Netgear Latest To Jump On MIMO Bandwagon

WLAN equipment vendor Netgear on Wednesday said it will introduce products that incorporate MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) antenna technology to increase wireless speed and range.

Netgear becomes the second vendor this week to make such an announcement. Linksys announced MIMO-based products on Tuesday. Both vendors timed their announcements to coincide with the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

Netgear said in a statement that its RangeMax MIMO technology was developed by Video54. The company said the technology uses seven MIMO antennas that automatically adjust antenna configurations to respond to varying conditions of the wireless network, including radio interference.

Interestingly, Netgear made no specific claims about the increased performance of its new equipment. By contrast, Linksys said that its MIMO products will increase data speeds by as much as eight times.

Netgear said it would ship its first products with the new technology in the spring. It provided no pricing information.