Belkin's new AC1000 dualband router supports 802.11ac

Belkin's new AC1000 dual­band router
supports 802.11ac

Faster Wireless Is on the Way

IEEE 802.11AC, the lat­est wireLess networking standard, isn’t actually finished yet. Today's 802.11ac routers are based on a second draft. But no compati­bility problems have surfaced to date.

No manufacturer is selling an 802.11ac USB Wi-Fi adapter today, so your existing laptop computer won’t benefit from the signifi­cant speed boost that the new technology promises to deliver. Because 802.11ac routers are backward compatible with the older 802.lln stan­dard, you'll still be able to connect your existing wire­less gear to the new routers, though you won't gain any performance boost.

The real reason to buy an 802.11ac router today is to stream high-definition video to and from the devices in your entertainment center, such as your Blu-ray player or home-theater PC. To do that, you must purchase an 802.11ac ethernet bridge as well as an 802.11ac router (or you could buy two rout­ers and configure one as a bridge). The bridge will establish a wireless connec­tion to your 802.11ac net­work, and you'll hardwire your devices to the bridge. Buffalo Technology is the only manufacturer that offers a purpose-built 802.11ac ethernet bridge today: Its WLI-H4-D1300 model is street-priced at $180.

The 802.11ac standard re­mains a work in progress, and the IEEE won’t publish the final version until some­time in 2013. If you are an early adopter who needs better performance now, and can afford the devices, go for it. But if you're worried about getting burned if the IEEE changes direction unlikely as that possibility may be wait for the dust to settle.

Posted in: Belkin AC1000,IEEE 802.11AC,Wi-Fi