Monday, March 18, 2024

Dial-Up to Wi-Fi

Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

With broadband use now overtaking the number of dial-up Internet connections in the United States — Nielsen/NetRatings said as of July that 63 million people at home use broadband, making up 51% of the market — it would seem that the time for a Wi-Fi router that specifically targets dial-up use would have passed.

Rudy Prince, chairman and CEO of Always On Wirelessof La Jolla, Calif., disagrees.

Prince says dial-up users “have been ignored by the Wi-Fi community.” That’s why his company is releasing the WiFlyer, a router with a built-in V.92 modem. It also has an Internet/WAN port so it can still be used with broadband. There’s a single Ethernet port for a wired connection to a PC (or it could be hooked up to a simple hub/switch unit to provide more wired connections). It can handle 16 users.

While other products do support dial-up — Apple’s Airport Extreme unit is one notable product with a built in modem — most routers treat the dial-up as a backup option, and many require a separate serial modem be attached to get the same functionality.

The product is also pocket-sized, building on a recent trend in routers from companies like Asus, D-Link, and Apple, all small enough to be used with easy by travelers. Even some small client devices can now double as a wireless access point.

“We’re focused on it being a travel access point for someone with broadband at home,” says Prince. “Even if you use it at home, you still want it portable.”

The product is a full-fledged router, sometimes called a base station or home gateway. It has a NAT firewall with 128-bit WEP encryption on its wireless 802.11b connections. It is not yet certified by the Wi-Fi Alliancefor interoperability. That’s a move Prince says they’ll likely make, but he questions the value of the certification in the long run: “It’s not the brand the consumer is looking for.”

The WiFlyer’s interface extends its focus on dial-up use by simplifying access via accounts with AOL, Earthlink, MSN and other ISPs. There are thousands of access phone numbers stored in the unit. The product also uses dial-up accelerator software to achieve supposedly six times the download speed of normal dial-up.

Prince says there’s no other product with a modem so fully integrated, “and the size of a PDA.”

WiFlyer will begin shipping in October, and will sell for $149.95.

Subscribe to Data Insider

Learn the latest news and best practices about data science, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, data security, and more.

Similar articles

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Data Insider for top news, trends & analysis

Latest Articles