1.  The 1397 cannot take advantage of the 802.11N features, so it will not be able to use the higher range or faster speed.

 

2.   There is currently no 802.11N standard.  Thus, devices from different manufacturers may not be compatible with each other.

 

3.   If you think 802.11N will speed up your internet connection, think again.  The internet connection speed is controlled by your ISP.  Even the currently fastest cable internet speeds of 20 Mbps, is still slower than the 54 Mbps of 802.11g

 

If you read other messages I have posted on this topic on these forums, you will see I am not a fan of 802.11N in its current state.  Manufacturers don't tell you about the 3 factors I've listed above, but hype the faster speed (true, but only on the local network), and the wider range (true if all devices are using the same 802.11N non-standard), then charge a premium for something that will likely not do what they are leading you to believe they will do.   I will change my view on this when there is an industry wide standard that all manufacturers follow.  But for now, I can't recommend 802.11N devices.

 

Steve

Thank you for your clear response. I still need to make some points clear:

 

1. Can the G adapter still connect to the N router, although not at full N speed, or are they incompatible?

 

2. When an N standard becomes available, do different suppliers promise to adhere to it via firmware update or will they all become obsolete?

 

3. Of course I know internet bandwidth is the bottleneck here, but is 54Mbps still enough to, say, have my videos stored on one computer and watch them on another without glitches or pauses?  are the 54 Mbps shared by all PCs in the network (as they were on old hubs) or dedicated to each one (as they are now on switches)?

 

Regards,

 

Juan 

1. Can the G adapter still connect to the N router, although not at full N speed, or are they incompatible? 

Yes, N routers are supposed to be backward compatible with G.

 

2. When an N standard becomes available, do different suppliers promise to adhere to it via firmware update or will they all become obsolete? 

Yes, they say that firmware upgrades will make this possible.  I've seen such promises broken in the past (particularly back in the analog modem days).  Without knowing which standard will be adopted, I think it is impossible to say whether or not any manufacturer can keep such a promise.

 

3. Of course I know internet bandwidth is the bottleneck here, but is 54Mbps still enough to, say, have my videos stored on one computer and watch them on another without glitches or pauses? 

I have no problem with videos on the local nework with my 54 Mbps wireless network.

 

are the 54 Mbps shared by all PCs in the network (as they were on old hubs) or dedicated to each one (as they are now on switches)? 

An 802.11N wireless adapter in a computer will be able to connect to an 802.11N router at the higer speed, but an 802.11G adapter will still connect to the N router at 54 Mbps.

 

Steve

 

 

 

Thanks again, Steve,

 

I am not sure you got my last question right: When I have a 54Mbps capable router, and I try to connect more than one laptop to it, does each of them get the full 54Mbps or do they share the bandwith, each getting a minor share?I think in the short term I may be using three laptops at a time, and I am concerned about the possible performance decrease...

 

I am now going to shop for G routers. What are the main features, besides price, to take into account when comparing different brands and models?

 

Regards,

 

Juan 

When any two devices on a network talk to each other, they talk at the speed of the slowest device in teh chain.  This is why the 10 (or if you are lucky 20) Mb internet connection is normally the bottleneck in connections to the internet.  On a local network, the speed all depends on what devices you have.  Almost all routers now are 100Mbps or faster for wired connections, as are network cards.  Wireless will be either 11Mbps (802.11b), 54Mbps (802.11g) or 802.11n (can't remember the speed off hand).  Since the radios can't send and receive at the same time (with the possible exception of N cards with multiple radios) the actual transfer rate is half (5.5 for b, 27 for g) the listed value.  So, an 802.11b card talking to a 100Mb network card would transfer data at 5.5 Mbps.  Unless you are sending large amounts of data (gigabytes) that is usually more than enough for anything you would want to do.  :)