CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov. 13 - Apple today announced the second generation of its award-winning AirPort wireless network solution for home, school and office. The 802.11b based solution features a new AirPort Base Station offering the first-ever support for America Online (AOL) users, a built-in firewall for greater protection, 128-bit encryption for added wireless security, and up to 50 users sharing one base station. "Apple has consistently led the industry in 802.11 wireless networking,'' said Philip Schiller, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Now we're adding another industry first with support for America Online, and great new security features like a built-in firewall and 128-bit encryption.'' Based on the industry standard IEEE 802.11b, the AirPort wireless networking solution consists of the AirPort Base Station, AirPort Card and AirPort software. The new AirPort 2.0 software, available as an online download from Apple's web site in both native Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 versions, provides compatibility with AOL, the most popular Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the U.S. The new software can also be used to add AOL support to existing AirPort Base Stations, as well as 128-bit encryption to existing AirPort Cards. AirPort's new connectivity and security features include: -- compatibility with AOL, the most popular Internet Service Provider in the U.S.; -- two Ethernet ports, one 10BASE-T for wide area connections such as DSL or cable modem, and a new 10/100BASE-T port for local area networking; -- firewall protection providing added security from unauthorized access via the Internet; -- support for up to 128-bit password and data encryption; -- RADIUS support enabling schools and businesses to centrally manage user access control; and -- AirPort Card compatibility with Cisco's LEAP security method, popular in many higher-education institutions. AirPort offers a data rate of up to 11 megabits per second, enabling simultaneous sharing of a single Internet connection by up to 50 users and has a typical range of 150-foot radius from the base station. All Apple notebooks and desktops are AirPort-ready with integrated antennas and card slot, some with the AirPort card preinstalled. Price & Availability Apple's wireless networking solution is available immediately through The Apple Store (www.apple.com), at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $99(US) for the AirPort Card and $299(US) for the AirPort Base Station. The AirPort 2.0 software is available for free as an online download from www.apple.com. AirPort 2.0 is compatible with AOL 5.0, U.S. only.