MIMO technology works by employing multiple antennas and radios to enhance both speed and range performance.

In light of the fact that the IEEE will not ratify a higher standard for performance than the current 802.11g standard until sometime in 2007, users will see other chip manufacturers in addition to Airgo designing their own proprietary high-performance WLAN products, said Bob Wheeler a senior analyst with the Linley Group.

"IEEE 802.11n will be ratified sometime in 2007," Wheeler said.

However, while the Airgo-based product from Netgear is backward compatible with the 802.11g standard, Wheeler warns that devices from competing companies may not be interoperable.

"For consumers (with a single router and wireless card) it is not a big issue, but the enterprise will wait for standards. Most enterprise customers wouldn't deploy an IEEE 802.11n product until it is ratified or very stable," Wheeler said.