Sonnet ships 802.11n PCIe wireless for Macs

Sonnet Technologies on Thursday introduced the new Aria Extreme-n 802.11n wireless mini-PCIe card. The small form-factor card, measuring only 2-inches x 1-1/8-inches, delivers draft 802.11n wireless network connectivity to Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Intel-based iMacs or Mac minis (as well as Windows notebooks with an available mini-PCIe slot). Sonnet says the upgrades include specialized tools and detailed information for "do-it-yourself" installations on Apple's Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Pro.

Aria Extreme-n adds 802.11n wireless connectivity to compatible Macs without a wireless card or upgrades systems originally sold with an 802.11g AirPort Extreme card; Aria Extreme-n mounts into the AirPort card slot, connects to the computer’s built-in antenna, and leverages Mac OS X’s AirPort drivers and configuration tools. Aria Extreme-N upgrades are backward compatible with 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g routers and other equipment as well as the latest security protocols, such as 128-bit WP, WPA, and WPA2.

Sonnet noted that 802.11n networks can deliver up to five times the speed and twice the range of 802.11g networks and that the Aria Extreme-n can connect up to three antennas, depending on computer configuration, to maximize its performance with 802.11n routers.

The multi-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz networking upgrade is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later (Windows XP SP2/Vista); it will be available November 16, 2007 for $130 and includes a one-year warranty.