On Sun, 2007-02-11 at 00:52 -0800, Vasile Surducan wrote: > On 2/10/07, piclist@mmendes.com wrote: > > I haven't actually done any tests to see if the transfer is trully at > > 108, but what I have done is try to connect from diferent distances from > > the router, most of the time outside. As the signal degrades over the > > distance the speeds (indicated in the taskbar icons) do switch to lower > > or higher depending on the quality of the signal. This was done for a > > very picky friend who wanted to be able to use his laptop while on a > > floter in his pool (I know, I wouldn't do it, but he wanted it) > > > > Obviously, you can only get 108 when using an 108 router with an 108 > > card. > > The maximum speed allowed in 802.11g standard (2.4Ghz) is 54Mbps, > named as 108, page14 of 802.11g standard, downloadable here: > > http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/802.11.html > > Do I miss something ? or there is available a newer specification ? For pure g, yes, 54Mbps is the fastest. However, because the IEEE has taken a stupidly long time to come out with the next standard (n), the manufacturers didn't want to wait (g hardware had reach commodity prices, not much margin when prices get that low). So they started developing extensions to g that could go faster. Most claim speeds of up to 108Mbps (and often improved distance specs). The rub is they are NOT compatible between different chipsets. This means if you want a 108Mbps network (often called super g), you must ensure every bit of equipment uses the same line of chipsets. Easiest way to ensure this is to buy the same brand, but even that isn't 100% since sometimes brands change chipsets, meaning the older 108Mbps hardware may not work with the newer 108Mbps hardware. On top of this confusion is the MIMO or "pre n" stuff. Usually you can tell this stuff separately from the "normal" 108Mbps stuff by the number of antennas, MIMO usually has three, although sometimes one is "internal", further mucking up the market. Personally, I won't touch any feature beyond 54Mbps until n is fully out there. My router is capable of 108Mbps, but I've never even enabled it. The part that really bugs me is the IEEE members. They are really the ones to blame for the mess that is WiFi right now. They kept arguing and squabbling, holding up any chance at a reasonable time period for the next standard. Consumer confusion is high, interoperability is in the tubes, and even worse, many of the MIMO technologies out there right now will KILL your g bandwidth completely. MIMO technologies usually take two WiFi channels. Despite the numbering, in the 2.4GHz band there are only 3 non overlapping WiFi channels (1, 6 and 11). If you are using g on channel 6 and your neighbour powers up most MIMO routers, there's a good chance that your bandwidth will drop like a stone. Newer MIMO routers are better then older ones, but the problem is still there. draft-n products supposedly are MUCH better, but there is still chance for the problem appearing. Anyways, for more information try http://www.tomshardware.com, lots of articles there on what's out there and what to avoid, if you REALLY want to go faster then 54Mbps. Me, I run a cable... TTYL -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist