Intel's Chipset Has Built-in Wi-Fi Router

By Ian Bell
April 29, 2004

The new Grantsdale chip-set promises to be a particularly consumer-friendly product, designed to enhance playback of DVDs and provide home-theater-quality sound.

One of its more intriguing features will be a built-in Wi-Fi router. Rather than buying and installing a separate router to set up a home wireless network, users can plug their Internet cable into the back of the PC and the computer acts as its own router, linking up with other wireless devices in the house, said Bill Leszinske, marketing and planning director for Intel's digital home initiative.

He said that will allow people to set up their own home networks with about four clicks of a mouse button, much simpler than the procedure involved when installing a separate router.

Much of the new capability of the chip set involves a technology called PCI Express, which helps speed data throughout the computer two to four times faster than with current technology, which is now more than a decade old.

Leszinske said new PCs equipped with the Grantsdale chip set will go on sale in June and would likely be priced from $800 to $1,400.