From South China Morning Post

March 12, 1999
Clarinet launches IR wireless LAN for Notebooks

NEWSBYTES

Clarinet Systems has taken the wraps off an infrared wireless local area network (LAN) technology called EthIR LAN.

As the name implies, the technology is designed to integrate with conventional Ethernet LAN topologies in a typical office environment. In fact, each EthIR LAN switch is designed to double up as a conventional Ethernet LAN node, but with the added bonus that it acts as an infra red transceiver to interact with the notebook or portable PC's infra red (IRDA - Infra Red Data Association) port.

The idea behind EthIR LAN is simple enough - instead of having to equip notebook users with US$500 PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) wireless LAN cards, accessing a US$120 wireless LAN Ethernet station, users simply use their notebook's IRDA-compliant port to communicate with a US$199 EthIR LAN beam station, which interfaces to the EthIR LAN LAN in the usual way.

According to Clarinet, the EthIR LAN technology can interconnect notebook users at data transmissions speeds of up to four megabits per second (Mbps) using the infra red link.

Specifically, the EthIR LAN system consists of the EthIR switch, an IR and 10/100Base-T switch, and EthIR Beam, a desktop infrared, LAN access point.

Using technology incorporated into an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed by Clarinet, the EthIR Switch automatically detects and handles IR and hardwired 10/100Base-T inputs and provides power to the EthIR Beam over the existing wired infrastructure.

This, the company says, enables seamless integration of handheld and notebook PCs into existing LANs which are transformed from "wired" to "dynamically mobile" in minutes.

According to Wen Chang, Clarinet's president and founder, the EthIR LAN system has numerous advantages especially when compared with PCMCIA LAN cards and RF modems.

Chang argues that, while PCMCIA LAN cards provide 10Mbps connections, they are not as convenient for mobile users due to the necessary and associated cables and wiring. Modems using RF technology, he says, only provide a shared 2Mbps connection and raise concerns regarding security.

>Against this, since virtually all portable PCs have an IR port, no wiring infrastructure changes are required, so significantly reducing installation costs on the EthIR LAN side of things.

One other feature that Clarinet is promoting with EthIR LAN is the battery life issue. Since the IRDA ports on notebooks consumer far less power than a PCMCIA card, the EthIR LAN system is billed as something of battery lifesaver.

According to Clarinet, overall pricing on EthIR LAN is also very attractive, especially in the shared-office environment. The cost of providing network access using EthIR LAN is approximately US$199 per port.

This compares, the company says, to about US$120 using a PCMCIA LAN card and US$550 for an RF-based product. However, as the number of users increases, the total cost of these alternative products also increases as nodes and cards must be added.

"If you already have a LAN card, we want you to think wireless before buying your next one. If you don't have a LAN card, we want you to think wireless before buying your first one," Chang said, adding that, if users are thinking wireless, they should think infra red.

The EthIR LAN system is available in two versions, "dedicated IR mode" and "pass through mode." Both are available in eight-port and 16-port configurations. Pricing for an eight-port system is US$1,700 and US$3,200 for a 16-port system.

Clarinet Systems' Web site is at www.clarinetsys.com.