Various Types of Wireless Networking Standards

Description: 802.11a is a wireless networking standard for LANs (local area networks) that delivers a maximum raw data rate of 54 megabits per second. It operates in the 5 GHz (gigahertz) band, which is less utilized and therefore offers less interference than the 2.4 GHz (gigahertz) band used by 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. However, the 5 GHz (gigahertz) signals used by the 802.11a standard are more prone to being absorbed by walls and other objects than the 2.4 GHz (gigahertz) signals used by the other standards, so the maximum range of 802.11a is less than the other 802.11 standards.

Features: The 802.11a standard uses non-overlapping channels.

Description: 802.11b is a wireless networking standard for LANs (local area networks) that delivers a maximum raw data rate of 11 megabits per second. It operates in the 2.4 GHz (gigahertz) band, and has a typical actual data throughput rate of 4-5 megabits per second.

Description: 802.11g is a wireless networking standard for LANs (local area networks) that delivers a maximum raw data rate of 54 megabits per second. It operates in the 2.4 GHz (gigahertz) band, and has a typical actual data throughput rate of 20-25 megabits per second.

Facts: Hardware built for the 802.11g standard is usually fully backwards compatible with hardware that uses the 802.11b standard. Therefore, devices built for 802.11g can most often communicate (at the slower data rate) with devices built for 802.11b. However, any device using 802.11b in an otherwise 802.11g network will slow down the speed of the overall network.

Description: 802.11n is a wireless networking standard for LANs (local area networks) that builds on the previous 802.11 standards. The 802.11n wireless networking standard is not expected to be finalized until November 2008. However, consumer products that use a draft version of the 802.11n standard are currently available.

802.11n uses multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) technology to increase effective bandwidth. The standard requires the use of two antennas at minimum. (Although the final specification may include a method of using a single antenna, which would be especially useful for devices with power consumption limitations.) More antennas will enhance the ability of an 802.11n device to accurately receive signals. The use of multiple antennas and MIMO technology will also allow increased range over the previous 802.11 wireless networking standards.

Facts: The most capable 802.11n devices will use dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) radios to achieve maximum throughput, although basic 802.11n functionality is possible with only the 2.4 GHz band.

Description: Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity." Wi-Fi refers to a wireless LAN (local area network) based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. These include 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n.

Description: Bluetooth is a wireless technology used for short-range cable replacement. Bluetooth transmit and receive capabilities are sometimes built into computers, PDAs, wireless telephones, printers, keyboards, mice, scanners, video game consoles, GPS receivers, barcode scanners, and other electronic devices.