Good News For Wireless Networks!

Interesting article in PC Plus this month about wireless networking.
Apparently since
the new 802.11n standard will use a frequency around 5GHz it will
transmit twice as
fast as 802.11g which uses 2.4GHz !

Einstein must be turning in his grave :-)

Ali...

Since network speeds are in bits per second, not metres per second, what's
it got to do with Einstein?

Jeff Gaines...

Everything! He's talking about transmission speeds and radio waves travel
at the speed of light.

And since it one bit can fit in as many cycles at 5GHz as at 2.4GHz, or
50Hz for that matter, the time per bit will be halved (if the new standard
takes full advantage of the frequency increase), the speed in bits per

Jeff Gaines...

That's confusing network speed with transmission speed :-)

Ali...

There's nothing in your post that indicates that network speed was not
intended.

Since transmission speed is near enough constant, about 1 foot per
nanosecond, (depending on medium), it's not usually mentioned.

Jeff Gaines...

'Transmit' wasn't a clue?

Ali...

No. It just means send, and what I, and it seems everyone else who has
responded, think of as being sent is bits, not photons.

Amateur radio was a hobby for years so transmission speed is the speed of
transmission of a radio signal to me!

Ali...

I know next to nothing about amateur radio.

second *will* double.

Ponder...

Actually, think about it. A finer carrier wave allows for more
information to be carried. That's why MW is higher quality than LW an why
FM is higher quality than MW, etc. It has nothing to do with the speed of
light but the resolution of the carrier. Another analogy is sound, what
would a CD sound like if recorded at 11025Hz?

Jeff Gaines...

I think you're being generous to the author :-)

Ponder...

All I've seen is what you posted ;)

He clearly believes that the radio waves go twice as fast at twice the
frequency, which is nonsense of course, they travel at the speed of light
whatever the transmission frequency. You can generally use more bandwidth
at higher frequencies which may help.

Ponder...

But I don't buy magazines, haven't for years, how can I realise this
without attribution? Come on, find a link for us net-headers ;)

Jeff Gaines...

The only link I can give you is the magazine is on the desk in my study :-)

The stuff on their web site is a month behind to encourage people to buy
the mag!

Steve...

Some of these journalists must think were as gullible as them.