Dell today announced the availability of its latest internal wireless mini card capable of providing all its notebooks' users with up to five times the speed and twice the range, according to the manufacturer, of the industry's widely used 802.11g Wi-Fi technology standard.

Furthermore, Dell unveiled a new software utility - the Dell Network Assistant - in order to help simplify the set up and management of wireless networks. The application is said to come pre-installed on all new Dell XPS systems, Inspiron notebooks, DimensionTM desktops and select Dell PrecisionTM workstations.

With increased throughput and greater range, 802.11n wireless technology manages demanding tasks that can burden a wireless network, such as multi-user, graphic-intensive gaming, high-definition video streaming or transferring large data or multimedia files. Users can also experience greater mobility, connecting to the wireless network in areas that may have formerly been out of range, such as porches and decks.

When connected to a wireless Draft 802.11n network router featuring Intensi-fiTM technology, the Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n wireless card supports data rates up to 270 megabits per second (Mbps), versus the maximum 54 Mbps with 802.11g wireless technology.

"Since almost 90 percent of Dell notebooks are configured with a wireless card, Dell understands that mobile users need a fast and easy way to work with wireless networks. Dell Network Assistant is an all-in-one utility that helps users set up, maintain and even troubleshoot networks and networked devices. Dell teamed up with SingleClick Systems to develop the utility, which features various setup wizards, including file and print sharing, a digital home interface and self-diagnosis and self-healing capabilities," said the company.

The Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n wireless card, priced at $59, features a next-generation wireless technology based on the 1.0 draft of the IEEE 802.11n specification.

Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n dual-band wireless card is available now for all DellTM XPSTM mobile systems and select InspironTM notebooks.