Products that are able to support all three currently implemented wireless LAN standards - 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g - may grab the headlines but few firms need the added complexity or expense that a multi-standard network entails. What many want is a straightforward, affordable solution like OfficeConnect Wireless 11g from 3Com, which can deliver a single high-speed wireless technology - 802.11g in this case.

The OfficeConnect family comprises a PC Card adapter, access point and wireless cable/DSL broadband gateway, suitable for deployment in small to medium-sized enterprises. Range is around 100m for all three products, with dynamic rate-shifting to improve poor reception and clear channel selection to find the least busy channel. Maximum data transfer rates are advertised at 54Mbit/s, but users should not expect anything faster than 22Mbit/s in practical usage.

All three products support WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption for security plus the newer 256bit WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) technology. This combines the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) and 802.1x authentication to thwart eavesdroppers by periodically generating a unique encryption key for each client. This gives a higher level of protection than the fixed keys used by WEP.

The OfficeConnect Wireless 11g PC Card adapter is a Type II (3.3 volt), 32bit device featuring a robust antenna that stretches the full width of the card as well as link status and activity LEDs.

Drivers are supplied for use with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 and XP. The 3Com Wireless Card Manager utility makes card setup simple, with the option of defining multiple profiles to reflect the different settings required for the networks with which the adapter will communicate.

Ad hoc (peer-to-peer) networking can be configured, but most companies will opt for a separate access point to support multiple users and connect to the wired LAN. The OfficeConnect Wireless 11g Access Point, a beige box about the size of a small network switch, fulfils this role.

Power comes from an external AC adapter, and there are two antennae at the back, plus a single Fast Ethernet port for LAN attachment. Administrators configure the device over the wired network using a browser. The access point can support 802.11g and 802.11b links and up to 128 concurrent user connections.

Wireless clients can connect to the internet via the access point and a separate router, although a small network might combine these using the OfficeConnect Wireless 11g Cable/DSL gateway. This is the same size and shape as the access point, with a similar external AC adapter and antennae, but it has a four-port Fast Ethernet switch for local connectivity and a separate WAN port to attach to an external cable or DSL modem.

The gateway can support up to 253 simultaneous users - 128 of whom can be wireless - and incorporates both an internet router and a stateful inspection firewall with VPN pass-through to protect local network users from denial of service (DoS) and other common attacks.

URL filtering is another useful option on the cable/DSL gateway, which, at just under £80 + VAT, is a good choice for both branch offices and teleworkers, plus users wanting to network PCs wirelessly and provide shared internet connectivity at home.

Price: PC Card £44.99 + VAT; Access Point £64.99 + VAT; Cable/DSL Gateway £79 + VAT

Contact: 3Com 01442 438 000