
Important If your computer came equipped with an internal radio frequency wireless device, see “Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information” in your user’s guide for general wireless regulatory and safety guidelines. To find out if your computer has an internal wireless device, check the device manager. For more information, see “Determining if wireless Ethernet is already installed on your computers” on page 81.
Important Note any antenna placement constraints in the user guide of each type of wireless device in your network.
Wireless Ethernet speed and frequencyWireless Ethernet is available at two different speeds and at two different frequencies. The following table compares the various wireless Ethernet network types.
Network Type | Speed | Frequency | Advantages | Disadvantages | ||
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IEEE 802.11a | 54 Mbps | 5 GHz | Less possible | ■ | Shorter range (25 | |
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| interference than |
| to 75 feet) than | |
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| IEEE 802.11b and |
| IEEE 802.11band | |
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| IEEE 802.11g |
| IEEE 802.11g | |
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| ■ | Not compatible |
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| with |
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| IEEE 802.11b or |
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| IEEE 802.11g |
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| networks |
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IEEE 802.11b | 11 Mbps | 2.4 GHz | ■ | Large number of | ■ | Possible |
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| access points |
| interference from |
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| already exist in |
| cordless |
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| airports, college |
| telephones and |
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| campuses, and |
| microwaves |
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| businesses | ■ | Not compatible |
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| ■ | Compatible with |
| with |
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| IEEE 802.11g |
| IEEE 802.11a |
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| networks |
| networks |
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| ■ | Longer range (100 |
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| to 150 feet) than |
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| IEEE 802.11a |
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78 | www.gateway.com |