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This guide will discuss the merits of the three commercially available Wi-Fi router standards: 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. Each of these Wi-Fi standards operate on the 2.4GHz band; that's why you may notice degraded performance if you have a number of 2.4GHz wireless phones in your house. As a refresher, 802.11b provides an 11Mbps wireless connection, 802.11g provides a 54Mbps wireless connection and pre-802.11n (and eventually the 802.11n standard) provides a 108Mbps wireless connection.
Most consumers can do everything they want over a wireless network using an 11Mbps 802.11b connection speed. Most consumer hi-speed internet connections aren't faster than 5Mbps, so an 11Mpbs wireless LAN (WLAN) connection is more than twice the speed of your internet connection. Essentially, you're able to transmit and receive data between your wireless computer and router, faster than the data is being transmitted/received between your router and the internet. Basically, your wireless router and computer are waiting on the internet connection to provide data.
The 802.11g (54Mbps) standard is truly the fastest wireless connection that most consumers can reasonably use for personal computing. Again, the system limitation is the actual internet connection speed. The additional bandwidth allows for somewhat faster sustained data transfer speeds when downloading large files, multiple files or transferring files within your WLAN. If you plan to stream audio or video through your house, then the 54Mbps speed will make this possible while also having additional wireless bandwidth to operate on the internet as well.
IEEE 802.11n is the next generation Wi-Fi standard and promises to provide wireless connection speeds of up to 10 times the current 802.11g standard (theoretical maximum data rate). The 802.11n standard should provide sustained Wi-Fi data rates of up to 200MBps. The 802.11n standard is being developed to support the newly emerging video download market. After the 802.11n standard is finalized (sometime in 2008), I assume, ISPs will begin offering faster internet connections so consumers will be able to download large video files in times comparable to current MP3 file downloads. The faster ISP speeds will also allow users to download DVD quality video, not the current "TV Quality" videos. This standard will enable wireless networks to stream video to another wireless device in your house that will most likely connect to your television so you can watch DVD quality videos downloaded (or realtime) from the internet.
The bottom line is that the plain old 802.11b (11Mbps) wireless router is plenty fast for most people that surf the internet. If you're in the market for a new router, then it makes sense to purchase an 802.11g (54Mbps) router because it does afford a performance improvement. Also, just about every wireless router manufacturer is only producing 802.11g routers (don't worry they're still compatible with your 802.11b wireless adapter). If you decide to upgrade your wireless router, keep in mind that the internet speed limitation is your ISP speed not your wireless network. So don't expect your internet connections to be 5X faster with an 802.11g router than your old 802.11b wireless router.
If you're an early adopter, and have a need to own cutting edge technology, then go ahead and purchase a pre-802.11n wireless router. It's becoming more apparent that the 802.11n standard must be pretty close to finalization. Three principal wireless manufacturers (D-Link, NetGear and Intel) are manufacturing "pre-N" routers. You can bet that most of the technical standards must be pretty close to finalization because each of the manufacturers are only expecting to require a firmware update once the 802.11n standard has been formalized.
The 802.11n wireless router is where Wi-Fi technology is heading. In addition to an extremely fast WLAN set-up, the 802.11n routers also take advantage of MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) antenna technology. MIMO technology should provide inproved wireless coverage over the 802.11b or g routers. So if you're currently operating an 801.11g wireless network and are looking to upgrade or replace your wireless router then you might consider upgrading to the pre-802.11n routers. The current drawback to these routers is price. You can pick up a decent 802.11g wireless router for under $50; the pre-N wireless routers seem to be priced closer to a $200 price point. Of course, once the standard is adopted and 802.11n routers become widely avaialbe, the price for these next generation routers will decrease to a sub $100 price point. Once the price drops, that's when most consumers should consider upgrading to the faster wireless routers. The only reason that I would recommend purchasinga pre-N router, is if you happen to have lousy wireless service for your WLAN. The MIMO technology should provide a significant improvement in WLAN coverage, so this can make a big improvement in a networks operation just by being able to get solid connections at more locations within your facility (or home).
So to Summarize All of That Gibberish:
I hope you've found this guide helpful or even mildly entertaining. If you have, please take a moment to VOTE at the bottom of this page. If you didn't find it helpful, then you should let your lack of helfulness opinion be counted by VOTING at the bottom of the page.
If you have any corrections, comments, suggestions or questions regarding this guide, please feel free to contact me. I'm always interested in improving and correcting my guides and reviews.
Most consumers can do everything they want over a wireless network using an 11Mbps 802.11b connection speed. Most consumer hi-speed internet connections aren't faster than 5Mbps, so an 11Mpbs wireless LAN (WLAN) connection is more than twice the speed of your internet connection. Essentially, you're able to transmit and receive data between your wireless computer and router, faster than the data is being transmitted/received between your router and the internet. Basically, your wireless router and computer are waiting on the internet connection to provide data.
The 802.11g (54Mbps) standard is truly the fastest wireless connection that most consumers can reasonably use for personal computing. Again, the system limitation is the actual internet connection speed. The additional bandwidth allows for somewhat faster sustained data transfer speeds when downloading large files, multiple files or transferring files within your WLAN. If you plan to stream audio or video through your house, then the 54Mbps speed will make this possible while also having additional wireless bandwidth to operate on the internet as well.
IEEE 802.11n is the next generation Wi-Fi standard and promises to provide wireless connection speeds of up to 10 times the current 802.11g standard (theoretical maximum data rate). The 802.11n standard should provide sustained Wi-Fi data rates of up to 200MBps. The 802.11n standard is being developed to support the newly emerging video download market. After the 802.11n standard is finalized (sometime in 2008), I assume, ISPs will begin offering faster internet connections so consumers will be able to download large video files in times comparable to current MP3 file downloads. The faster ISP speeds will also allow users to download DVD quality video, not the current "TV Quality" videos. This standard will enable wireless networks to stream video to another wireless device in your house that will most likely connect to your television so you can watch DVD quality videos downloaded (or realtime) from the internet.
The bottom line is that the plain old 802.11b (11Mbps) wireless router is plenty fast for most people that surf the internet. If you're in the market for a new router, then it makes sense to purchase an 802.11g (54Mbps) router because it does afford a performance improvement. Also, just about every wireless router manufacturer is only producing 802.11g routers (don't worry they're still compatible with your 802.11b wireless adapter). If you decide to upgrade your wireless router, keep in mind that the internet speed limitation is your ISP speed not your wireless network. So don't expect your internet connections to be 5X faster with an 802.11g router than your old 802.11b wireless router.
If you're an early adopter, and have a need to own cutting edge technology, then go ahead and purchase a pre-802.11n wireless router. It's becoming more apparent that the 802.11n standard must be pretty close to finalization. Three principal wireless manufacturers (D-Link, NetGear and Intel) are manufacturing "pre-N" routers. You can bet that most of the technical standards must be pretty close to finalization because each of the manufacturers are only expecting to require a firmware update once the 802.11n standard has been formalized.
The 802.11n wireless router is where Wi-Fi technology is heading. In addition to an extremely fast WLAN set-up, the 802.11n routers also take advantage of MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) antenna technology. MIMO technology should provide inproved wireless coverage over the 802.11b or g routers. So if you're currently operating an 801.11g wireless network and are looking to upgrade or replace your wireless router then you might consider upgrading to the pre-802.11n routers. The current drawback to these routers is price. You can pick up a decent 802.11g wireless router for under $50; the pre-N wireless routers seem to be priced closer to a $200 price point. Of course, once the standard is adopted and 802.11n routers become widely avaialbe, the price for these next generation routers will decrease to a sub $100 price point. Once the price drops, that's when most consumers should consider upgrading to the faster wireless routers. The only reason that I would recommend purchasinga pre-N router, is if you happen to have lousy wireless service for your WLAN. The MIMO technology should provide a significant improvement in WLAN coverage, so this can make a big improvement in a networks operation just by being able to get solid connections at more locations within your facility (or home).
So to Summarize All of That Gibberish:
- 802.11b (11Mbps) wireless network connections are perfectly fine for most consumer internet use. If your network is working fine for your use and you aren't planning on replacing either your wireless router or your computer's wireless adapter, then you're fine to stick with the old 802.11b standard.
- 802.11g (54Mbps) wireless network connections provide excess bandwidth for internet access, so your computer will be idling while it waits for the ISP to provide data. An 802.11g WLAN will provide faster file transfer speeds within the WLAN, so if you transfer files between computers or steam audio/video to an entertainment center and wish to also surf the net, the 54Mbps connection provides the necessary bandwidth to easily accomplish these multiple tasks. Also, most wireless routers are being manufactured to the 802.11g (102.11b backward compatible) standard. So if you're looking for a new router, get an 802.11g router.
- pre-802.11n (108Mbps) wireless network will provide the necessary bandwidth to handle the upcoming internet video revolution. If you're an early adopter, like to have the best toys, and have a couple of hundred bucks to spend then go ahead and splurge. Buy yourself a pre-N router and wireless adapter. You'll have a blazing fast WLAN and you should notice improved wireless network access area. Once the rest of the internet catches up with your Wi-Fi technology, you'll be ready and waiting for those faster ISP bandwidths.
I hope you've found this guide helpful or even mildly entertaining. If you have, please take a moment to VOTE at the bottom of this page. If you didn't find it helpful, then you should let your lack of helfulness opinion be counted by VOTING at the bottom of the page.
If you have any corrections, comments, suggestions or questions regarding this guide, please feel free to contact me. I'm always interested in improving and correcting my guides and reviews.
Guide created: 10/29/06 (updated 08/11/08)
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