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Over the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion about the replacement for the 802.11g wireless standard, the 802.11n, which is currently still in draft specification. Even though the 802.11n wireless standard won’t be finalized until around 2008, according to sources on the internet (ITWeek, Slashdot), there has been no shortage of companies offering wireless products that are based on the draft.

Designed to improve upon the old CardBus technology while taking advantage of the increasing popularity of notebook ExpressCard slots, Belkin has released the N1 Wireless ExpressCard. It is smaller and more lightweight, provides faster interface speeds and draws less power compared to CardBus technology, also making it one of the  first wireless cards to be offered in the newer format. The N1 card uses MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) technology and can provide physical data rates of up to 300 Mbps in 40 MHz channel mode (according to Belkin, throughput speeds might be lower).

Even though 802.11n draft products are supposed to be upgradable - usually through firmware or software updates - to meet the final 802.11n specs, Belkin has made it clear that it’s not guaranteed with this product. The Belkin N1 Wireless Express Card is currently available for $99.99.

Read [Belkin] - Read [Gizmodo] - Read [Macworld]