That's very cool about the DIY wifi hub. I'm going to google for plans.

It's not newer. The standard was codified before 802.11b, it just wasn't (cheaply) implemented before b.

An 802.11a "hub" can be made by combining a commodity embedded Linux device with two PCMCIA slots (i.e., Toshiba's $40 unit) putting an 802.11a card in one slot and a 100BT NIC ($10) in the other, then attaching a cheap antenna ($18 if you DIY).

Which is to say that the DIY cost of an 802.11a access-point is about $120-$200 -- that's buying non-discounted, retail components. A manufacturer with wholesale parts and scaled-up production can do this for far less. Any flashable access-point factory that uses PCMCIA cards for its radio can be cheaply retooled for 802.11a -- just use a different card, a slightly different antenna, and different firmware.

Almost all 802.11* access-points are made this way: two PCMCIA interfaces, a 486, embedded Linux or similar on a flashcard and an antenna. That's why we're seeing the cost of 802.11b access-points dropping to <$100 -- they just don't cost that much to build.

Yeah, but how much are 802.11a hubs? and why is the newer version "a" instead of "c"?