Wider-Fi 802.16, 20

paul

802.11(b) has become a standard. *Everyone* is using it... but it has limitations... most notably the 300ft range and 11mbs cap (54mbs for the a and g variations)...

where do we go from here? Am I the only one who wants broadband access on the train? on long car trips? everywhere?



lycos article (note the date )



This a good thing for .11b, g, a...

they will eventually become obsolete, and their successor(s) will surpass them in every way...

now its just a question of compatibility... it would be a shame if they all could not coexist without interference from the different (but not really competing) standards...

wmf

There's also a 100+ Mbps version of 802.11 in the works.

kecksy

Quote:

Originally posted by wmf

There's also a 100+ Mbps version of 802.11 in the works.

If that's the case, I'll pass on 802.11g and wait for something faster.

matsu

I don't think we'll see much change from a/b/g simply because the main use of such wireless networks is for internet access and even lowly 11b is 3-5 times faster than the fastest residential services, and is likely to stay faster than anything your cable or ADSL provider will supply in the next ten years.



Transfer between machines (for high bandwidth applications) will remain in the realm of wired connections. 800FW (and upcoming 1600/3200) USB2, GB Ethernet, are just too fast for anyone dealing with big chunks of data to put up with wireless speeds that may reach one fourth the speed of the slowest wired connection. 54Mbps provides enough speed for multiple users to connect to the net without noticing any slow down, and it even provides enough bandwidth for consumer video/audio streaming via MPEG2/4/ and MP3/ACC.



Wider coverage areas will come as cell phone companies get their shit together and package reasonable data/talk and easy to connect phone/modem designs (via bluetooth)



Basically, wireless tech standards have reached a point where they're good enough for what they need to do. And, while technology always marches forward, the case for a STANDARD is made only if it can remain static for some time and NOT change or evolve substantially. Wireless airport and bluetooth are where they need to be for what they need to do and it would be wiser for all manufacturers (and consumers) if these standards were left alone for a number of years to increase ubiquity and decrease costs.

wmf

Quote:

Originally posted by Kecksy

If that's the case, I'll pass on 802.11g and wait for something faster.

You could be waiting a while:



http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=31082

kecksy

Quote:

Originally posted by wmf

You could be waiting a while:



http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=31082

Well, if 802.11n comes out in 2005, it will be a perfect time. I'm buying my next laptop then.

dfiler

Quote:

Originally posted by Matsu

I don't think we'll see much change from a/b/g simply because the main use of such wireless networks is for internet access and even lowly 11b is 3-5 times faster than the fastest residential services, and is likely to stay faster than anything your cable or ADSL provider will supply in the next ten years.

I totally agree. 54Mb is fast enough for a home, coffee shop, or small business to completely saturate its WAN connection. With auto-bridging, larger companies and college campuses can easily add another node, once again outpacing almost all WAN connections. For intra-LAN communication, wired access will typcially prove more suitable and convenient than running a widely uncompatible network protocol.



There will be a few exceptions where higher-speed wifi will be worth it. Yet 99.99% consumers and businesses with laptops will be more interested in ubiquitous compatibility when traveling.