News

Making the Segue From AP to PC – software coming that can turn a PC into a Wi-Fi networking device

A leading motherboard maker has licensed Chicago-based PCTel’s "soft access point" software that can turn a PC into a Wi-Fi networking device, the company said on Monday.

By Wi-Fi Planet Staff

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3293521

Taiwan’s Micro-Star International (MSI) will bundle PCTel’s Segue soft access module (SAM) with its wireless LAN devices and motherboards. The software allows a desktop or laptop computer to act as an access point (AP) when used in conjunction with a Wi-Fi client card.

MSI will ship motherboards with the PCTel soft APs beginning in February, according to Biju Nair, vice president and general manager of the Segue business unit. He said PCs with soft AP functionality would likely be available by the end of the first quarter of 2004. MSI will also ship Wi-Fi cards with the Segue software on CD; those are also expected to be available in February.

PCTel launched Segue SAM earlier this month at the Wi-Fi Planet Conference and Expo in San Jose, Calif. The software currently works only with GlobespanVirata’s Wi-Fi chips (formerly Intersil’s chips), but Nair said the company is working closely with other chipset makers and hopes to eventually be compatible with all WLAN chips.

Soft APs are gaining momentum, with Intel recently indicating that it will include AP capabilities in its Grantsdale chipset due out in 2004. Last week, Intel and PCTel announced a $14.5 million cross-licensing agreement, where Intel will gain access to all of PCTel’s patents, while PCTel will have access to Intel-owned patents related to its products. Intel did not specify what intellectual property it had licensed to PCTel.

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.