If you haven't already invested in wireless LAN equipment, you probably don't care about wireless interoperability. In that case, you might want to look at RadioLAN, a wireless LAN that offers high speed at a low cost but doesn't support the 802.11 standard.
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RadioLAN PC CardLINK
RadioLAN
455 DeGuigne Drive
Sunnyvale, Calif. 94086
(408) 616-6300
Web site
Pricing: $449, PC Card;$999, Access Point
Pros: Top throughput; bargain pricing
Cons: Low range; poor site survey software; no interoperability; bulky external antenna required.
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RadioLAN's wireless offering is based on a proprietary 5.8-GHz spectrum that promises 10M bit/sec performance, up to five times the speed of 802.11 products - at least in theory. While we never saw performance approaching 10M bit/sec, we did achieve 4.39M bit/sec at a distance of 4 feet from our access point. But moving away from the access point resulted in throughput plummeting, with performance dropping to 1.88M bit/sec at 32 feet with an average of only 30% of data frames making it through.
RadioLAN comes with an enormous antenna, which is vulnerable to the slightest movement. A few degrees of tilt can be the difference between a solid connection and none at all.
While RadioLAN's performance may seem comparable to the other products, it's actually about 50% better than average 802.11 performance, at least within the 32-foot range. With additional access points to broaden the coverage area, it should approach 4M bit/sec. However, we lost our signal at only 57 feet, despite the enormous antenna. Clearly, this product is inappropriate for large buildings, unless you intend to invest heavily in access point hardware.
RadioLAN's PC CardLINK is a simple PC Card similar to the other wireless products we tested, but you must also attach a large external antenna to the card, then fix it to the lid of your laptop with Velcro.
Installing the PC CardLINK client drivers and configuring the card is simple. However, compared to the other products in this comparison, the site survey and diagnostic software was meager.
Despite some sloppy manuals, setting up a RadioLAN network was a breeze, as the setup and IP assignment process was considerably easier than with the other products we tested. In fact, you set up the access point from software on a diskette and further configure it through a Web-based management utility, meaning you don't have to install any software to manage the BackboneLINK access point. Media access control address filtering is built into all units.
At $449 for a PC CardLINK and $999 for BackboneLINK, RadioLAN is the least expensive wireless LAN product we tested. Encryption-enabled versions are available at a slightly additional cost.
While RadioLAN has its substantial weaknesses, in the short haul, you simply won't beat its wireless performance.
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