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Old-school Wi-Fi Is Slowing Down Networks, Cisco Says

Posted by Soulskill on from the only-support-tech-less-than-three-months-old dept.

alphadogg writes "The early Wi-Fi standards that opened the world's eyes to wire-free networking are now holding back the newer, faster protocols that followed in their wake, Cisco Systems said. The IEEE 802.11 standard, now available in numerous versions with speeds up to 6.9Gbps and growing, still requires devices and access points to be compatible with technologies that date to the late 1990s. But those older standards — the once-popular 802.11b and an even slower spec from 1997 — aren't nearly as efficient as most Wi-Fi being sold today. As a result, Cisco thinks the 802.11 Working Group and the Wi-Fi Alliance should find a way to let some wireless gear leave those versions behind. Two Cisco engineers proposed that idea last week in a presentation at the working group's meeting in Los Angeles. The plan is aimed at making the best use of the 2.4GHz band, the smaller of two unlicensed frequency blocks where Wi-Fi operates."

4 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. so what about all my old devices? by alen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    and i mean the ones that sell the same device over many years like a game console. PS3, xbox 360, wii u, nintendo 3ds, etc
    and then you have something like printers. sure it's only $100 or $250 but no one wants to buy a new printer just to buy a new wifi router

    1. Re:so what about all my old devices? by cusco · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This. Cisco is essentially annoyed because other people's wireless hardware doesn't fail fast enough so they can't sell them new junk. I have network hardware at home from the 1990s that still works, and since it's adequate for the traffic on my network there is no reason to replace it. If Cisco doesn't want to support the old protocols like 802.11b in their newer hardware they don't have to. If that protocol is all that works on my ancient backup laptop/dev box (it is) then I won't buy their new stuff. (Not that I would buy Cisco, anyway.)

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    2. Re:so what about all my old devices? by Hatta · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Mobile equipment which only takes 802.11b was probably obsolete years ago.

      Obsolete is a meaningless term. Why replace something that is still as functional as the day it was made?

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    3. Re:so what about all my old devices? by phoenix_rizzen · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Ever considered spending $20 on a surge protecting power bar that includes RJ11 plugs? They're designed specifically for this, and go between the wall outlet and the ADSL modem.

      Coupled with surge protectors on ask the AC adapters, you'd be set.