The 802-11 Wireless G Standards Is The Most Popular And Widely Used Wireless Standards Up To Now, Even Though The Future Technology Draft 802.11n Has Started
At the time 802.11 wireless G was not ratified yet as the fastest wireless standard at that time, it was very promising technology – so promising, in fact, that the lack of ratification didn’t stop some manufacturers from shipping gear that used the draft standard, even before it was ratified. The same thing happened again today, when the draft 802.11n is not finalized yet, mostly all the manufacturers compete to ship the draft version to their line of wireless products.
802.11 wireless g standard was ratified by the IEEE. 802.11g uses the OFDM encoding of 802.11a in the 2.4 GHz band, and also falls back to DSSS to maintain backwards compatibility with 802.11b radios This means that raw speeds of 54 Mbps (20 to 25 Mbps data) are achievable in the 2.4 GHz band, all while keeping backwards compatibility with existing 802.11b gear.
802.11 wireless G devices was very popular and widely used for years until today. The technology was not stop at the standard speed up to 54 Mbps (ideal condition), but the MIMO antenna technology was adopted to boost the speed of the wireless network up to 108 Mbps. This ideal speed is nearly the same as the wired fast Ethernet technology.
For example, D-Link introduces Gamer Lounge wireless 108G router which is designed for gamers in mind provides up to 108 Mbps speed, or NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router also provides the speed up to 108 bps.
Pros
- 802.11 wireless g provides high data rates of up to 54 Mbps in ideal conditions. Actual performance can vary, including lower wireless network capacity, data throughput rate, range and coverage. Performance depends on many factors, conditions and variables, including distance from the access point, volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, operating system used, mix of wireless products used, interference and other adverse conditions.
- Backwards compatibility with the legacy 802.11b offers a simple upgrade path for existing users.
- 802.11g uses the same band as 802.11b, so existing antennas and feed lines can be reused. But some products with extended technology such as MIMO can use either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band such as D-Link DWL-7100AP Wireless Access Point or DGL-3420 gamer adapter which also support dual-band frequency.
Cons
- Slightly more expensive than 802.11b, but prices are expected to fall as more equipment ships.
- As it uses the 2.4 GHz ISM band, 802.11g will have to contend with many other devices, leading to more interference in crowded areas.
Recommendation
If you are building a network from scratch, strongly consider the benefits of draft 802.11n. It allows existing 802.11 wireless G and B users to continue to use the network, while providing a significant speed boost for 802.11n users. While it is a very new technology, reports from early adopters look very good. Mostly all the manufacturers today massively ship their gear that use the draft version of the future technology 802.11n.
802.11 wireless G standards will be regarded as legacy wireless devices with the introduction of the draft version of the future technology – draft 802.11n network. The good thing of the innovative technology is that the backward compatibility with the previous version, so the deployment of the 802.11n technology will keep your investment on the 802.11 wireless G devices you still have at the moment.
By: Ki Grinsing
See also:
