Belkin PM01110-A user manual Troubleshooting, sections, Wireless Comparison Chart

Troubleshooting

Table of Contents sections 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

What is the difference between 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, and Draft-N?

Currently there are four levels of wireless networking standards, which transmit data at very different maximum speeds. Each is based on the designation 802.11(x), so named by the IEEE, the board that is responsible for certifying networking standards. The most common wireless networking standard, 802.11b, transmits information at 11Mbps; 802.11a and 802.11g work at 54Mbps; and Draft-N works up to 300Mbps. Draft-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	802.11b	802.11g	802.11a	Belkin Draft-N
Technology
Speed	11Mbps	54Mbps	54Mbps	Up to 300Mbps
Frequency	Common	Common	5GHz—	Common
	household	household	uncrowded	household
	devices such as	devices such as	band	devices such as
	cordless phones	cordless phones		cordless phones
	and microwave	and microwave		and microwave
	ovens may	ovens may		ovens may
	interfere with	interfere with		interfere with
	the unlicensed	the unlicensed		the unlicensed
	band 2.4GHz	band 2.4GHz		band 2.4GHz
Compatibility	Compatible with	Compatible with	Incompatible	Compatible
	802.11g	802.11b	with 802.11b or	with 802.11g or
			802.11g	802.11b
Coverage	Depends on	Depends on	Interference	Up to 800%
	interference—	interference—	range is	wider coverage
	typically 100–	typically 100–	typically	than standard
	200 ft. indoors	200 ft. indoors	50–100 ft.	802.11g
Advantage	Mature—legacy	Common—	Less	Leading edge—
	technology	widespread	interference—	best coverage
		use for Internet	great for	and throughput
		sharing	multimedia
			application

G Wireless Router 97