Embedded Wi-Fi modules now support 802.11a in the 5GHz band

Summit Data Communications has taken embedded Wi-Fi a step further, with the release of two radio modules, one in compact flash another in PCMCIA form factors, supporting Windows CE and version 4.0 of the Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX).

CCX is a set of interfaces that ties into functions and features in Cisco wireless access points and controllers. In effect, CCX code optimizes third-party clients for Cisco WLANS.

Most embedded 802.11 products to date have supported only 802.11bg, potentially adding lots of WLAN-enabled clients to the increasingly crowded and noisy 2.4GHz frequency band. The 5GHz band has far fewer client devices, and has many more channels for them, allowing dense as well as high-capacity deployments without co-channel interference. It's been relatively unused by enterprise WLANs, despite those benefits.

Summit's press release makes the point that the release of draft 2 802.11n client and access point products is fueling enterprise interest in the 5GHz band. One reason is that WLANs can be set up to segregate 11bg clients in the 2.4 band, and reserve the 5 GHz band for 11a and increasingly 11n clients. So far, 11n clients, whether integrated or plug-in, are mainly for laptops, and that's not likely to change soon for the kinds of products targeted by Summit: a range of small mobile devices, in this case based on Windows CE, such as wireless medical devices. By supporting 11a, Summit suggests it is supporting this sensible enterprise migration to the cleaner spectrum.

The two new products are the SDC-CF10AG compact flash module, with a list price of $159; and the SDC-PC10AG PCMCIA module, with a list price of $179. Volume discounts apply to both, and both are available now.

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