Tesco checks out Wi-Fi kit

Deal with Linksys brings wireless networking to UK mass market

Proving that Wi-Fi has become as commonplace as frozen peas, Cisco's consumer division Linksys will begin marketing a special line of wireless networking products for home users at selected Tesco superstores in the UK.

Linksys@Home consists of an 802.11g ADSL gateway, broadband router, notebook adapter and USB network adapter.

Linksys did not specify how many of the 1,878 Tesco outlets in the UK would be marketing its router range.

Robert Auci, sales director for Linksys in EMEA, claimed that the Tesco deal positions Linksys as the only consumer networking vendor in all three of the world's top retailers, i.e. Tesco, Wal-Mart and Carrefour.

He added that home use of wireless networking is proliferating and that Tesco, which receives £1 out of every £8 spent at retail in the UK, is well positioned to capitalise on this demand.

The flagship offering in the range is the Linksys@Home Wireless-G ADSL Gateway, an all-in-one wireless solution for internet connectivity in the home, providing an ADSL2+ modem, internet-sharing router and an 802.11g access point in one box.