Wireless draft n vs. g/b as of RIGHT NOW

[llmercll]

OK, i've got a laptop capable of wireless n and g/b. im looking to buy a new router. i couldnt really find any n00b articles that explain the differences between the two. i take that back, i found a little bit, but would like to know the key differences.

i know that n has worse range

i know that n is "allegedly" faster



what i want to know is if going n would be worth it if im already n equipped on my laptop. or since its still in development, is it still kind of buggy and/or has no real advantage over g/b yet.



im getting my router thig weekend and the router in question is the dir-655

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

On the contrary....I've found MIMO/N to have quite increased range over older G/B. In doing quite a few network installs, back when MIMO/Pre-N first came out...I found when I did larger networks...I'd need just 1x AP versus having to use 2-3 G units to blanket the same area. Even with just G or B clients.

That alone has been worth it.

Many people avoid "N" because it's not official yet. But...I say..."Who cares?" It's not like the draft-N model you purchase now will suddenly stop working the day N becomes official. And quite a few will be able to be upgraded with official N firmware once that comes out.

 

[thiggins]

You might want to start here How To Choose the Right Wireless LAN for You.

I disagree with two of OldeStoneCat's points:

1) Draft 802.11n's primary advantage is higher bandwidth, i.e. speed. It does not provide expanded range, i.e. if you can't get a signal at a particular location from a current-generation 802.11g wireless router and card, you probably won't get one with draft 802.11n.

But draft 802.11n can provide higher throughput at a given location. So if you are getting, say 1 Mbps throughput at a location where there is a weak signal, draft 802.11n can provide higher throughput at that location.

2) I would not count on firmware upgrades for all products when 802.11n finally becomes a standard. Manufacturers always prioritize new products over upgrading old ones. Past experience with upgrades (802.11g, WEP to WPA, WPA to WPA2) really tells the tale here.

 

[llmercll]

You might want to start here How To Choose the Right Wireless LAN for You.

I disagree with two of OldeStoneCat's points:

1) Draft 802.11n's primary advantage is higher bandwidth, i.e. speed. It does not provide expanded range, i.e. if you can't get a signal at a particular location from a current-generation 802.11g wireless router and card, you probably won't get one with draft 802.11n.

But draft 802.11n can provide higher throughput at a given location. So if you are getting, say 1 Mbps throughput at a location where there is a weak signal, draft 802.11n can provide higher throughput at that location.

2) I would not count on firmware upgrades for all products when 802.11n finally becomes a standard. Manufacturers always prioritize new products over upgrading old ones. Past experience with upgrades (802.11g, WEP to WPA, WPA to WPA2) really tells the tale here.

its ok if draft n wont be firmware upgraded to standard n, not a big deal for me since its either draft n or g, and neither will be upgraded to standard n with firmware on its release.

range also doesn't matter for me, i need anything special

what im interested in is bandwidth and speeds, but most importantly just wired routing and the ability to handle connections for p2p torrenting and such. does n have any disadvantages with open connections or anything p2p related?

from what i can tell the only upgrade that wireless n offers according to that link is more speed and bandwidth, and that's exactly what i need.

what im curious about though, we all know the manufacturer's lie about speeds, but does draft-n have a good speed improvement over g? like right now, will a draft n router have significant speed ++ over g?

i think any router with 200 connections will be more than enough, its a big jump from the 4, or 8 i have in my wrt54g v8, i hate that thing. I just want to know if draft n, with an n notebook adapter, will be better than g, and that g isnt still better because its a standard.

another question while im here. ive got a 5 year old cheap modem, can buying a new Motorola surfboard possibly increase my upload speeds? my download is very strong but my upload leaves more to be desired. i just want to know if this is possible.

 

[thiggins]

what im interested in is bandwidth and speeds, but most importantly just wired routing and the ability to handle connections for p2p torrenting and such. does n have any disadvantages with open connections or anything p2p related?

Draft 11n or any other wireless standard doesn't have any specific disadvantages for those applications. But a wireless connection will not be as reliable or as fast as even a 100 Mbps Ethernet connection.

what im curious about though, we all know the manufacturer's lie about speeds, but does draft-n have a good speed improvement over g? like right now, will a draft n router have significant speed ++ over g?

I have already answered that both in this thread and in the linked article.

another question while im here. ive got a 5 year old cheap modem, can buying a new Motorola surfboard possibly increase my upload speeds? my download is very strong but my upload leaves more to be desired. i just want to know if this is possible.

Your Internet connection speed is determined by the service you have from your ISP. DSL connections usually have much lower upload than download speeds. Check with your ISP to see if they offer any options that have faster uplink speed.

 

[llmercll]

Draft 11n or any other wireless standard doesn't have any specific disadvantages for those applications. But a wireless connection will not be as reliable or as fast as even a 100 Mbps Ethernet connection.


I have already answered that both in this thread and in the linked article.


Your Internet connection speed is determined by the service you have from your ISP. DSL connections usually have much lower upload than download speeds. Check with your ISP to see if they offer any options that have faster uplink speed.

ok, well im just looking for confirmation, i don't know jack about routers and don't want to misread anything.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30542/228/1/3/

according to this chart then, draft 11n is 2x as fast as g at 1t. and 2t and 3t gets even faster. which n are we talking about with teh dir-655 or current draft status? im assuming 3t?

it also looks like 40mhz is a lot faster than 20 on both g and n, but thats only for dual band routers right?

 

[llmercll]

bump for great justice

 

[jdabbs]

"3T" isn't a draft standard. It refers to the number of spatial streams it is capable of using to transmit.

40 MHz operation doesn't require dual-band to operate, since the channels used are on the same band. 5 GHz band usage is recommended because not only do you have more channels to choose from (2.4 GHz only allows for one non-overlapping 40 MHz channel), the smaller base of 5 GHz devices reduces the chance of interference. The downside is the reduced coverage compared to equivalent 2.4 GHz setups.

 

[llmercll]

"3T" isn't a draft standard. It refers to the number of spatial streams it is capable of using to transmit.

40 MHz operation doesn't require dual-band to operate, since the channels used are on the same band. 5 GHz band usage is recommended because not only do you have more channels to choose from (2.4 GHz only allows for one non-overlapping 40 MHz channel), the smaller base of 5 GHz devices reduces the chance of interference. The downside is the reduced coverage compared to equivalent 2.4 GHz setups.

ok, so where would a d link dir 655 be on that scale? i dont think its 5ghz, im pretty sure it's 2.4, single band. but it can do 40mhz i think...

 

[jdabbs]

The 655 is capable of 40 MHz operation, though you'd need a client also capable to take advantage of it.

 

[llmercll]

The 655 is capable of 40 MHz operation, though you'd need a client also capable to take advantage of it.

the client would be the wireless in my notebook, right?

how can know if my client is 40mhz?

 

[jdabbs]

Look at the manufacturer's spec page for the card, or google for the info.

 

[llmercll]

ok i searched google for the asus g1s and found it had this card in it

Intel PRO/Wireless 4965

http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/wireless/wireless_n/overview.htm

this looks like a great client =)

CRAP

Friendly Neighbor Assurance
Supports current Draft-N standard direction to support 40MHz channels only in 5GHz spectrum to minimize negative impact to legacy devices/networks nearby.

so that means I will operate in 20mhz since i cant operate in 5ghz? (since 5ghz needs dual band). does this mean i wont have much increase in speed over a wirelessg?

 

[jdabbs]

Yes.
Performance in 20 MHz mode is still a bit better than vanilla 11g, in the case of the DIR-655 A4.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

That's not been my experience though, I've sometimes found that todays more potent *N units can punch that signal a bit further. Where I didn't pickup anything with a G unit in place, some N units have gotten the signal there.

The point you make I'll say is true though..sometimes with G, even though you had a signal, it wasn't strong enough to really make an effect connection (say it almost had a 1 meg connection..making things like webpages often time-out), where an N unit would have given you say a stronger signal and an actual faster connection. The end result to the end user was "G didn't work in this room...but N is giving me a usable connection".

The second point I originally said a similar thing..."quite a few" will be able to be upgraded. Some, but certainly not all. IMO they'll still work fine the day N becomes official and on the shelves. How many people are using newer laptops that support N, with older G or even B routers/APs at home, and at the workplace now..and they work fine?

I disagree with two of OldeStoneCat's points:

1) Draft 802.11n's primary advantage is higher bandwidth, i.e. speed. It does not provide expanded range, i.e. if you can't get a signal at a particular location from a current-generation 802.11g wireless router and card, you probably won't get one with draft 802.11n.

But draft 802.11n can provide higher throughput at a given location. So if you are getting, say 1 Mbps throughput at a location where there is a weak signal, draft 802.11n can provide higher throughput at that location.

2) I would not count on firmware upgrades for all products when 802.11n finally becomes a standard. Manufacturers always prioritize new products over upgrading old ones. Past experience with upgrades (802.11g, WEP to WPA, WPA to WPA2) really tells the tale here.

 

[thiggins]

The second point I originally said a similar thing..."quite a few" will be able to be upgraded. Some, but certainly not all. IMO they'll still work fine the day N becomes official and on the shelves. How many people are using newer laptops that support N, with older G or even B routers/APs at home, and at the workplace now..and they work fine?

I agree that current draft 11n gear will probably work fine with released-spec gear. But people should not expect that upgrades to released draft 11n will be available for all current draft 11n products.