It seems every year brings a new wireless connectivity standard, and just when we had gotten used to the 802.11b or 802.11g, along comes the new 802.11n standard.  But is the new “n” standard actually a noticeable improvement?  Or is this simply another example of progress for progress’s sake?

Right off the bat, the 802.11n standard offers faster speeds than its predecessors.  Faster is better, obviously, so “so far so good.” But the new “n” standard has other benefits up his sleeve is well.

One advantage is that the new standard takes advantage of both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency spectrums.  While the “old” 2.4 GHz spectrum is littered with all types of wireless activity, including cordless phones, microwave ovens, garage door openers, home alarm systems, and many more, the new 5 GHz spectrum is practically wide open.  This ensures that the new 802.11n wireless format will have a reliable signal path to work with.

Of course, the downside of the new 5 GHz spectrum is that very few vendors are supporting it at the moment.  This is likely to change dramatically over the coming months, which just begs the question, “Will the new 5 GHz spectrum wind up just as overcrowded as the old 2.4 GHz spectrum?”

Most analysts believe the answer to this is “of course,” but there’s really no getting around it.  As wireless technology emerges, and new products take advantage of the new frequency spectrum, it is likely we will find ourselves continually switching to higher and higher wireless frequencies to escape “the clutter down below.”

Source:  apple

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