SMC Unveils Wireless PCI Cards Aimed At Extending Range, Security

SMC Networks Tuesday introduced two new wireless PCI cards the Irvine, Calif.-based networking vendor says boosts the power and security of its existing PCI cards.

The SMC2512W-B EliteConnect 2.4GHz 802.11b High Power Wireless PCI Card is set to become available this month at an MSRP of $109.99. The SMC2512W-AG EliteConnect Universal 2.4GHz/5GHz High Power Wireless PCI Card is set to become available in February at an MSRP of $129.99.

The new SMC2512W-B and SMC2512W-AG feature operating ranges of up to 2,700 feet and 2,145 feet, respectively, according to SMC. The range of the SMC2512W-B can be increased by attaching an optional high-gain antenna (SMCANT-OM5) to one of the two available MMCX connectors.

The SMC2512W-B operates on any 802.11b/g network; the SMC2512W-AG operates on any 802.11a/b/g-compliant wireless network. Security features include 64/128-bit WEP encryption on the SMC2512W-B and 64/128/152-bit WEP encryption on the SMC2512W-AG, according to SMC.

Both also support the new Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and user authentication via Radius 802.1x, EAP, LEAP and PEAP standards.

Betty Chan, product manager at SMC Networks, said the new products are aimed at addressing range and security issues in wireless networking. An EZ Installation Wizard is included, and the new cards can be configured to operate in ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) or infrastructure (communication to the wired network via an access point) mode.