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Pre-802.11n Offers 4x the Speed

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-now-thats-something-isn't-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Belkin said on Monday that they'll be releasing a wireless network card and router that uses pre-802.11n multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology created by Airgo Networks. Belkin said the new pre-n products will provide four times faster speed and coverage area than 802.11b and g products. The new products will also be compatible with older products and in fact will increase performance on those older products."

8 of 214 comments (clear)

  1. So? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What I'd prefer to see is a smaller boost in "speed" (I'm guessing that the speed "increase" is in bursts, not sustained) and increased security that doesn't cause a hit in terms of network performance.

  2. new pre-n products by router_ninja · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Pre-standard? I'll wait thanks. Especially with the history of this company.

    --
    CINCINNATI BELL IS TEH SUCK.
  3. n>[bg] by 4of12 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Belkin said the new pre-n products will provide four times faster speed and coverage area than 802.11b and g products.

    Faster!?

    More coverage area!?

    Then, how much power does it typically take to run an 802.11n card compared to the established alternatives?

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  4. must have more speed by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Unfortunately, I know way too many people who paid a lot extra to get 802.11g than 802.11b - but only use it to surf the Internet. The truth is that even the 802.11b connection is faster than high speed brodband to the home, so there is no real gain in using 802.11g. I even saw (in a previous /. forum) someone who was plannig on opening a "Internet cafe" and was thinking he should go for 802.11g, not understanding that no user would exceed the 802.11b speed and not even realizing that the entire network would downgrade to 802.11b anyway if even one user was connected through 802.11b equipment.

    Now, it seems, people are going to be rushing to these new "standards". Sure, if you're going to be transfering a lot of large files around your internal network, perhaps while you stream real time video to your "entertainment center", then you might justify the extra cost and being on the bleeding edge; but most users just think in terms of "I want the newer faster stuff" or simply "I want the good stuff" and they will end up paying a lot more now for the technology they never use than they would if they just waited until the standrds were worked out, the products came down in price, and the connection to the rest of the Internet caught up in speed to justify the choice.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  5. Re:Multiple signals? by rmayes100 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Buy a 900MHz phone if you can still find one, they're cheap and work fine.

  6. Re:complex, doable, but who needs it? by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Insightful

    who needs it?

    anyone who moves files larger than couple of ten megs(like moving a gig of raw pictures from computer to computer). doing that you'll start lusting after 1gbit real quick..

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    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  7. Re:complex, doable, but who needs it? by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Anyone with more than 3 computers. Anyone that wants true security. It never ceases to amaze me that after suffering through non-switched ethernet for years (decades?) people are ready to go back to a medium which is broadcast. When you use wireless (as I am, even now) you're using a single "cable" for everyone. One 100mps switched cable exceeds wireless by a factor of 9.... but the second switched 100mps cable does that again!

    Think of it this way, with only a little cable-pulling effort in your home (an investment) you are adding oodles of bandwidth. And if you need more, pull more cable. But you're only (generally) going to get 1 virtual 11mps "cable". Once you use that all up, its gone. So, when your wireless MP3 stereo component, and the 2 tivos, 2 game consoles, your computer, your wife's computer, your children's computer are all on wireless, not to mention the laptop and the ipaq, and you newly installed VoIP phones are all one wireless... you'll be wondering why you ever thought it so great.

    My own rule of thumb: Use wireless sparingly, like the limited resource it is.

  8. Re:Great by JeffTL · · Score: 2, Insightful

    That's okay -- Even B is faster than the Internet usually is. Main advantage of faster networks is for internal business