Linksys Group has teamed up with Ricochet Networks to build a router for homes, small offices and public wireless LAN hot spots that
uses Ricochet's wireless wide-area data service, the companies announced Monday.
Users can attach an 802.11 wireless LAN access point to the Linksys Ricochet Router for a fully wireless network, the companies said in a statement. Alternatively, they can hook as many as
four computers or other devices up to the Ricochet wireless service through four 10/100M bps (bit-per-second) Ethernet switch
ports in the router.
The router, priced at $119.95, is equipped with a PC Card slot for a Ricochet wireless WAN (wide-area network) card, which
is sold separately.
Home users can use the PC Card in a notebook PC while out of the house and then plug the same card into the router for shared
Internet access over a LAN when they get home, said Matthew McRae, director of broadband at Linksys. In addition, a combined wireless LAN that also uses wireless for its WAN (wide-area network) connection can easily be moved
and set up anywhere in the carrier's service area, he said.
The Ricochet service, operated over the company's proprietary Micro Cellular Data Network, operates at about four times the
speed of dial-up Internet service, according to the companies. It is currently live in
San Diego
and
Denver
and next will become available in
Dallas
and
Fort Worth,
Texas
. Service in more metropolitan networks will follow, McRae said.
Ricochet, in
Denver
, is a subsidiary of Aerie Networks Inc. It is currently offering the Linksys Ricochet Router to customers in
San Diego
and
Denver
. The network service costs $44.95 per month.
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