| When it comes to a wireless standard, the first | | | | operate at these speeds usually requires you to |
| thing we all look at is how fast will this baby run! | | | | only use their network cards to access their |
| And you know the trade-offs, you can spend a | | | | access points, some of them require a specific |
| lot of money to get the fastest thing running, or | | | | card from them to get that speed. If any other |
| you can back off a little and save a lot. | | | | card connects, then they will drop back to the |
| The good thing about wireless networks is that | | | | standard speed and you lose the extra speed you |
| the price difference between wireless standards is | | | | probably paid extra to get. |
| almost gone. There are some things that could | | | | What Should You Get |
| add up, but I will explain the difference and why | | | | I was purchasing equipment for a completely new |
| you might want to go that route or not. | | | | wireless setup. We only had one older wireless |
| Now, let's get to the different wireless standards | | | | computer and I replaced the card in it with a new |
| you can choose from. | | | | one. I did purchase a system that advertised the |
| 1. 802.11b - 11Mbit at 2.GHz | | | | 108Mbit speeds since I knew who was going to |
| 2. 802.11a - 54Mbit as 5.0GHz | | | | connect to it. |
| 3. 802.11g - 54Mbit at 2.4GHz | | | | If you are building a new network setup, I |
| 4. Hybrid Systems | | | | suggest you purchase a system that will run |
| When you get ready to purchase your | | | | faster than the standard, but only if you know |
| equipment, you will see a lot of systems saying | | | | who is connecting. If not, then get a system that |
| that they are faster than these standards listed | | | | runs on the 802.11g standard. The price is about |
| above. Most will say 108Mbit per second, some | | | | the same as 802.11b but runs 5 times faster. |
| 125Mbit per second and a few even higher. To | | | | |