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<ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers)> wrote
> 802.11a is obsolete.
It is? I better trash my 802.11a WLAN. All of my 802.11a hardware is
D-Link, taking advantage of their proprietary 108 MBS "turbo mode". Of
course, actual throughput isn't 108 MBS, however I am capable of realtime
video editing/rendering across my WLAN. I haven't done any "benchmarks",
however I transfer enormous amount of data around, which has proven to be
seamless with 802.11a. Thats good enough for me. One of my friends that
has a Linksys 802.11g WLAN commented that file transfers on my WLAN
outperforms transfers on his.
> Well, avoid 802.11a anyway.
I wouldn't say "avoid it", however I probably would recommend 802.11g for
most "consumers" now -- simply because hardware is much more easily
available. Plus, all the new "cool stuff" such as "wireless media players"
are utilizing 802.11g. For anyone wanting simply a rock solid WLAN to
transfer enormous amount of data around, I'd probably recommend 802.11a to
them -- however it will require more effort to locate hardware and it will
be more expensive. I also prefer 802.11a because it operates at 5 Ghz,
which is a much less congested spectrum than 2.4 Ghz. As for the "range
limitation" with 802.11a, I view that as a "security feature". I have a
multimode (802.11a, 802.11b) router, which saturates nearly all of my house
with both bands (5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz). At times, my neighbor can see a faint
802.11b signal coming my house (I can also, at times, pick his 802.11b up as
well), however he never sees my 802.11a.
Its not "obsolete", however most consumers would probably be better off with
802.11g. However, if large file transfers are intended (and/or
experiencing interference problems in 2.4 Ghz), then 802.11a is worth
consideration. Expect to pay top $$ though. As for accessing public
hotspots, my 802.11a card for my laptop is also capable of 802.11b -- so it
works just fine. I can't see using public hotspots for anything else than
internet access, which 802.11b is well adequate for.
Just wanted throw a few cents out, as I've been extremely pleased with
802.11a for my needs. :^)