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General discussion

802.11b v. 802.11g

Oct 11, 2004 2:02PM PDT

I am planning on a home wireless network for the first time and wondering about purchasing b or g devices. It would be for two desktop computers (and maybe a laptop) sharing a DSL connection. Some of the b stuff I have found is quite cheap and I don't think I need the faster speeds of g. Are there other benefits to a g network that I should consider? Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 12, 2004 12:50AM PDT

Around here, the G equipment is within 1 dollar of the B equipment. In a nutshell, B goes 11 megabit per second and G might get 54.

For 1 dollar, I'd get the G equipment.

Bob

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 12, 2004 11:43AM PDT

Thanks--I appreciate it! Doing some price comparisons clearl backs you up: I can find a very cheap b router but not a cheap b PCI wireless card--the total is about the same for a g set-up.

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 12, 2004 1:02PM PDT

As Bob points out, the prices are close. Although the b speed is sufficient for simple DSL connectivity, you will find it dragging when transferring large files between computers and just plain inadequate when playing a high quality music or video file that resides on the other computer (pauses and dropouts). The g equipment will be robust enough for that. Since the price differences are not material, don't box yourself into unsatisfactory performance with the slower b equipment.

dw

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 17, 2004 1:51AM PDT

Thanks for your comments!

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 21, 2004 3:35PM PDT

There are some benefits to using G over B. The speed issue you know about, and while it won't boost your Internet connection much, since I doubt you have an 11Mbps connection no matter how broad your bandwidth is, it would facilitate faster file sharing between the machines on the network - a plus. Some G equipment is equipped with WPA (a stronger encryption protocol than WEP), another plus - and you will want to encrypt your network; if you don't know why, read some recent articles in CNET on the subject! Lastly, any G hardware will work on a B network, like if the notebook goes down to a local cafe with wireless service, but B hardware won't work on a G network.

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 22, 2004 6:04AM PDT

In response to your saying 'G will run on a B, but B hardware won't work on a G network'.
That's not true.
B will run on a G network, but only at B speed (11Mb).

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 21, 2004 7:10PM PDT

in a problem like this I would plan ahead. WHat will you eb doing in the future? thiknig of upgrading to a fast Broadband connection ever? in which case the 812.11G will be needed.

Also, anything for 812.11 is compatable with 802.11g! My advice would be to get a g network and use b equipment on it until you need to upgrade to g equipment when you need the speed

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 22, 2004 1:52AM PDT

If you do alot of large file transfers between the PC's on your Wireless Network go with G. If your just gonna use the Internet with different computers B is the cost effective solution and you won't notice any difference anyways.

Also, G is backwards compatible with B so you can mix-and-match the cheapest parts but you would be limited to B's transmission speed of 11Mbps.

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 22, 2004 5:59AM PDT

If you don't need the speed of the 'G', then stick with the 'B'.
It's slower, but also a liitle more secure then 'G'.
'B' - 11Mb transfer rate
'G' - 54Mb transfer rate

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Re: 802.11b v. 802.11g
Oct 23, 2004 3:25AM PDT

Hi!

I used b myself for a project last year. I did not find that g would give me any other significant benefits. However I would suggest that before you buy any equipment you check the range they provide for.
Especially if you use an access point. Make sure you check that the signal strength supported by the cards and the access point covers the distance that you intend to use it over. Also keep in mind that the g version is going to become more and more popular from now on, whereas b may soon be fogotten (I personally don't think that will happen too soon).

If you want to go into the technical details of the issue, g uses a wider frequency band but the same modulation technique as b. g actually reaches the same speeds as version a but there is also version e that's under construction.

Hope this helps! Happy
Maria