About 802.11G Wireless - D-Link DSL-G604T User Manual

About 802.11g Wireless

Today's 11-megabits-per-second 802.11b wireless networks are fine for broadband Internet access (which
typically tops out at about 1 mbps) but rather slow for large internal file transfers or streaming video. However,
54-mbps, corporate-oriented 802.11a is expensive--and because its radio uses the 5-GHz band and 802.11b uses
the 2.4-GHz band, upgrading to an 802.11a network means either scrapping 802.11b gear or buying even-pricier
hardware that can support both standards.
But 802.11g promises the same speed as 802.11a and the ability to coexist with 802.11b equipment on one
network, since it too uses the 2.4-GHz band.
802.11g is an extension to 802.11b, the basis of many wireless LANs in existence today. 802.11g will broaden
802.11b's data rates to 54 Mbps* within the 2.4 GHz band using OFDM (orthogonal frequency division
multiplexing) technology. Because of backward compatibility, an 802.11b radio card will interface directly with
an 802.11g access point (and vice versa) at 11 Mbps or lower depending on range. You should be able to
upgrade the newer 802.11b access points to be 802.11g compliant via relatively easy firmware upgrades.
Similar to 802.11b, 802.11g operates in the 2.4GHz band, and the transmitted signal uses approximately 30MHz,
which is one third of the band. This limits the number of non-overlapping 802.11g access points to three, which
is the same as 802.11b.
*Maximum wireless signal rate based on IEEE Standard 802.11g specifications. Actual data throughput will
vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and
construction, and network overhead lower actual data throughput rate.