More than seven years ago, the group that deals with wireless networking standards met for the first time to plot out the next generation of Wi-Fi. Sometime next month, their work finally will be completed.
That’s when the version of Wi-Fi dubbed 802.11n will be ratified, ending a long process that will result in faster wireless connectivity over greater distances.
“But wait!” you say. “I’ve seen 802.11n wireless routers and adapters in my neighborhood electronics store. I’ve even bought one! What’s the difference?”
If you’re the owner of a router built around the early draft versions of 802.11n, then the answer is: not much, initially. Your so-called “Draft N” equipment should work just fine with devices that were developed, built and sold using these earlier, unfinished versions of the 802.11n specification. In fact, in many cases you may be able to update your Draft-N router and adapter to the final version of 802.11n.
More about that in a moment. First, a little background.
Faster Connections
The new standard is the successor to 802.11g, currently the most common form of Wi-Fi, in homes, businesses and public hotspots. The older standard supports speeds of up to 54 megabits a second, while 802.11n can theoretically handle up to 600 Mbps. Of course, in most situations, users won’t see that, but suffice it to say that 802.11n is a lot faster.
Of course, folks using Wi-Fi at home primarily do so for unfettered Internet access. Given that most Internet connections run in the 1.5- to 8-Mbps range, an 802.11n router may seem like overkill. However, there are actually benefits to 802.11n other than raw speed.
For example, 802.11n has a much greater range than 802.11g. If you have dead spots in your home’s Wi-Fi coverage with an 802.11g router, there’s a good chance that an N-class router will fix that for you.
In…