Wireless SMB Big At TECHXNY

Buffalo, a wireless networking vendor with corporate headquarters in Japan and U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas, introduced the new AirStation 54-Mbps Wireless Ethernet Converter-g and AirStation 54-Mbps Compact Repeater Bridge-g, with street prices of $129 and $99, respectively.

Both 802.11g products, expected to ship in October, signal a continued commitment to interoperable wireless networking, said Tina Campbell, COO for Buffalo.

Buffalo is also working hard to build its partner channel to expand its presence in the United States, she said. "We are continuing our focus on the SMB and SOHO markets," Campbell said. "But we are also looking to grow, with the support of partners, into the enterprise space."

Campbell said Buffalo also plans to ship by the end of September the new 802.11g AirStation 54-Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter-g, with an estimated street price of $129.

Robert Cuomo, president of FastLinks, a wireless solution provider based in North Scituate, Mass., said at the conference that the biggest challenge is convincing customers to spend the money.

"There are still a lot of people sitting on their hands and not spending any money," Cuomo said. "But any end user with more than one building can definitely benefit from more bandwidth for less money with wireless."

Also at TECHXNY, Belkin, a wireless networking vendor based in Compton, Calif., previewed a SOHO/SMB two-port wireless 802.11g USB Print Server, which includes a setup wizard and a lifetime warranty. The print server, set to ship by December

for $129, has a Web interface for advanced functions, 64-bit encryption, and WPA support, said Eric Deming, product manager for Belkin.

"The bottom line is, to get wireless to the masses, it's got to be easy," Deming said.