I have a real love-hate relationship with Wired News. The hate part comes in two flavors: I hate the stories that just gush about some nebulously defined bit of vaporware from a press-release (see this blog entry for an example: Link) and then there’re stories like this one, where Elisa Batista covers the new 802.11a wireless standard, which is nearly five times faster than existing WiFi networks.

The hook for her story is that making the switch will cost a lot of money, since 802.11b (the old kind) cards aren’t compatible with 802.11a (the new kind) base-stations. The headline (which I’m sure she didn’t write, which is why this is about Wired News, not Ms. Batista) is “Wi-Fi Cost May Be Sky High.” It seems like total chickenlittling to me. This is a new system, and so of course you need to buy new gear to make it work. Upgrade paths in high-tech should not come as a surprise, but the headline and the lede for the story makes the whole thing come off as a kind of conspiracy to jack the consumer for a couple extra bucks.

Here’s my take: New! WiFi! Gear! Fast as hell! Not compatible — yet — and here’s how long people who maintain public WiFi networks (WUGs, Starbucks, LaptopLanes, hotels) say they’re going to take to implement it, and how they plan on doing so. Link Discuss