Mac Slocum
02-28-07, 11:10 AM
Taking the Leap into 802.11n
We help you navigate the wild and wooly world of pre-standard wireless network gear.
It sounds too good to be true. 802.11n, the next-generation wireless network standard, delivers 100 Mbps or more throughput (true speed, not data rate) with more than twice the range of current 802.11g/a wireless network products.
So what’s the catch? No standards, no certified products, limited interoperability, and no guaranteed firmware upgradeability.
http://www.electronichouse.com/images/uploads/80211n-airport-extreme.jpg (http://www.electronichouse.com/article/what_you_need_to_know_about_80211n1/)
The 802.11n standard probably won’t be ratified until the fall of 2008, but vendors began releasing “pre-N” and “MIMO-based” products based on initial iterations of the specification more than two years ago. So today you’ll find products based on draft 1.0 of the spec alongside standards-based g/b/a equipment from vendors such as Linksys, Netgear, Buffalo Technology and D-Link.
The 802.11n standard is built primarily using a complex technology called spatial multiplexing, which uses a concept called MIMO (which standards for multiple-input multiple-output). MIMO typically uses two or three antennas to receive (input) the signal and two or three radios to transmit (output) it, plus special signal processing to improve range and throughput.
Unlike the b/g/a wireless products, this next-generation nonstandard equipment hasn’t been certified to interoperate with other vendors’ gear, nor is it guaranteed to be firmware upgradeable to future versions of the spec.
Now for the good news. If you’re looking to buy pre-N products now, products based on version 2.0 of the 802.11n draft spec are just a couple of months away.
For more on the the 2.0 draft spec, a look at some of the products, and a way to test your network speed, check out
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/what_you_need_to_know_about_80211n1/ (http://www.electronichouse.com/article/what_you_need_to_know_about_80211n1/)
We help you navigate the wild and wooly world of pre-standard wireless network gear.
It sounds too good to be true. 802.11n, the next-generation wireless network standard, delivers 100 Mbps or more throughput (true speed, not data rate) with more than twice the range of current 802.11g/a wireless network products.
So what’s the catch? No standards, no certified products, limited interoperability, and no guaranteed firmware upgradeability.
http://www.electronichouse.com/images/uploads/80211n-airport-extreme.jpg (http://www.electronichouse.com/article/what_you_need_to_know_about_80211n1/)
The 802.11n standard probably won’t be ratified until the fall of 2008, but vendors began releasing “pre-N” and “MIMO-based” products based on initial iterations of the specification more than two years ago. So today you’ll find products based on draft 1.0 of the spec alongside standards-based g/b/a equipment from vendors such as Linksys, Netgear, Buffalo Technology and D-Link.
The 802.11n standard is built primarily using a complex technology called spatial multiplexing, which uses a concept called MIMO (which standards for multiple-input multiple-output). MIMO typically uses two or three antennas to receive (input) the signal and two or three radios to transmit (output) it, plus special signal processing to improve range and throughput.
Unlike the b/g/a wireless products, this next-generation nonstandard equipment hasn’t been certified to interoperate with other vendors’ gear, nor is it guaranteed to be firmware upgradeable to future versions of the spec.
Now for the good news. If you’re looking to buy pre-N products now, products based on version 2.0 of the 802.11n draft spec are just a couple of months away.
For more on the the 2.0 draft spec, a look at some of the products, and a way to test your network speed, check out
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/what_you_need_to_know_about_80211n1/ (http://www.electronichouse.com/article/what_you_need_to_know_about_80211n1/)