Difference.

funtoosh · #1 09-03-2007, 02:02 AM

Whats the difference between wifi 802.11a/b/g and 802.11 b/g. What does extra 'a' signify? As many laptops comes with a/b/g but maximum are with just b/g(including mine).

niki · #2 09-07-2007, 12:59 PM

"a" is outdated technology and no one uses it now almost all networks are now on "b".

attagirl · #3 09-07-2007, 10:25 PM

That is correct, I would not even worry about it as long as your router supports both B and G. I would not get anything that does not support at least b, but if you can get the g I would.

smith · #4 10-05-2007, 06:43 AM

These are IEEE standards that are related with transmission of data in a networking environment. Presently, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g are networking standards used at home and offices.

802.11a uses 5 GHz band and does not have as much range as 802.11b/g which uses 2.4 GHz band. Another disadvantage with 802.11a is that, its signals are weaker and are easily absorbed by solid barriers like walls.

802.11b and 802.11g are mutually compatible. however 802.11b is better in terms of speed of data transmission.
Main disadvantage with 802.11g is that it faces problems related to interference as most devices like microwave ovens, bluetooth devices, and digital cordless landline phones use the same frequency (2.5 GHz).