No Wi-Fi for Grantsdale

Intel has dropped plans to include integrated Wi-Fi in its 915G/P and 925X chipsets.

The chipsets - formerly codenamed Grantsdale - were due to have Wi-Fi access points built in at launch. After they began shipping without the functionality due to hardware supply problems, Intel promised that the option would be included at a later date.

But the company has now announced that it will no longer be building the functionality into its silicon, leaving users to rely on third-party add-on cards for wireless access.

"Based on customers' feedback, and strong growth in external wireless access point deployment, we no longer plan to bring integrated wireless to the Grantsdale chipset at this time," said an Intel spokesman.

The 915G/P and 925X Express chipsets are designed to work with Pentium 4 and Celeron chipsets.

When the addition of Wi-Fi access points was first mooted it was hoped that Wi-Fi-enabled PCs could help Intel's Digital Home strategy by acting as an additional wireless hub within the home.

Businesses would also be able to use the technology to communicate between wired and wireless networks, the chip giant said.

"I've always been dubious of the need for this in the beginning," said Andy Buss, senior analyst at Canalys.

"It may have helped with the digital home but with the growth of broadband the wireless adaptor is being built into the broadband connection. These are now being supplied for the sub €100 [£68] mark, so using a third party makes sense."