Linksys

Linksys is a company, founded in 1988, which specializes in different types of wireless hardware. From somewhat humble beginnings, it has become one of the most popular and innovative developers of routers, wireless cards, and USB technologies in the world. Much of this popularity is due to the rise in wireless technology and the degree to which wireless networks have come to cover more and more airspace over the past five or so years.

In order to understand the popularity and use of Linksys's products, it's important to know what, exactly wireless technology is. For many years, internet connections have been primarily established using modems, which call up central internet providers using phone lines. A variation on this process is provided by fiber-optic cables, which can conduct an internet connection from a provider to a personal computer at very high speeds.

In urban areas, however--and in many suburban and more rural ones as well--these two technologies have found themselves being slowly replaced by wireless providers, which allow their users to access the Internet without cables or wires. They receive internet access the way a radio might receive a radio broadcast. Their ease and ubiquity have made them popular alternatives for many computer users.

Linksys has led the way in developing and marketing hardware that can take advantage of this wireless technology. Using one of their wireless cards, for example, laptop users can access wireless networks without plugging in or hooking up anything. For desktop machines, a router, such as the Wireless-G Cable Gateway, allows a cabled internet connection to be broadcast around an area like an office or café, and accessed by designated users.