Is it time for small and midsize companies to make the move to 802.11n? Or are there compelling reasons to stick with 802.11a/b/g a while longer?
When talking about the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, people used to say the "n" was for "next." These days, many vendors are claiming that "n" is for "now." But some small and midsize companies are still saying "not yet." So even as we wait for the final specification to be approved (now scheduled for March 2009, way behind the original schedule), is the time finally ripe for your company to move to 802.11n?
On the one hand, the benefits are obvious. There's no question that the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi standard is a lot better than existing wireless options. Compared with 802.11g, n offers:
- Incredible speed (150 Mbps or more in ideal conditions)
- Better coverage and much longer range
- Less susceptibility to interference and congestion that can cripple bandwidth
- Backward compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks and clients (though at legacy speeds)
- Improved security
- More manageable quality of service
In fact, InformationWeek writes that n may finally make Wi-Fi good enough to actually replace many wired networks.
So, will everything instantly become n? "No" says Joe Melfi, D-Link technical marketing engineer.
From 802.11g To 802.11n
For one thing, n is still a draft standard. It could change significantly before being finalized by the IEEE. (Fortunately, that draft is "One of the most well thought out and finalized standards we've ever had," Melfi says. " It took some time, but at least they're doing it right.")
Plus, upgrading to n is expensive, requiring new adapters for every device as well as new wireless access points. One without the other offers little improvement, and there is a huge installed base of 802.11g equipment already in use. In the meantime, 802.11g works well enough for many folks. (Of course, n is backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g, so it's no problem to use n adapters and access points on a mixed network.)
Don't Miss: Plan Now to Make the Most of 802.11n
Vivek Pathela, VP of product marketing at NetGear, says "We recommend that people move to n for its security and features." The fact that n's 5-GHz channel doesn't interfere with 11g networks avoids congestion that degrades bandwidth and makes n especially good for implementations with multiple users. But, he says that some Netgear customers are saying "I can live with g." Pathela says that for casual use, small networks with fewer than 5 users, or for secondary networks, g may be all that's needed.
Conversely, Pathela also still recommends 802.11g for large, centrally managed Wi-Fi architectures. Netgear is promoting wireless controllers for environments with 200 or so users to control access, roaming, mobile VoIP, and other applications, and "There are no 11n wireless controllers in the SMB market yet," Pathela says.
Next Page: The "n" Learning Curve
