Vodafone, Linksys offer wireless access for nomadic teams

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 07 March 2006 09:21

Your IT - Home IT

Vodafone and Cisco subsidiary Linksys have announced the local launch of the Linksys Wireless-G Router with 3G which enables several users to share a broadband wireless access provided by Vodafone's 3G network.

The launch was foreshadowed in iTWire last September  when Vodafone and Linksys announced a global co-operation.

The Linksys Wireless-G Router (WRT54G3G) is claimed to be the first device to combine mobile broadband with 3G and Wi-Fi. It enables users on up to five laptops with 802.11g wireless capabilities to simultaneously share a 3G wide area network connection with a single Vodafone Mobile Connect (VMC) with 3G data card.

The device is designed for small teams of mobile workers that want secure access to corporate networks, or Internet access, from out of office locations. It is claimed to be ideal for financial services and management consultants, architects and engineers, events management specialists, trainers and many other types of professionals who work in teams at off-site locations.

The product offers WEP or WPA security, can serve DHCP and includes a stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall. It also supports VPN pass-through. Without a 3G data card, the router works as a standard wireless router for shared Internet access.

It retails for $379.95, without the 3G data card which costs $299. The data card is also available for $0 upfront and $12.46 per month for 24 months.

Vodafone is offering a choice of three data bundles, from $29.95 per month for 100Mbytes to $99.95 for an unlimited service.