Archived from groups: alt.internet.wireless (
More info?)
"snow" <dlessard@powerlink.net> wrote in message
news:10i82mnaj1lt03d@corp.supernews.com...
> ok, what are the "b" and "g" devices mention by Clark Griswald above (cool
> name there.... Griswald fron the Vacation movies). Does he mean stuff like
> dsl modems. I am now leaning to the 802.11 b, but maybe I should wait
until
> Verizon ships the dsl modem to make sure it is 802.11 b complient versus
a
> g complient one.
> I asked the Verizon guy if the dsl modem being sent is b or g...he said
he
> didnt know and it would not make a difference anyways. Anyways, I may hold
> off before I go to Best Buy and get the router until I know if my devices
> are either b or g. One thing for sure don't expect much help on the phone
> from Verizon or Radio Shack.
> "snow" <dlessard@powerlink.net> wrote in message
> news:10i7giondpub058@corp.supernews.com...
> > I am setting up a home wireless connection. I noticed there is more than
> one
> > type of router. There is the cheaper 802.11b and the more expensive
> 802.11g.
> > Also, Dell sells a combo one, the 802.11b/g. Does it matter which one I
> > buy?? I will eventually be using three computers, one will be a laptop.
I
> > called Radio Shack and even Verizon, but they did not know the
difference
> > between b and g. Any information appreciated.
> > I figure I should buy the router that best fits a home setup rather than
> > guess. Thanks again. Great help on here.
Neither ADSL nor cable modems know anything about 802.11. They are
Ethernet-connected devices. Of course, you can buy an 802.11 router with a
builtin ADSL or cable modem (Time Warner will lease you one), but the modem
doesn't know or care about 802.11.
By definition, 802.11g is back-compatible with 802..11b. That is, all
802.11g routers are "combo". That means you can have any mix of b and g
client stations associated to an 802.11g router. As someone else pointed
out, mixing types degrades wireless performance.
It's also been pointed out that your Internet performance bottleneck is your
ISP - cable or ADSL. In the US, you usually get 1.5 Mbps or less for ADSL,
and 3 Mbps for cable. That means that 11 Mbps 802.11b is already vast
overkill if all you do is surf the net. If you move huge files between local
wireless hosts, than "g" will get you much higher throughput than "b".
Another consideration is upgradeability. 802.11g equipment uses newer
chipsets, fully supports WPA security/authentication, and will probably be
better supported by vendors. When feature upgrades occur, they will be
available for 802.11g first, and maybe not at all for 802.11b. And, if I
were you, I wonldn't buy a combo modem/router. If you switch from cable to
ADSL, or vice/versa, the integrated modem becomes a boat anchor.
> >
> >
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