Escient MP-150 manual Form Factors, Speed, Technical Specs, Distance, Faster Wireless 802.11g

HOME NETWORKING PRIMER WD005-1-2 12/22/2003

Form Factors

802.11b adapters come in two major form factors. PC Cards for laptops and USB for desktops. In addition, there are PCI adapters that let you plug a PC Card into a PCI Slot.

Speed

A full strength 802.11b signal will get you about 3.5-4.5 Mbps without WEP enabled. With WEP enabled, expect 2.5-3.5 Mbps. As you put walls and distance between your wireless adapter and your access point, your speed will drop. Don’t expect to put more than a few walls between you and your access point.

Technical Specs

802.11b is a half duplex protocol – it can send OR receive, but not both at the same time. In addition it uses the same 2.4 GHz range as many cordless phones so plenty of opportunity exists for interference. Use 900Mhz cordless phones if using 802.11b in the same area.

Distance

Distance will very widely depending on which wireless networking device you are using, what kind of antenna it uses, the construction materials in your home, electrical interference, and capabilities of the wireless receiver. Some people have used directional antennas to get some serious range out of their 802.11b products – miles!

Faster Wireless 802.11g

The 802.11g spec was drafted in Nov of 2001. 802.11g operates on the same frequency as 802.11b and is backwards compatible. The planned common implementation of consumer 802.11g devices operate at a maximum of 22Mbps but can communicate at up to 54Mbps. 802.11g is sometimes called 'Turbo Mode' on some 802.11b cards.

Like 802.11b, 802.11g is subject to the same interference and security issues. It operates at 2.4Ghz and may cause problems with 2.4Ghz cordless telephones.

When a 802.11g product communicates with an 11Mbps 802.11b product, it drops down to 11Mbps or less depending on signal strength. In other words, if you purchase an 802.11g product for use with an 802.11b access point, expect only 11Mbps.

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