You read it right, folks. Killer NIC maker Bigfoot Networks is rolling out a line of wireless cards! Announced today, the Killer Wireless-N series is a half-size mini-PCIe 802.11/a/b/g/n wireless adapter suitable for replacing existing cards or being installed by an OEM.
The Killer Wireless-N series leverages the Killer technology in a new form, Killer Wireless. This combines accelerated wireless with the standard Killer features Advanced Stream Detect (essentially QoS for games, video, and audio), Visual Bandwidth Control (manual adjustment of bandwidth allocations), and PC Monitor (standard health monitoring baked into the Killer software). The result is a claimed up to 500% increase in speed of accelerated communications from games, VoIP software, video playback, and more.
At release, there are two models available: the 1103 and 1102. The former is a 3-stream MIMO 450 Mbps version, the latter 2-stream MIMO 300 Mbps.
From the press release:
“Popular online applications like gaming, Voice over IP (VoIP) and HD video are some of the most sensitive to latency and packet loss over Wi-Fi connections,” said Bigfoot Networks CEO Michael Howse. “With our innovative networking technology and advanced 802.11n hardware, Killer Wireless-N adapters not only accelerate performance for online games, they also reduce stuttering, excessive buffering and other annoyances in video chat and on-demand entertainment services. You can watch Internet TV, listen to streaming music or play a first-person shooter while downloading a huge e-mail attachment, and not miss a thing. It’s a powerful new online experience for notebook users.”
Key technology features include:
• Cutting-Edge 11n Performance – Up to five times better latency than leading competitors and enhanced rate-over-range performance. 3-stream MIMO on the Killer Wireless-N 1103 adapter enables data rates up to 450 Mbps . 2-stream MIMO on the Killer Wireless-N 1102 adapter enables data rates up to 300 Mbps .
• Advanced Stream Detect™ – Automatically classifies and prioritizes online games, HD video and high-quality audio for better quality and fewer interruptions in your online experience.
• Visual Bandwidth Control™ – Enables users see which applications are hogging bandwidth and tune performance for each, so they don’t interfere with online gameplay or multimedia applications. Offers the freedom to download files or watch a video or browse the web simultaneously.
• PC Monitor™ – Monitor and manage wireless notebook PC health and performance with graphical displays and detailed logging via an intuitive user interface.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing this available, as I know many gamers who have moved to laptops for LAN party mobility as the price of gaming laptops has dropped significantly throughout the past few years. Pricing information isn’t available yet, but if Bigfoot Networks can control costs and keep it within reason, the wireless card might become one of those things on gaming laptops which folks can replace.
Bigfoot Networks announced that Killer Wireless-N adapters will be introduced this month inside gaming-grade notebooks from vendors such as AVADirect, CYBERPOWER, iBUYPOWER, Maingear, ORIGIN PC, Sager, The V-Machine, and Velocity Micro, with others added as deals close.
