Seatlle, Sept 19: Microsoft, eager to spread its software and services throughout the home, has set its sights on a new market: Wireless home networking. The world's biggest software maker said on Thursday that it will begin selling within the next few weeks Microsoft-branded hardware that will let users connect their personal computers and notebooks through wireless connections using the 802.11b standard, also called Wi-Fi.

"The overall strategic vision is to get into anything to do with Microsoft's vision of delivering information any time, any place," said Adam LeVasseur, the hardware division's group product manager.

"To deliver that into the home you need a network infrastructure in place."
Wireless networking has increasingly become an important part of the Internet experience, allowing users to access e-mail, news and information without being tied to a desk. Bureau Report