Intel Corp. has decided not to enable the wireless access-point functionality in its Intel 915/925X “Grantsdale” chip set, a company spokesman confirmed Friday afternoon.
Intel decided to phase out the once-heavily touted feature because of the prevalence of low-cost access points available from third parties, spokesman Dan Snyder said. Snyder called the move a business decision, and not one of the slips and missteps that have plagued Intel this year.
“Basically, we talked to a lot of OEM customers, and they told us that they didnt need this feature at this point,” Snyder said. “So many wireless APs are out there, and theyre essentially free” when purchased in conjunction with DSL or cable service from an ISP, he said.
“They just didnt see the value in it,” Snyder said.
Although the wireless Grantsdale chip set was promoted as just another means of advancing the wireless infrastructure, OEMs initially declined to use the technology, citing security concerns.
Intel had already agreed to turn off the wireless AP portion of the chip set by default, preventing an intruder from accessing the network through an unsecured Wi-Fi back door.
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