Microsoft Tries to Hit Right Note With "G"

Late-entrant Microsoft rolled out new 802.11g wireless networking gear, today. But late may not be such a bad thing, as I blogged previously about compatibility problems affecting earlier "g" entrants.

Networking gear is a strategic technology for Microsoft. The company sees more-rapid adoption of broadband as essential to enabling other Microsoft technologies, such as streaming of video or audio content in Windows Media 9 Series formats. New consumer usage scenarios around broadband content conceivably could help PC sales, too. That's good for Windows.

Microsoft released Ethernet and 802.11b wireless gear about a year ago, also offering one of the best setup software packages I have ever tested. The setup routine for 802.11g gear, which operates at up to 54Mbps compared to 11Mbps for "b," is changed. But, not necessarily improved. I disliked that the automatic setup routine requires that the computer be connected to the broadband router in order to import the connection settings. Some competitors' products are capable of detecting the modem settings. For people upgrading from a "b" router, they either need to plug the computer into the broadband modem and manually input the settings so Microsoft's software can import them or go through a more arduous manual setup.

Apparently, Microsoft reasoned that many users with an existing broadband connection would have that hooked into the computer. But, I disagree. I'm betting that a fairly significant number of customers will be upgrading from Ethernet or 802.11b to 802.11g.

Other than my single, setup concern, I would say that Microsoft has done an excellent job with its setup software and networking gear. So good, in fact, I would rather use the broadband software to manage networking, file sharing and other features than Windows XP's built-in controls. This ease of use, which has to come, in part, because Microsoft built Windows, is perhaps the overall package's biggest appeal.

Unlike the release of "b" gear, where some of the pricing was high compared to competitors, Microsoft has more aggressively priced its "g" hardware. The 802.11g base station, for example, sells for $109, which is fairly competitive.

Microsoft also released a "g" wireless adapter for Xbox, which is a smart move. To date, Microsoft has ceded the Xbox wireless adapter market to competitors, such as Linksys. Most competing products are "b," so Microsoft can claim the speed advantage with "g." Not coincidentally, the game console adapter could help with Xbox Live adoption. I have not yet tested this product, but I would assume Microsoft makes it fairly easy to connect the game console to an existing network or quickly configure Xbox Live.

Posted by Joe Wilcox at September 16, 2003 08:52 AM