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802.11n Delayed to 2008

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fine-tuning dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Looks like we have to wait some more for 802.11n and promised 100 Mbps speeds. IEEE has delayed ratification of the standard until 2008, yet again, due to continuing problems with interoperability and too many comments from chipset manufacturers and other interested parties. Analysts are telling firms not to deploy n until the new standard is ratified."

8 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Terrible idea... by evilviper · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Manufacturers aren't waiting... They've been rolling it out for quite a while now, and will surely continue to do so, standard or no.

    Delaying the standard for more than a year is only going to ensure that none of these systems will be interoperable, and certainly not forewards compatible.

    An imperfect (slightly less backwards-compatible) standard now, would be much better than a perfect standard in 2 years.

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    1. Re:Terrible idea... by gregmark · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Right. Like US Robotics waited to roll out a 56K modem until v.90 was finalized.

  2. who cares? by Gothmolly · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wireless is a convenience, in almost every case I've seen. Once you hit 11 Mb/s or double that at 22 Mb/s, what more do you need? How much bandwidth does reading email, surfing CNN, or running SSH require?

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  3. honestly, folks by Neuropol · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Good. It's a bunch of monkey dust any way. I don't mean to sound trollish, but no one I know has an internet connection that can even deliver up to a solid 2-3MB/sec throughput. So, in theory, 802.11b @ 11MB/sec still hasn't even been TRULY maximized. And based on that principal, even @ 54MB/sec. We've got head room to build on for years before some thing like .11n even can be of any use to the average user.

    We get a few questions regarding .11n and WiMax. It's interesting to explain to people that it's not going to mean that as soon as you plug a card in to your machine, it's going to some how be miraculously, insanely faster. Because we all know we're still at the mercy of what the ISP has allocated/throttled back for your location.

    Persoanlly speaking, working for a wireless company, we believe for the time being ... It's a hoax. Stop making people call us and asking about it.

    Maximize what's currently in use before getting every one all excited about theoretical internet connections.

    1. Re:honestly, folks by setirw · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What do you think of gigabit ethernet, then? As with any networking protocl, 802.11x has more uses than merely connecting to the Internet.

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    2. Re:honestly, folks by owlstead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In the netherlands, you can get 22 Mb/s from certain cable internet providers (e.g. multikabel). That's a solid throughput of 2/3 MB/s. And even then you presume that WiFi can only be used for internet. Note that 11n is meant for home/office use. Maybe you could broaden your views a bit?

    3. Re:honestly, folks by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's right. 100base-T and gigabit ethernet are pointless. Why have a LAN that is faster than the internet?

      Is there some strange reason that Slashdotters think that the only use for wireless networks is browsing the Internet? None of you have ever used wireless to print, or copy a file off a server, or play a LAN game, or stream video, had more than one wireless device running?

    4. Re:honestly, folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      you live on an island with higher population density. Try applying the same logic to 10X the people with millions of square miles of land to connect.