Net.Worker Briefs.(Product Announcement)

n Despite the wide-scale availability of broadband services, the majority of U.S. consumers will continue to access the Internet via dial-up through 2006, according to the recent report "V.92-Broadening Narrowband" from In-Stat/MDR. The result will be a renewed interest in V.92 modems, which let users make a phone call while online, and offer faster connections and upload speeds. While only 11% of consumers use V.92 modems today, by 2004, In-Stat predicts V.92 modems will account for 100% of all consumer modems sold in the U.S. www.instat.com

n Harris Corp., recently announced a version of its STAT Scanner for small offices. A vulnerability assessment tool, STAT Scanner detects and fixes more than 1,400 Windows NT, 2000 and XP security vulnerabilities, and checks for the presence of the latest software patches for Windows operating systems, Outlook, Media Player, Internet Information Server and Netscape Communicator. The product costs $99 per PC and is available from www.softwareshelf.com.

n SMC Networks recently announced the Barricade PlusCable/DSL Broadband Router for small to midsized businesses. The router includes a four-port 10/100M bit/sec switch with integrated stateful packet inspection firewall, and supports five Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol and IP Security VPN tunnels. A wireless version includes an 802.11b access point and three-port switch, and supports roaming. Available in May, the routers will cost $159 and $259, respectively. www.smc.com