining wireless LAN technology and cellular opens up a ton of possibilities. One such possibility is coming from a start-up called Junxion.

The company had a very simple idea, to figure out a way to allow multiple WLAN-enabled computers to share a cellular data connection. By doing so, you could set up a group of laptop computers, all accessing the Internet, from anywhere you can get cellular service - which these days is a heck of a lot of places.

Junxion created what it calls the Junxion Box to accomplish this. You plug a PC Card cellular modem into this device so that it communicates with the cellular network on one end. On the other, it acts as a WLAN access point, using IEEE 802.11b to communicate with laptops. It also has a couple of 10/100M bit/sec Ethernet ports for wired connections to those computers.

It’s like the WLAN access point you may have at home, connected to a DSL or cable modem, only the Internet access technology in this case is cellular. The Junxion Box deals with the PC Card modem so that you don’t have to.

The box could be used anytime you need to set up a mobile or ad hoc work group; think trade shows or conferences. Or it could be a backup for a landline. Or it could even be used in vehicles while you’re moving around.

As I said, it’s a very simple idea, but it could be a very compelling one as well.

Jeff Caruso is site editor at Network World.