PriceSCAN Blog

Such range is made possible by so-called "multiple in, multiple out" (MIMO) chipsets, which process several radio signals simultaneously, helping to eliminate the corrupting effects of multiple signal path interference. The "pre-n" designation refers to the fact that these products have been released prior to the establishment of the IEEE's next generation 802.11n Wi-Fi standard (for those not up on the party scene, "IEEE" stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
But what's of particular note right now is the recent drop in the price of supplying your whole neighborhood with Wi-Fi. For example, as can be seen from the PriceTrend Graph below, Belkin's Wireless Pre-N Router would have run you $130-$175 at the end of last year, but today its going for around $90.

Time Period: 12/13/2004 through 9/26/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price

This router features the Airgo Networks MIMO chipset, and you'll need a Pre-n network card, such as Belkin's models for notebooks, and desktops in order to use it.
Now the 802.11n standard isn't slated for establishment until at least the year after next, but perhaps its approach is contributing to this "pre-n" price decline. Be that as it may, with this kind of range you might consider enabling security when you set up your Wi-Fi, unless of course you're one of those altruistic types who wants to give your fellow human beings the gift of bandwidth – and perhaps all your personal data as well.