IEEE Ratifies 802.11g High-Speed Wireless Standard

Vendors and solution providers have expressed enthusiasm about the new 802.11g standard because it promises to extend data rates from the current, popular 802.11b 11-Mbps to a projected 54 Mbps, while still maintaining backward compatibility with 802.11b.

Estimates place the actual throughput connection speeds much lower, at about 20 Mbps in a crowded 2.4GHz frequency. The new standard, however, is an improvement from 802.11b and a more affordable alternative to the higher-octane, more expensive 802.11a, which operates on 5GHz.

John McHan, director of business development at Wireless Information Networks, a wireless solution provider based in Willowbrook, Ill., applauded the ratification of 802.11g.

"What's good about [802.11g] is now you just give a flash upgrade to the equipment, so there's not as much expense for the customer," said McHan. "It's nice for us because we install everybody's equipment and, in different markets, different things can happen."

A good example is Wireless Information's educational institution customers that want to upgrade installed 802.11b access points, McHan said. Ratification of the 802.11g standard now provides a solid, economical choice for those students who can't afford the more expensive equipment associated with 802.11a.

"So that's a great example of someone stuck in a situation that if they upgrade to [802.11]a they are going to leave some of their customers behind," said McHan. "If they go to [802.11]g, it's just a flash upgrade with the same equipment and you can still use [802.11]b in a [802.11]g environment."

Ray Robidoux, president of NetGear, a wireless networking vendor based in Santa Clara, Calif., reacted positively to the ratification of a standard that delivers more horsepower. He also expressed satisfaction in having waited to release prestandard products until the company was comfortable that what it delivered to market would be upgradable to the final version, even if there were changes.

To help its solution provider partners better tackle the challenge of continued, emerging wireless technology standards, NetGear has invested in a couple of wireless testing centers at its facility, said Robidoux.

"Having that ability to test and fine-tune your circuitry and your performance is important to our VAR customers in planning how they lay out a wireless network for their customers," he said.

Meanwhile, NetGear will soon release a free, downloadable firmware upgrade for its existing line of wireless networking products based on the IEEE 802.11g-draft specification. The upgraded firmware will incorporate the final changes of the 802.11g specification ratified Thursday.