LinksysInfo, Geekzone and Slashphone report that Linksys is offering a WiFi hotspot with a built-in 3G cellular backbone. Over the next few weeks it will be introduced in Germany, Greece, Italy, Holland, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and United Kingdom.

Announced today in Spain, through Vodafone, the WRT54G3G Wireless-G 3G/UMTS Router is said to bring the convenience of WiFi to travelers even without hotspot access.

With a data subscription plan and a Cardbus UMTS adapter, the WRT54G3G enables sharing of a single data plan with up to 5 Wireless-G users. It supports advanced encryption methods.

Wifi hotspots with built-in wireless backbones are the new thing. Recent announcements include the D-Link DI-725, which includes an EV-DO backbone and the Netgear 814 XF, which includes a Flarion broadband wireless card.

Other competitors include the Junxion Box JB-110b, Omniway, Kyocera’s KR1 EVDO/WiFi Router, the StompBox and the Entree Box.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports King County Metro Transit is providing WiFi on buses using the Junxion Box, with an EV-DO backbone and local WiFi.

The Linksys WRT54G3G, like the D-Link 3G Mobile Router (theoretically) allow subscribers to share services like Verizon’s Wireless BroadbandAccess. Cellular companies may have a different take on sharing their service. No word on how much or when it might be available in the good old U. S. of A.

How hard could it be to add battery power and a solar charger? Stash ‘em in bird houses. Stick ‘em anywhere. Next year you might plug in a WiMax card for backhaul.

Now that’s Homeland Security! For the people.

[Thanks, Roger]

Meanwhile, Linksys today announced a lower-cost addition to its “SRX” MIMO product line. The WRT54GX2 is available now with an estimated street price between $100 and $130.

According to a Linksys product manager, the WRT54GX2 provides “the same benefits at a more affordable cost” as its original 3 X 2 MIMO router (review). But, says Tim Higgins, a comparison matrix on Linksys’ website seems to contradict that statement, showing a 6X speed and 2X range improvement over standard 802.11g products for the SRX200-based product vs. 8X and 3X improvement for its premium-priced SRX products.

The WRT54GX2 Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX200 is based on Airgo’s lower-cost 2 X 2 “TrueG” MIMO chipset [Tom’s Networking related story].

	NEW SRX200	SRX
Increases Speed	6x faster*	8x faster*
Expands Range	2x farther*	3x farther*
Reduces Dead Spots	Yes	Yes
Ideal Environment	Apartments, Smaller Homes or Offices	Larger Homes and Offices
Networked Application	Sharing large data/graphic files, web surfing, e-mail, Voice over IP, gaming, MP3s, networked entertainment … and more	Multiple-user sharing of large data/graphic files, web surfing, e-mail, Voice over IP, gaming, MP3s, streaming video, networked entertainment … and more
Compatible SRX Adapter	WPC54GX - Notebook Adapter | WMP54GX - Desktop Adapter

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