Clarinet Tunes in PDAs Sans Wi-Fi

Clarinet Systems thinks it has the answer for many PDA users left high and dry by a tidal wave of Wi-Fi connectivity. The Fremont, CA-based wireless developer is touting a new product allowing PDA users without a Wi-Fi card to access 802.11b networks using their handheld device's built-in infrared (IR) port.

The wireless developer says its ESB3011b switch differs from other members of its previous EtherIR LAN family of products because it works where there are no available Ethernet cables available. The new switch also "completely eliminates the need for end users to purchase expensive and power-hungry 802.11b add-ons," according to the company.

The device is being tested at Stanford University and a university in Brooklyn, says Edward Toro, a spokesman for Clarinet. He says the device is being marketed to healthcare workers, but the company won't stop there.

"This device also makes an excellent choice for 802.11b hotspots, education, enterprise and hospitality markets," boasts a Clarinet statement.

"From our point of view, this is the only product in the market that allows a PDA without a Wi-Fi card to connect to the network," says Dave Ma, Clarinet's Director of Software.

"This is the main selling point, that all the PDAs with IR can connect to Wi-Fi networks without a Wi-Fi card," Ma explains.

Until issues are resolved surrounding battery drain and the extra cost of 802.11b on handheld computers, Ma says "there is a need for IR" based Wi-Fi access.

He believes there should be room at Wi-Fi hotspots for PDA users who do not want to buy an access card. "We think people should be able to access hotspots through IR," he says.

A Wi-Fi Intermediary?

While Ma sees the new 802.11b-enabled EtherIR LAN product as an intermediary between an older networking technology (IR) and the newer 802.11b standard, Jupiter Research analyst Joseph Laszlo has another opinion.

"Using IR as a front-end connection to a Wi-Fi network is somewhat akin to sticking an eyedropper on the end of a garden hose," Laszlo says. "Sure you get some water out if it, but you would get far more water far more easily if the eyedropper wasn't there."

The drawbacks of using IR as the middleman when connecting to an 802.11b network include bandwidth, range and number of users.

Beaming data using IR technology can be as slow as 115Kbps or as fast as 4 Mbps, but will not even close to the 11Mbps speed of 802.11b or the 54Mbps 802.11a and 802.11g versions of wireless networking available.

IR is also a line-of-sight technology, meaning PDA users without a Wi-Fi card would need to walk up to an access point, according to Clarinet. A PDA user employing IR to connect to an 802.11b network would need to be three feet from an AP. Wi-Fi has a 30-foot range. A Wi-Fi user, on the other hand, can be across the room, beyond a wall, or down the street from an 802.11b access point.

Also, while IR is a single-user connection, 802.11b allows multiple simultaneous Wi-Fi connections.

"Anyone who deploys this equipment sacrifices the benefits of being wireless if suddenly you have to deal with the range and line-of-sight issues," Laszlo says.