802.11G vs. 802.11B

[Casper5748]

The 802.11G platform is going to be released soon. What do you guys think of it? Is it worth getting or it the 802.11B platform still the way to go.

Thanks

 

[Soybomb]

Do you need the speed? 802.11b is cheap, although the release of 802.11g will probably make it cheaper too I'm happy with 802.11b for now but I'd say it depends on what you want to do with it.

 

[JackMDS]

There is already two Draft compaliant802.11g out.

WAP54G

AirStation G54 Broadband Router AP offers the fastest (up to 54Mbps).

Expect in the next few weeks: D-Link, Actiontech., and Netgear, to jump in.

If you need a System tomorrow get 802.11b, if you can wait few weeks then it is better to wait for more 802.11g and sane prices.

 

[SaigonK]

I am not sure where you got that info, but the 802.11g isnt even ratififed as a standard yet, hold off.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: SaigonK
I am not sure where you got that info, but the 802.11g isnt even ratififed as a standard yet, hold off.

This is America Man. No one wants to loose business. :Q

So the manufactures came with a new Gimmick.

Draft Complaint 802.11g.

They hope that what ever small changes will be made would be corrected via firmware releases.

Click on the links of my post above.

 

[cmetz]

802.11g, 802.11a, and various proprietary "turbo" solutions are currently fighting it out. If you buy any of those, there is a very real possibility that in the long run you end up having spent a good bit of money on dead-end equipment -- though at least with 802.11g and the proprietary solutions, they can fall back to being expensive 802.11b equipment (802.11a stuff can't though). Buying into any of them is probably not a good idea unless either the cost is not really more (some of the "turbo" solutions are basically the same cost as the basic 802.11b... IF you buy everything from the same vendor) or you absolutely need the higher speed now (if you have to, you have to).

If you want to buy now or soon, 802.11b is cheap (check the Hot Deals forum), widely available, and works today. It's not going away any time soon.

SaigonK: IEEE standards typically reach a state where they're technically complete but editorially still baking, and it can easily take a year or more to go from that state to fully ratified. It's pretty common for vendors to release products at this stage, since they can be reasonably confident that the spec isn't going to change in ways that are going to make their products incompatible. Yes, that makes the buyers testers in some sense, but it also means that last-minute clarifications can be made based on problems seen in real implementations.

 

[Casper5748]

I haven't bought anything yet, I was just wondering which would be better to buy.

 

[xWeston]

Draft Complaint 802.11g.

They hope that what ever small changes will be made would be corrected via firmware releases.

Click on the links of my post above.

Actually it is at a stage now where the standard CANT change enough to require a silicon change. Therefore any changes could be updated with firmware.

And the post below mine, 802.11g and 802.11a arent proprietary. That is why they are IEEE standards (or on their way). 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b (which a is not) so i dont see any reason to NOT go with the faster and better 802.11g.

 

[Metalloid]

Originally posted by: xWeston

Draft Complaint 802.11g.

They hope that what ever small changes will be made would be corrected via firmware releases.

Click on the links of my post above.

Actually it is at a stage now where the standard CANT change enough to require a silicon change. Therefore any changes could be updated with firmware.

And the post below mine, 802.11g and 802.11a arent proprietary. That is why they are IEEE standards (or on their way). 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b (which a is not) so i dont see any reason to go with the faster and better 802.11g.

Do you mean you don't see any reason not to go with .11G? I am about to set up a wireless network and am still trying to decide wheter to go with .11B+(the D-Link 22mbps thing), or .11G, and I am leaning towards G since there won't be a huge price difference. How long until G products will be available for purchase?

 

[xWeston]

Yea i meant i dont see any reason NOT to go with 802.11g

It is faster, better, and not that much more expensive.

802.11g products are already on the market.

 

[Metalloid]

Yeah I have seen routers and PCMCIA cards, but no PCI adapters.

 

[xWeston]

PCI Adapter

http://www.d-linkshop.com/BuyNow.asp?SKU=D100+1441

 

[Muse]

I just read an article in today's San Francisco Chronicle's weekly Technology section on this subject. Read it here.

 

[xWeston]

Originally posted by: Muse
I just read an article in today's San Francisco Chronicle's weekly Technology section on this subject. Read it here.

that article is good but has some misinformation. It seems a little discouraging about getting 11g now but almost all vendors are promising (that i have seen) 11g final upgrades as soon as it comes out. Updating firmware is not something that is really hard to do. He makes the task sound difficult etc.

the standard cant be changed far enough so that firmware wont fix any incompatibilities anymore because of the point that it is at

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: xWeston

Originally posted by: Muse
I just read an article in today's San Francisco Chronicle's weekly Technology section on this subject. Read it here.

that article is good but has some misinformation. It seems a little discouraging about getting 11g now but almost all vendors are promising (that i have seen) 11g final upgrades as soon as it comes out. Updating firmware is not something that is really hard to do. He makes the task sound difficult etc.

the standard cant be changed far enough so that firmware wont fix any incompatibilities anymore because of the point that it is at

This doesn't surprise me and I think your assessment of the article is probably spot on. I've read that guy's column before and cringed. It's not directed at tech-savvy people. I'm not savvy in networking and could only take it at face value. I gather that the chief advantage of 11g will be a faster LAN. I wonder how it compares with ethernet in practical terms of data throughput.

 

[xWeston]

This doesn't surprise me and I think your assessment of the article is probably spot on. I've read that guy's column before and cringed. It's not directed at tech-savvy people. I'm not savvy in networking and could only take it at face value. I gather that the chief advantage of 11g will be a faster LAN. I wonder how it compares with ethernet in practical terms of data throughput.

Yea, he should've tested the LAN speeds because there is no reason that internet speeds would be slower on a faster medium if the LAN speeds were indeed faster.

Also, at the end he mentions "Wireless Protected Access." All of the products i have seen promise this as a firmware upgrade considering it is part of the 802.11g standard

 

[JackMDS]

It is very easy to write a Pro article and a second Pro article about the same topic. It is depending on a process of selective information, and what you decide to put the emphasis on. There is always a lot of Pro sand Cons on every issue in the world including technology.

For Internet activities whether you use 802.11g or 802.11b it does not matter.

However, I have a small office 2 wired computers, two computers connect wirelessly. The Wireless computers need to exchange files with the other computers all day around.

I will spend about $60 more on 802.11 g as oppose to 802.11b. Hopefully I will get at list twice the bandwidth (speed). That will entail a big improvement of productivity.
Some time people come to the office with Wireless portable, so I need 802.11b compatibility. That the reason I never resorted to 802.11a.

I can make up 50 more scenarios that will show you that I can gain from 801.11g today.

My approach to such issues is functional rather then Writers mambo jumbo. In other words tell me what you I need will tell you what is the adequate solution, and 802.11g can be already an adequate solution in many scenarios.

In other words most of the facts in the article may be true but that does not mean that they apply to your or mine particular predicament.

 

[Metalloid]

Well since internet speeds won't be afffected (Internet is the bottleneck in that relationship), and I only do file transfers or LAN gaming once in a while, I am going with the D-Link 22mbps 802.11b+ setup. It's not worth the extra money for me considering this is only for home use, and the setup I am looking at is on sale at BB right now. If I was looking at this for an office setup and needed it to be faster, I would definetly spend the extra money.

 

[her209]

I think I'm gonna wait until they make an AP and card that has a+b+g+e+f