The IEEE’s 802.11 Wireless LAN Standards Committee has approved by a letter ballot the Draft 4.0 version of the forthcoming standard for wireless local networks. Proxim Inc – the Mountain View, California-based developer of the RangeLAN2 wireless local network system – welcomed the news, and says it is planning to develop its own 802.11-based system. Where the forthcoming standard leaves RangeLAN2 remains to be seen however: at least for the time being, Proxim is planning two distinct ranges, one based on 802.11 and the other as part of the ongoing development of RangeLAN2. Brian Button, the company’s vice-president of marketing, justifies the dual product development by pointing out that it will be a year at least before 802.11 products hit the streets, and that even then, RangeLAN2 has capabilities not supported in the IEEE standard – roaming from access point to access point, power management and the ability to support international interfaces. We’re not sunsetting the product, he says, although he did admit that Range-LAN2 may find itself increasingly sidelined as IEEE 802.11 gains acceptance, particularly if it is enhanced to overcome its limitations. As if in tacit acceptance of this, Proxim is planning to provide interoperability between its product and 802.11 products. Button is, however, cynical about the new industry grouping of Lucent Technologies Inc, Aironet Corp and Digital Ocean Inc that is planning to develop a roaming specification for 802.11 (CI No 2,923), seeing this as a reaction against the Range-LAN2-based Wireless LAN Interoperability Forum that was announced in the same week. Proxim may get involved with development of the roaming specification, says Button, but first it wants to make sure that the group is serious about its intentions.
