Is 802.11n Ready?

[Roger]

Wideband demands on wireless home networks such as voice over IP and especially high definition video have hardware manufacturers racing to release newer, faster products. But they might be rushing in just a bit too early for the 802.11n protocol.

Cisco System's consumer division, Linksys has just released its first products based on the new high speed wireless protocol 802.11n also known by its hip-hop street name, Wireless-N, yo. The new Linksys products join several other network paraphernalia manufacturer's affordable routers and network adapters using the 802.11n protocol. But will the premature release of 802.11n products truly satisfy users? The trouble with all current 802.11n products is that the standard hasn’t yet been finalized.

Wireless-N transmits two simultaneous streams of data through several channels to dramatically increase your network's capacity over existing wireless protocols like 802.11g. The geek consortium IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer) agreed on the 802.11n standard's proposal last January but there remains an important hurdle, interoperability. The Wi-Fi Alliance is the group responsible for certifying all equipment that uses a Wi-Fi standard and they haven't yet developed an interoperability test.

Those who insist on being the on the cutting edge of Wi-Fi might find themselves with Wireless-N products that don't work with any other equipment using 802.11n. Last month Belkin, Buffalo Technology, D-Link and Netgear all released routers with so-called "draft N compliant". This means there is no assurance that current Wireless-N routers or LAN adaptors will actually be Wireless-N compatible when the standard is finalized.

Encounter at Farpoint

The Farpoint Group is a wireless technology advisory group that has tested many of the current 802.11n products. One of Farpoint's results was the 802.11n routers by Buffalo and Netgear couldn't communicate with each other.

Farpoint adds:

"These products don't perform as well as some products that have been out here for awhile…" The conclusion was that these early releases were pushed out too soon "…to capitalize on 802.11n draft hysteria" Farpoint says it's possible these problems could be resolved with future firmware and software upgrades.

Like most new technology it seldom pays to be the first on your block to play with the new toys. The consumer market is being sold early renditions of Wireless-N but manufacturers aren't so quick to market this early to the more conservative business sector. Expect to see more reliable products once Cisco starts selling Wireless-N on the corporate level.

Link To Original Article