Belkin P74471EA-B manual What’s the difference between 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, and Pre-N?

Troubleshooting

What’s the difference between 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, and Pre-N?

Currently there are four levels of wireless networking standards, which transmit data at very different maximum speeds. Each is based on the designation for certifying network standards. The most common wireless networking standard, 802.11b, transmits information at 11Mbps; 802.11a and 802.11g work at 54Mbps; and Pre-N works

at 108Mbps. Pre-N, the precursor to the upcoming 802.11n release, promises speeds that exceed 802.11g, and up to twice the wireless coverage area. See the following chart for more detailed information.

Wireless Comparison Chart

Wireless Technology	802.11b	802.11g	802.11a	Belkin Pre-N
				600% faster
Speed	11Mbps	54Mbps	54Mbps	than standard
				802.11g*
	Common	Common		Common
	household	household		household
Frequency	devices such as	devices such as		devices such as
	cordless phones	cordless phones	5GHz—	cordless phones
	and microwave	and microwave	uncrowded	and microwave
	ovens may	ovens may	band	ovens may
	interfere with the	interfere with the		interfere with the
	unlicensed band	unlicensed		unlicensed
	2.4GHz	band 2.4GHz		band 2.4GHz
Compatibility	Compatible	Compatible	Incompatible	Compatible with
			with 802.11b	802.11g
	with 802.11g	with 802.11b
			or 802.11g	or 802.11b
Coverage*	Depends on	Depends on	Interference
	interference—	interference—		Up to 800% wider
			range is
	typically	typically		coverage than
			typically 50–
	100–200 ft.	100–200 ft.		standard 802.11g*
			100 ft.
	indoors	indoors
Advantage		Common—	Less
			application
	Mature—legacy	widespread	interference—	Leading edge—
	technology	use for Internet	great for	best coverage
			multimedia	and throughput
		sharing

*Distance and connection speeds will vary depending on your networking environment.

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