The future of 802.11n Wi-Fi
ZDNet reports that there is not much enthusiasm over the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi among many laptop users according to Piero De Paoli, the director of iPass, the company that offers network service to its customers using various technologies ranging from dial-up to latest wi-fi. The company has been a major provider of wi-fi service to many hotspots across the world.
Speaking about 802.11n, the networking standard which has not still got the approval from IEE, Piero De Paoli commented:
“We are not getting companies asking when we will support it,” De Paoli told ZDNet.co.uk on Thursday. “Hotspot providers are all using [the currently ubiquitous Wi-Fi standard] 802.11g. We haven’t really seen 802.11n. We think it’s a lot of hype.”
Although 802.11n provides better throughput, speed and other features that facilitate faster transmission of data, currently, it is not available as 802.11g is quite fast enough to meet the demands of most broadband internet users. 802.11n can work well with 5 GHZ which is not possible for 802.11b/g as they are suitable for 2.4 GHZ frequency. It seems most people including the equipment makers feel that such a higher standard is not required for anyone.
When a new networking standard is introduced, the problem of new hardware and compatibility will certainly rise as the old PCs or laptops will not have hardware options to work with new standard. We should remember that new wireless technologies like WiMAX, HSUPA require compatible connectivity options in your PC to use them. It is wise to go for your own modem with compatibility or buy an external card to access wireless broadband using the new technologies, De Paoli suggested.
