Cabletron RoamAbout

Cabletron’s RoamAbout range is very extensive, and is so much more than a few PC Cards and access points. For the purposes of this review, APC concentrated on the indoor product range. One of the first things you’ll notice with the RoamAbout range is the speed. It operates at 11Mbps, which is faster than any of the other wireless products reviewed here. (NetComm will also be releasing an 11Mbps version of its Smart Wireless LAN range soon.)
This bandwidth is appealing, but there are two important things to note. First, for those looking to hook up PCs to the wireless LAN, Cabletron (like Proxim) only have ISA cards, not PCI. Second, the access point requires its own PC Card to connect to the wireless LAN. If these satisfy your requirements, then you’re in for a treat.
Depending on your distance from the access point, you may not receive the full 11Mbps. The data rates vary over distance, and there are three fall-back rates of 5.5, 2 and 1Mbps. In the open, you’ll receive 11Mbps if you’re less than 66m from the access point, down to 1Mbps at 171m. In a semi-open environment, the distances are from 28m to 53m.
A bonus of the RoamAbout Access Point is that it derives its power from the LAN cabling, which removes the need to locate it near a power source. Each access point can support up to 250 people simultaneously and can be configured via the bundled network management software. For the security conscious, there are 128-bit encrypting PC Cards available.
RoamAbout supports Windows 95/98, NT and 2000, as well as Macintosh, Windows CE and Novell NetWare Client 3.x and 4.x.