802.11n finally ratified

Written by Brett Thomas

January 23, 2006 | 21:42

Tags: #80211g #80211n #mimo #n #wireless

Companies: #ieee

The IEEE board has unanimously approved a new wireless networking standard, dubbed 802.11n. The standard will be the first to implement Multiple-Input/Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, which sends data at speeds up to 10 times faster than the current 802.11g standard.

The standard has been in limbo for some time, with conflicting ideas about how, or even if, it should be ratified. This has led to something of a grey market in 'pre-n' devices that are faster than 'g' but not formalised as 'n'.

802.11n utilizes multiple antennae to transmit the data at speeds of up to 600 Mbit/sec. It also avoids a lot of the interference which has plagued users of 802.11g, allowing for its maximum throughput over a much longer range.

Intel President Craig Barrett stated, "The Enhanced Wireless Consortium (set out) to break the 802.11n stalemate and accelerate a draft that defines significantly higher wireless LAN performance. We have achieved this objective and are confident that our customers can now manufacture products with unprecedented performance based on our technologies that conform to this new draft".

All that I can think is, 600 Mbit/sec?! That's terrific! Of course, the longer range is both a boon and a curse, as many of us spend time trying to get the range just right to help enhance security features on our networks. Or, maybe that's just because I'm paranoid...

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