BARCELONA, Spain -- SMC® Networks (www.smc.com) announced today a new line of 802.11g wireless networking products that leverage MIMO. MIMO (multiple input, multiple-output) technology speeds data transmission, improves reliability and increases range of wireless networks by using multiple transmitter and receiver ‘smart’ antennas that send and receive multiple data streams simultaneously. SMC’s staged roll-out of MIMO-enabled products will begin in December with three MIMO-enabled wireless networking products built on the Ralink chipset that can build speedy, long-range, secure wireless networks or extend existing 802.11g or b networks with increased performance: the Barricade™g 802.11g MIMO Wireless Cable/DSL Broadband Router (SMCWBR14-GM), the EZ Connect™ g 802.11g MIMO Wireless Cardbus Adapter (SMCWCB-GM), and the EZ Connect™ g 802.11g MIMO Wireless PCI Adapter (SMCWPCI-GM).

“The advantages of MIMO are significant,” said SMC Networks product manager, Zsolt Mahunka. “The increased reach is a big plus, especially for home networking, where there is often just one access point and users experience dead spots and distance limitations. And, high-bandwidth applications like real-time video and music distribution and gaming are greatly enhanced by the bandwidth and speed increases that MIMO affords. With their backward-compatibility, these forward-reaching products are a great way to build or expand an efficient wireless network.”

SMC’s first set of MIMO-enabled products provide the speed, coverage, and security that today’s demanding users seek. They accelerate communication, download or upload of large files, streaming audio and/or video and a host of other bandwidth-intensive applications. Based on an advanced Ralink MIMO 802.11g chipset, the IEEE 802.11g-compliant SMC MIMO product set enables speedy data transfer—up to 20 times faster than older 802.11b wireless networking devices in MIMO-to-MIMO communication (a MIMO adapter used in its MIMO mode with a compatible MIMO router or access point). At the same time, the products are 100% backward-compatible with standard 802.11g and 802.11b devices—and can even increase performance in mixed-mode (802.11g MIMO and 802.11g or b) networks.

SMC Networks Inc.