SMC Ships 108Mbps Wireless b/g Networking Products; New 108G Family of Products Enable Faster Communication While Maintaining 802.11b/g Standards-Compliance, Compatibility and Security.

IRVINE, Calif. -- SMC(R) Networks (www.smc.com) today announced the immediate availability of its EZ Connect(TM) 108G family of 108Mbps wireless 802.11b/g networking products. The EZ Connect g 802.11g 108Mbps Wireless Router (SMCWBR14T-G), Wireless Cardbus Adapter (SMCWCBT-G), Wireless USB Adapter (SMCWUSBT-G) and Wireless PCI Adapter (SMCWPCIT-G) are available now, at MSRPs of $79.99, $49.99, $59.99 and $49.99, respectively. An EZ Connect g 802.11g 108Mbps Wireless Ethernet Bridge (SMCWEBT-G) will be available in July, at an MSRP of $79.99, as will two bundled kits. One kit, SMCWCBTKIT-G, combines an EZ Connect g 802.11g 108Mbps Wireless Router with a Wireless Cardbus Adapter at an MSRP of $99.99; the other, SMCWUSBKIT-G, combines the EZ Connect g 802.11g 108Mbps Wireless Router with a Wireless USB Adapter at an MSRP of $119.99.

The latest in SMC's EZ Connect family of easy-to-use networking products for the home and small office, the EZ Connect g 108Mbps 802.11g product line maintains the ease of use that the EZ Connect line is known for, but cranks up network performance. Based on the Atheros(R) Super G(R) chipset, the entire EZ Connect g 108Mbps 802.11g product line performs at a top speed of as much as 108Mbps -- twice the speed of standard 802.11g, and 15 times that of 802.11b -- when used together, or with any Super G-based 802.11g networking hardware. And it's fully 802.11g-compliant, so it is completely backward-compatible with all 802.11g and b hardware.

Anchoring the family, the new EZ Connect g 108Mbps 802.11g Wireless Broadband Router (SMCWBR14T-G) offers 802.11b/g wireless connectivity at up to 108Mbps, with four 10/100 ports for wired connections and a fifth 10/100 port for cable or DSL connection. And its built-in SPI Firewall and Access Control feature provide a high level of security for the network. Supporting a high wireless data transmission rate that's up to 15 times faster than 802.11b, the new 108Mbps broadband router maintains backward compatibility with existing 802.11b and g devices, and offers more secure broadband, file and peripheral sharing.

The SMCWEBT-G EZ Connect g Wireless Ethernet Bridge provides the ultimate in easy setup and flexibility. It installs and communicates without drivers, and can be configured to serve as a wireless access point, to provide network access to other wireless 802.11g and 802.11b devices; as a repeater, through support for Wireless Distribution System (WDS), to extend the range of a wireless 2.4GHz network using either a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint configuration; or as a wireless bridge, to connect virtually any Ethernet-capable device into a wireless network.

Using an SMC EZ Connect g 108Mbps Wireless Adapter in PCs and other devices on the network lets users take full advantage of the wireless performance potential of the EZ Connect g 108Mbps 802.11g Wireless Broadband Router (SMCWBR14T-G) or Wireless Ethernet Bridge (SMCWEBT-G); an EZ Connect 108Mbps Wireless Cardbus Adapter (SMCWCBT-G) or USB Adapter (SMCWUSBT-G) for portable PCs or other networkable devices; or an EZ Connect 108Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter for desktop PCs. All three adapters offer high-speed data rates to 108Mbps, and a high level of security, with support for both 64/128-bit WEP encryption and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), as well as 802.1x authentication to ensure that only authorized users can access the resources of the wireless network. In addition to improving performance when connected to an SMC or other Super G-based 108Mbps wireless network, these adapters increase the performance of mixed-mode (802.11b and 802.11g) networks and other 802.11g-only networks -- up to three times more throughput in mixed-mode networks and up to 50% throughput improvement in 802.11g-only networks.

All of the EZ Connect 108Mbps are easy to set up and use with the included EZ Installation Wizard, and the adapters have automatic scanning utilities built in so that they can locate available wireless access points. And they're backed by SMC's Limited Lifetime Warranty.

For more information about SMC Networks or its products, visit www.smc.com, or call 800-SMC-4You (800-762-4968).