Microsoft Broadband Networking was a series of

computer network A computer network is a collection of communicating computers and other devices, such as printers and smart phones. In order to communicate, the computers and devices must be connected by wired media like copper cables, optical fibers, or b ...

ing hardware products marketed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

from 2002 through 2004. In July 2002 Microsoft product managers stated that

home network Home Network is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. Home Network broadcasts programs r ...

ing was too hard to use, and the company was developing products using the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE has a corporate office ...

(IEEE) 802.11b standard (sold under the

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

name). Products announced in September included the MN-500 wireless base station, MN-510 WiFi

Universal Serial Bus Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...

(USB)

network interface controller A network interface controller (NIC, also known as a network interface card, network adapter, LAN adapter and physical network interface) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network. Early network interface ...

and MN-520

PC Card PC Card is a technical standard specifying an expansion card interface for laptops and personal digital assistants, PDAs. The PCMCIA originally introduced the 16-bit Industry Standard Architecture, ISA-based PCMCIA Card in 1990, but renamed it to ...

for

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

computers. The MN-500 served as a

wireless access point In Computer networking device, computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP) (also just access point (AP)) is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network or wireless network. As a standalone ...

, a router, and included an

Ethernet hub An Ethernet hub, active hub, network hub, repeater hub, multiport repeater, or simply hub is a network hardware device for connecting multiple Ethernet devices together and making them act as a single network segment. It has multiple input/out ...

with four 10/100 Ethernet ports. A five port Ethernet switch and Ethernet network interface controller cards were announced, along with kits. Reviews noted the reasonable prices and simple interface, although the configuration software would sometimes fail. One reviewer noted the 96-page book included with the base station. It was one of the first products to enable

Wired Equivalent Privacy Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is an obsolete, and insecure security algorithm for 802.11 wireless networks. It was introduced as part of the original IEEE 802.11 standard ratified in 1997. The intention was to provide a level of security and pr ...

(WEP) by default, which provided at least some level of privacy. Software included a setup wizard, a broadband network utility (BNU) and an auto-update feature. According to codes in the documentation, the initial MN-510 was developed by Accton Technology Corporation. Features were similar to products of SMC Networks, a subsidiary of Accton. By January 2003 it was estimated the products were in the number two position in US retail sales for Wi-Fi products. However market share declined by February when introduction of faster products based on IEEE 802.11g standards were delayed. Market leader

Linksys Linksys Holdings, Inc., is an American brand of data networking hardware products mainly sold to home users and small businesses. It was founded in 1988 by the couple Victor Tsao, Victor and Janie Tsao, both Taiwanese immigrants to the United St ...

was purchased by

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, m ...

in March.

NetGear Netgear, Inc. (stylized as NETGEAR in all caps), is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries. It produces networking hardware for consumers, businesses, and service provide ...

and

D-Link D-Link Systems, Inc. (formerly Datex Systems, Inc.) is a Taiwanese multinational manufacturer of networking hardware and telecoms equipments. It was founded in 1986 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. History Datex Systems was founded i ...

also gained market share in 2003. The MN-700 model supporting 802.11g was available in September. A new PC card for 802.11g was also available. Reviews noted easy setup, but limited features compared to competitors. Microsoft discontinued the line in May 2004.

References

External links

* * {{Microsoft hardware Routers (computing) Wi-Fi Ethernet Microsoft hardware