* SMC Networks introduces wireless LAN gear for entertainment networking
Finally, SMC Networks has introduced network products that are the natural conclusion to all the home networking hype we’ve been hearing: wireless LAN gear specifically targeted at stereo equipment.
Actually, the target is slightly larger than that, as the wireless gear is really aimed at electronic entertainment in general, distributing audio, pictures and video throughout your home without running wires.
SMC introduced a line of products called EZ-Stream, anchored by the Universal Wireless Multimedia Receiver. It plays audio, including Internet radio, and streams video. It connects to a wired or wireless network to get at Internet resources or media files from your computer, and it hooks to TVs or stereo receivers through standard connectors.
The wireless technology used is IEEE 802.11a and .11g, and further products in the EZ-Stream line will support these standards, SMC says.
Those products include the Universal Wireless Broadband router, which connects to cable modems and DSL, and a couple of wireless LAN adapters. The receiver is expected to ship this month, with the other products following in subsequent months.
Of course, you know what the next step will be, if equipment like this becomes popular – eventually your TV or stereo will come equipped with this kind of functionality built in, obviating the need for a separate receiving device. Imagine your PC distributing video straight to your TV, simply because they happen to be near enough to each other.
