Coming Soon: Faster Wireless

The emerging 802.11n wireless networking standard is certain to change the IT landscape with the promise of as much as 10 times the speed and four times the range of today's 802.11g. For the systems builder, that translates into lower hardware expenditures for both internal wiring and access points. And if your customers have heard about the new standard, or have seen "n" devices for sale, they're likely to be looking for both information and guidance.

But here's the rub: The 802.11n standard is still in draft form and won't be finalized until sometime next year--maybe. Such details haven't stopped wireless manufacturers from releasing a range of pre-802.11n wireless networking devices, or early adopters from trying them out.

The 802.11n wireless networking standard achieves its enhanced speed and range by building on existing technology with some clever engineering. More specifically, the 802.11n standard can run on two frequencies simultaneously: the 2.4-GHz frequency band used by 802.11g/b, and the 5-GHz frequency band used by 802.11a. In fact, 802.11n routers and cards generally have multiple antennas to allow for simultaneous data streams at different speeds; this feature is known as Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MIMO).

Currently, 802.11n specifies support of speeds up to 270 Mbps, or five times that of a typical 802.11g network, which runs at 54 Mbps. In the longer term, the speed of 802.11n devices is expected to double, reaching 540 Mbps. The current 802.11n draft calls for an indoor range of 50 meters (roughly 164 feet), compared with 802.11g's 30 meters (or just under 100 feet).

'Consumer' Vs. 'Commercial'

The first MIMO pre-802.11n routers and cards were released earlier this year by Belkin, Buffalo Technology, D-Link, Linksys and Netgear. Each company offers the standard assortment of wireless adapter cards, as well as a few options for routers and access points. Most manufacturers marketing pre-802.11n equipment offer both lower-end "consumer" routers and higher-end "commercial" routers. The consumer-oriented devices generally come with an integrated four-port 10/100 Ethernet switch, which seems a bit off-target for a device claiming speeds of up to 270 Mbps. The higher-end commercial routers command their higher price point by including additional networking and security features, such as VPN capability and support for gigabit Ethernet.

To keep your customers from being disappointed after spending money for new equipment, it's wise to inform them about what level of performance improvement they can reasonably expect to see. If your customers already have a FIOS, DSL or cable-modem broadband connection to the Internet, you'd do well to advise them that they shouldn't expect a significant change in surfing and download speeds.

Like most emerging technologies, the 802.11n standard offers good news tempered by bad. The good news: The pre-802.11n devices seem to show--under ideal conditions--that they can deliver significant speed boosts over 802.11g configurations. However, there's a very real possibility of being stuck with equipment that has no direct upgrade path to the final standard for 802.11n.

If your customers insist on taking a chance on the standard for the ability to squeeze out a few extra feet in range or megabits per second, today's equipment will work. But if they can wait, you may want to advise them to let the dust settle around the 802.11n standard and wait for the next generation of compliant products to hit the market.