802.11 - Gizmodo

posts about #80211 more →
Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
802.11n Final Spec Is Final, Finally
Did You Know 802.11n Isn't a Final Spec?
Quantenna Claims 1Gbps Wi-Fi Speeds By Next Year
Australians Boast 5Gbps Wireless Speeds
Wi-Fire Wi-Fi Booster Now Available For Windows Vista, Linux on the Way
Buffalo Banned from Selling 802.11a and 802.11g Gear in the US
Linksys Outs Long Awaited WRT600N Router and WPC600N PC Card for Notebooks
Wi-Fire Wi-Fi Booster Tested (Verdict: Almost a 5x Boost)
Wi-Fi Capable BlackBerry 8820 Becomes Official

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macpatrik
09/23/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I'm using dual band through Airport Express and the 2wire router that AT&T u-verse uses. So both g and n and it works out wonderfully.
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Eavangel
09/23/09

@macpatrick: I do the same. Wireless N 5.0ghz off the airport extreme and then wireless G from my bros old netgear. The G is for people who connect with cellphones, and the N for laptops =] Everything else is wired gigabit (Desktops, PS3)
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something_unique_and_descriptive
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I was waiting for the final spec to be ratified.

I'll stick to G until either prices come way down or my router dies. I just can't justify the expense, the WAN connection wouldn't saturate 802.11b, let alone G (I live out in the sticks), so the only reason to upgrade to N would be more on-site bandwidth... and if I need that I can run some gigabit copper for a lot less.
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Identity (Metric)
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
*whatever my neighbor users. :)
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Ipwnnubletz
09/22/09

@Identity less than three: +1
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Imagism
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
Excuse me, exactly what kind of an environment would even use A band anymore?
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something_unique_and_descriptive
09/22/09

@Imagism: Corporations who sunk massive amounts of money into a 802.11a wireless infrastructure and due to corporate bureaucracy / pettiness / departmental infighting refuse to upgrade until they've "gotten their moneys worth".
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DrRiAdGeOrN
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
There is a reason I have a rack in the house, Gig to every room. I'm staying with G till I need a new AP for the bedroom and only then it will be a gig switch/router.
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SQLGuru
09/22/09

@DrRiAdGeOrN: I'm running G, but I just wired the house for more consistent coverage.
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UnderLoK
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
Technically I use them all, but at home 3 are N 2 are G.
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EBone
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
Airport Extreme with N. My MBA can receive N, all other computers in house use G.
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skywalker24
09/22/09

@EBone: I thought if you have anything G in your network, the whole network gets downgraded to G. Is that not right?
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EBone
09/23/09

@skywalker24: Only when the G computers are running.
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IN THE FACE!
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I've got a dual-band N router, but I haven't really felt the need to upgrade any of my laptops (which all presently have G internal cards already)...

I rarely need to transfer large files wirelessly, so meh, G is fine for now.
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STFU_FPU!
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
what happened to C,D,E,F,H,I,J,K,L, and M?
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Barry99705
09/22/09

@iPhone Home Now!: Within the IEEE 802.11 Working Group,[14] the following IEEE Standards Association Standard and Amendments exist:

* IEEE 802.11 - The WLAN standard was original 1 Mbit/s and 2 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz RF and infrared [IR] standard (1997), all the others listed below are Amendments to this standard, except for Recommended Practices 802.11F and 802.11T.
* IEEE 802.11a - 54 Mbit/s, 5 GHz standard (1999, shipping products in 2001)
* IEEE 802.11b - Enhancements to 802.11 to support 5.5 and 11 Mbit/s (1999)
* IEEE 802.11c — Bridge operation procedures; included in the IEEE 802.1D standard (2001)
* IEEE 802.11d - International (country-to-country) roaming extensions (2001)
* IEEE 802.11e - Enhancements: QoS, including packet bursting (2005)
* IEEE 802.11F - Inter-Access Point Protocol (2003) Withdrawn February 2006
* IEEE 802.11g - 54 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz standard (backwards compatible with b) (2003)
* IEEE 802.11h - Spectrum Managed 802.11a (5 GHz) for European compatibility (2004)
* IEEE 802.11i - Enhanced security (2004)
* IEEE 802.11j - Extensions for Japan (2004)
* IEEE 802.11-2007 - A new release of the standard that includes amendments a, b, d, e, g, h, i & j. (July 2007)
* IEEE 802.11k - Radio resource measurement enhancements (2008)
* IEEE 802.11n - Higher throughput improvements using MIMO (multiple input, multiple output antennas) (September 2009)
* IEEE 802.11p - WAVE — Wireless Access for the Vehicular Environment (such as ambulances and passenger cars) (working — June 2010)
* IEEE 802.11r - Fast roaming Working "Task Group r" - (2008)
* IEEE 802.11s - Mesh Networking, Extended Service Set (ESS) (working — September 2010)
* IEEE 802.11T — Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) - test methods and metrics Recommendation cancelled
* IEEE 802.11u - Interworking with non-802 networks (for example, cellular) (working — September 2010)
* IEEE 802.11v - Wireless network management (working — June 2010)
* IEEE 802.11w - Protected Management Frames (September 2009)
* IEEE 802.11y - 3650-3700 MHz Operation in the U.S. (2008)
* IEEE 802.11z - Extensions to Direct Link Setup (DLS) (August 2007 - December 2011)
* IEEE 802.11aa - Robust streaming of Audio Video Transport Streams (March 2008 - June 2011)
* IEEE 802.11mb — Maintenance of the standard. Expected to become 802.11-2011. (ongoing)
* IEEE 802.11ac - Very High Throughput <6GHz (September 2008 - December 2012)
* IEEE 802.11ad - Extremely High Throughput 60GHz (December 2008 - December 2012)
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Sir Gibler
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
Those 8 of you who voted 802.11a can go read Engadget. Oh and there should be a poll for "why do you use a standard other than 802.11n" and I just about guarantee you'll see 100% for "I have at least 1 gadget that isn't compatible."
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Barry99705
09/22/09

@Sir Gibler: I don't have one device that is compatible....
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ripfire
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I use 802.3ab
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Barry99705
09/22/09

@ripfire: That's the fastest way to go. Waaay more secure as well.
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Edited by Barry99705 at 09/22/09 5:47 PM Barry99705 was starred Barry99705 was unstarred

ThisCharmingMan
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I'm terrified to buy a new router because it's such a serious pain in the ass to install. When will these things become user friendly?
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IN THE FACE!
09/22/09

@ThisCharmingMan: I don't think the router is the problem.
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craig_16
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
Well despite the fact I have a wireless n router and 2 wireless n computers, I also have 2 iphones, an xbox 360 and an old laptop that use g and a DS that uses b (!). This means I have to run my network in b/g/n mode, which drastically reduces the advantages of using n in the first place.

From the FAQ for my router:

Question :
What happens when I connect a Wireless B, B , G, or Super G device to my Draft N network?

Answer :
Your network will operate at the speed of the slowest host,therefore if a slower hosts connects, every host will drop speeds to match. (i.e. If a G host joins, the network changes to allow54Mbps maximum.)

If I'm reading this right, that means that whenever I check my phone or play a game the network is operating at g speeds and if someone happens to play online on the DS, we all go down to b speeds. If this is correct, then it will be a long, long time before I get to take full advantage of wireless n.
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k2snowboards88
09/22/09

@craig_16: do what I did. Get a $30 netgear router, hook it up to your n router as an access point. Now you have a network for you g stuff, a network for your n stuff, and everything talks to each other just fine.
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Kaiser-Machead
09/22/09

@k2snowboards88: That's what I have. I was previously using a Netgear WGT264, but now that I have the Time Capsule, I reserve that solely for the MBP, and use the Netgear for my other wireless peripherals.
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GitEmSteveDave_HurtHisKnee
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I use and I will stick with g, so when everyone else jumps over to n, I'll have more bandwidth to hog.
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Barry99705
09/22/09

In reply to Which Flavor of Wi-Fi Do You Use?
I'm still rockin 802.11g, cause none of the wireless devices in my house support n.
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