This small hardware device from Actiontec Electronics contains built-in 802.11g wireless technology that allows a game console to communicate with a
wireless router for high-speed gaming with another player in the house or across the world without a wired connection. Just plug the adapter into the
Ethernet port on the back of your console with the cable provided in the package, find an online gaming companion, and escape to the world of Madden
NFL 2005, Need For Speed Underground 2 or Halo 2 over your cable or DSL superhighway.
Alternatively, two adapters can be used to permit head-to-head gaming with anyone in the house without an Internet connection; or one adapter can be used to wireless-enable a TiVo digital video recorder, a PC that doesn't have a wireless card, or any other wired-Ethernet-ready device.
The product is fully compliant with the super-fast 802.11g wireless standard, allowing gaming moves to be exchanged at lightning speeds of up to 54 Mbps when used on a wireless network equipped with "Wireless-G" technology --- even if other members of the household are doing some heavy-duty surfing, chatting or emailing. The adapter is also backward-compatible with older 802.11b equipment, enabling blazing throughput of up to 11 Mbps.
The device supports 64- and 128-bit WEP security, and can be used in either infrastructure or ad-hoc mode.
Pricing, Specifications and Availability
The Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless Game Adapter is available now for $129.99 at www.actiontec.com <http://www.actiontec.com/> . The package includes the
adapter, an Ethernet cable for connecting the device to the game console, a power cord, a Quick Start Guide, and two separate CD-ROMs containing a user
manual and a Windows configuration utility for setup on the home network Minimum system requirements include a gaming console with an available Ethernet port, an Internet connection for online gaming, and (for the configuration utility) a 200 Mhz Pentium PC running Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP with 64 MB RAM and a CD-ROM drive. An 802.11g or 802.11b-compliant wireless router is required for online gaming, while it may or may not be necessary for in-home multiplayer gaming depending on the network architecture.