802.11n brings faster wireless Net access

Shopping for a computer can be fun. Shopping for a wireless router? Not so much, especially when you have to decipher a combination of numbers and letters that may seem harder to interpret than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Do you go with 802.11g or 802.11n? The latter is showing up in more and more new laptops. 802.11n, especially good for gaming and streaming video, promises a faster wireless Internet connection than 802.11g, and has the kind of range that lets you work wirelessly from your backyard.

“We’ve seen an explosion in the sale of 802.11n products this year,” said Stan Schatt, ABI Research vice president. But, he adds, “It’s very confusing for consumers right now. When they go to a store, they’re going to see 802.11g products, then they’re going to see something called ‘Turbo G,’ and then they’re going to see 802.11n. In some cases, retailers are simply labeling them ‘fast, faster and fastest.’ ”

Joyce Putscher, of In-Stat Research, agrees, saying that her company’s research “shows that the majority of consumers do not understand the differences in benefits between 802.11g and 802.11n.”

There are plusses to 802.11n, but there are also drawbacks. 802.11n offers the possibility of data connection speeds of “at least 100 megabits per second in its early version,” compared to 802.11g, which is about half as fast, said Schatt.

Many users will find they get lesser numbers no matter which they use, depending on their equipment setup and any interference problems they might have, from household items like cordless phones and microwave ovens.

802.11n isn’t a must for everyone just yet.

“If you’re just surfing the Web, having 802.11n is probably not that big a deal,” said Michael Gartnerberg, Jupiter Media’s vice president of mobile strategy. “But for streaming content, such as movies, within the home, having 802.11n becomes much more important, and is an important standard that isn’t quite ratified yet.”

802.11n is in 'draft' mode
That’s one of the issues that can make 802.11n a little dicey. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which approves wireless specifications, has not yet given the final okay on 802.11n standards. That’s expected to happen this year or next.

In the meantime, 802.11n products, such as routers, access points and add-on PC cards, are sold and labeled by manufacturers as “draft” 802.11n.

Companies like Linksys, Net Gear, D-Link and Belkin, which make wireless equipment, have come out with their own 802.11n products. Prices for 802.11n routers, for example, range from $50 to more than $200.

“It takes a long time usually to create new IEEE standards, but vendors didn’t want to wait,” said Putscher of In-Stat. “It is hoped that most products selling today will be software-upgradeable when the final 802.11n standard is completed.”

Most believe that will be the case, and say the risk of buying 802.11n products is low in terms of any changes to come.

“There’s always the outside chance the products will require more than a software upgrade,” said Schatt. “If it’s a software upgrade, it’s not going to be an issue; you would just download the latest code. But vendors are not promising they’ll upgrade you if a hardware upgrade is needed.”

If you’re thinking of switching to 802.11n, experts advise sticking with the same manufacturer for the equipment you buy, such as a router and an access point.

“If you match stuff from a single vendor, it’s probably going to work best,” said Gartnerberg. “If you mix and match manufacturers, with the standard not being ratified, that’s when you can potentially run into a problem.”

802.11n is backward-compatible with 802.11g, as well as 802.11b, an older wireless standard, and it will all work together. But you won’t get the “n” speed benefit if all your equipment — including your computer — doesn’t have 802.11n.

If you bought a laptop within the past year, it likely has 802.11n. If not, you can add it by buying an 802.11n adapter card.

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