According to 9to5Mac, a developer testing out the beta operating system spotted the code in OS X 10.8.4, specifically in the WiFi-frameworks folder deep within the file system. The code clearly reads “802.11ac” and it’s a line of code that is not found in OS X 10.8.3, which is the latest version of OS X that’s currently available to the public.

If you’re not too familiar with 802.11ac wireless, it’s essentially the successor to 802.11n, which is the latest and fastest network protocol to be certified. We’ve seen a few routers with 802.11ac on board, but it has yet to be certified, so we probably won’t be seeing a crop of 802.11ac products pop up just yet.

However, we’ll definitely see 802.11ac sprout up more and more in the near future, but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Apple waited a bit to implement it into their Macs. Sure, it may be in the code itself, but it’s possible that Apple won’t enable it in the next batch of MacBooks right away. However, we’ve heard in the past that Apple is partnering up with Broadcom to bring the new protocol to Macs this year.

[via 9to5Mac]

802.11ac offers faster throughput, higher capacity, wider coverage, and improved power efficiency. Products offering 802.11n connectivity (found in most consumer electronics, and is the current standard) provide connections up to 450Mbps, while 802.11ac equivalents start at 450Mbps and are capable of almost tripling its predecessor with 1.3Gbps.

Broadcom is currently just one out of a small number of chip makers currently providing 802.11ac chipsets, which are aimed at the smartphone, tablet, and router markets. Some manufacturers have introduced 802.11ac networking in notebooks recently, but large-scale notebook support is still ultimately lacking.

According to anonymous sources, the 802.11ac WiFi chip is still in development, so it’s actually not really a thing yet, but it’s said that if everything goes according to schedule, the new chips should be ready in time to be put in the new line of Mac computers later this year.

[via The Next Web]

Although initial suggestions around 802.11ac indicated throughput rates of up to 6.9Gbps, the initial products are more likely to top out at 1.3Gbps at most. “First-generation 802.11ac products will achieve up to 1.3 Gbps through the use of three spatial streams,” Aerohive Networks’ Andrew vonNagy explains, “80-MHz-wide channels (double the largest 40 MHz channel width with 802.11n), and use of better hardware components that allow higher levels of modulation and encoding (up to 256-QAM).”

In fact, it could be “another three years or so until 11ac becomes compelling” as a must-have upgrade to WiFi 11n systems, Spain suggests. Even then, rather than speed, it may be overall capacity that proves the biggest draw. All 802.11n hardware will have support for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, helping shift devices out of the congested 2.4GHz range.

“What’s not being talked about enough is that 11ac clients will free up more 2.4-GHz space for clients that can’t upgrade,” Spain says, “and that advanced features like multiuser MIMO will provide wireless performance that is more switch-like compared to the shared media nature of 11n.”

As Qualcomm explained to us back in February, when the 11ac ratification was still around a year away, co-existing 11ac and legacy WiFi networks will also introduce a hindrance on speed; the biggest advantages will of course be seen when the network is 11ac-only. Routers supporting the new standard but working with b/g/n hardware will use a “round robin” distribution method in that case, rapidly connecting and disconnecting with each client in turn; each connection will negotiate the fastest possible speeds supported by router and client.

In contrast, 11ac supports concurrent operations, with a resulting increase in throughput. Nonetheless, it’ll be some time – even with early hardware getting the jump on sales pre-ratification – before 11ac is the dominant wireless system, and perhaps longer still before we see the key benefits from its on-paper potential.

[via Slashdot]

The AC1300 router has a 3×3 antenna array and can simultaneously run 2.4GHz and 5GHz band networks for up to 450 x + 1300 Mbps rates. It also uses WD’s FasTrack automatic bandwidth prioritization system, which makes sure streaming applications like YouTube and Netflix video, VoIP such as Skype, and online gaming, have a stable connection no matter what other uses your broadband is being put to.

WD also equips the router with four gigabit ethernet ports and two USB 2.0 ports, allowing external storage, printers, or scanners to be hooked up and shared across multiple devices. The My Net AC Bridge, meanwhile, is intended to get wired ethernet devices – such as your smart TV, console, or cable box – online without a cable snaking across your living room, and has four gigabit ethernet ports.

Both WD models are on sale now in the US. The My Net AC1300 router is priced at $189.99, while the My Net AC Bridge is $149.99.

Other features for the router include Asus AiRadar signal amplification and shaping technology. The router features and easy setup system and supports multiple SSIDs along with IPv6. The little router even has a USB port allowing it to support 3G connectivity, FTP, and DLNA. The router can also act as a print server.

The 802.11ac technology promises a massive improvement in networking speed when compared 802.11n with up to three times faster data transfer speeds. The routers 5 GHz bandwidth is good for up to 1.3 Gbps with a 2.4 GHz band operating up to 450 Mbps. Pricing and availability on the new router are unannounced at this time.

The R6200 isn’t quite as fast as the original router that Netgear announced: it’ll deliver 300Mbit/s over 802.11n, and 900Mbit/s on the 5Ghz band using 802.11ac to deliver a total of 1200Mbit/s. That’s down from the 1750Mbit/s offered on the R6300, but we imagine it’s more than enough to stream Game of Thrones across your house. The R6200 also only has one USB 2.0 port for storage devices instead of the two found on the R6300.

As for the A6200 adapter, it marks the first such adapter to be made available for the 802.11ac standard, even if it hasn’t been finalized yet. The USB adapter has adjustable antennas so you can find the best signal, plus a desktop docking station. Netgear says that the both of these should be available by the end of the week, with the R6200 costing $179.99 and the A6200 coming in at $69.99.