A new radio modem for use with wireless local area networks has been launched in the US by Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Monicor Electronic Corp. The Model IC-20 is claimed to provide error-free networks over a two-mile line of sight or 1m square feet of enclosed warehousing space, and operates in the 450MHz to 470MHz band, which is claimed to give maximum penetration of walls and doors. The IC-20 uses a proprietary protocol, a version of Manchester II, which can support base computer stations as well as up to 48 independent mobile stations. It polls mobile base stations at the rate of 30 per second, and incoming data packets are passed directly on to the system’s host personal computer or mainframe. Outgoing messages are transmitted in the same way. The modem’s firmware is factory-configured for use either with a base or mobile station, and its response time is less than 2mS. The product is not due to be launched for some time in the UK because of the approvals process. According to Monicur president Monroe Miller, the company has other lower power models going through the approvals process, and it will be looking at the IC-20 after that. Pricing will be decided once approval has been obtained. In the US it costs from $2,000 to $2,500, depending on configuration, and is available from the start of the second quarter of 1992.
