Do I need 54g wireless card?

Do many public access points (coffee shops and campuses) use 54g? I see it
as an option for some cards.

What about 802.11a? Most access points seem to use "b".

Thanks,
Brett

"Brett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Do many public access points (coffee shops and campuses) use 54g? I see
it
> as an option for some cards.
>
> What about 802.11a? Most access points seem to use "b".

Most of everything does 11b. But for what it costs, get 11g. 11g cards
often have better security options, and a higher rate. So if you do go into
an 11g wireless LAN you can take advantage of it.

11a is more or less dead. It's higher frequency means a lower coverage area
so it is not often used. 11g gives the same throughput with a greater
distance than 11a.

"Dave" <d-a-v-e-5-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:MRKub.53258$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Brett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Do many public access points (coffee shops and campuses) use 54g? I see
> it
> > as an option for some cards.
> >
> > What about 802.11a? Most access points seem to use "b".
>
> Most of everything does 11b. But for what it costs, get 11g. 11g cards
> often have better security options, and a higher rate. So if you do go
into
> an 11g wireless LAN you can take advantage of it.
>
> 11a is more or less dead. It's higher frequency means a lower coverage
area
> so it is not often used. 11g gives the same throughput with a greater
> distance than 11a.
>
Thanks. What is the difference between 11g and 54g? It seems the cards I'm
looking at only have 54g and not 11g. I'll double check.

If I have a 54g card, will it support 11g?

Is 54g popular or will it be?

Brett

Get a g card. It costs a little more than b-only, but not much, and you will
be able to use it everywhere.

54g and 11b (not 11g) refer to two standards for using 2.4Ghz to implement a
wireless lan. 802.11b has datarates up to 11Mbps, 802.11g ("54g") has
datarates up to 54Mbps. That's "bits/second", not "bytes/sec". Virtually
everything sold these days under the label "54g", or that claims to support
802.11g, also supports 802.11b - but you should always check before buying
to be absolutely sure. Devices that only claim to support b do NOT support
g.

802.11g and 802.11b clients can simultaneously connect to an AP that
supports both standards. So, if you go to a hotspot with an 802.11b card,
you may not know if they actually support g - you'll connect at b datarates.
I took my g adapter to a local free hotspot a couple of days ago, expecting
only 11Mpbs, because everyone told me that's what they were getting, and I
was pleasantly surprised to get a full 54Mpbs association.

There is a third standard, 802.11a, which is also 54Mbps, but it uses 5Ghz.
802.11a devices are currently much more expensive than b or g, and 5Ghz
doesn't penetrate walls as well as 2.4Ghz. Because a has a more limited
range, especially indoors, and because it's pricier, it's not a good buy for
home users. But reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. I don't expect
to see it your local hotspot for client use. I do see it right now at some
hotspots as a wireless interconnect medium between APs. There is much less
interference at 5Ghz, and a lot more room for non-overlapping networks.

"Brett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Dave" <d-a-v-e-5-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:MRKub.53258$(E-Mail Removed)...
> >
> > "Brett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Do many public access points (coffee shops and campuses) use 54g? I
see
> > it
> > > as an option for some cards.
> > >
> > > What about 802.11a? Most access points seem to use "b".
> >
> > Most of everything does 11b. But for what it costs, get 11g. 11g cards
> > often have better security options, and a higher rate. So if you do go
> into
> > an 11g wireless LAN you can take advantage of it.
> >
> > 11a is more or less dead. It's higher frequency means a lower coverage
> area
> > so it is not often used. 11g gives the same throughput with a greater
> > distance than 11a.
> >
> Thanks. What is the difference between 11g and 54g? It seems the cards
I'm
> looking at only have 54g and not 11g. I'll double check.
>
> If I have a 54g card, will it support 11g?
>
> Is 54g popular or will it be?
>
> Brett
>
>

Even if you find a hotspot that operates 802.11g at 54Mbs it is very
unlikely that the connection to internet
will run at anything above 0.512Mbs.
So 11b will do, and it will have better range and it's cheaper.
As for security, how do set-up WEP / WPA on a hotspot anyway ?
Regards,
Martin

"Martin²" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:NUUub.10695$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Even if you find a hotspot that operates 802.11g at 54Mbs it is very
> unlikely that the connection to internet
> will run at anything above 0.512Mbs.
> So 11b will do, and it will have better range and it's cheaper.
> As for security, how do set-up WEP / WPA on a hotspot anyway ?
> Regards,
> Martin
>
>
If .512 is about the maximum on public access, about how fast is the
average? I beleive most DSL is 1.5Mbs. Are you saying most public access
is about 1/3 of that? Still much faster than dial-up right?

Dial-up = 50kps = .05Mbs? .512Mbs is 10X faster than dial-up?

Thanks,
Brett

This place has two T1s for at least 3Mbps. Where I live, many hotspots (even
free ones) have business-class DSL or cable. Generally 2 - 3 Mbps.

11b and 11g run at the same frequency, so both signals have about the same
physical propagation range and wall-penetration characteristics. 802.11g is
less sensitive to multipath echo. If anything, you'll get better signal with
g over most of the range. At the extreme edge of range, sustainable
datarates do drop off faster for g than for b. However, more users can share
54Mpbs without degrading each other due to backoff, which is a not a bad
thing for a public hotspot.

There is no WEP at any hotspot I know of. Some commercial spots may use WPA,
but a free hotspot is usually not going to setup a Radius server. This one
runs on donated equipment. It's a community center, so the ISP may be
subsidized by the city.

If you can get a good g card for not much more than a b card, I don't see
the downside.

"Martin²" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:NUUub.10695$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Even if you find a hotspot that operates 802.11g at 54Mbs it is very
> unlikely that the connection to internet
> will run at anything above 0.512Mbs.
> So 11b will do, and it will have better range and it's cheaper.
> As for security, how do set-up WEP / WPA on a hotspot anyway ?
> Regards,
> Martin
>
>

Why above do you say "(not 11g)" but in other posts, including this one, you
mention 11g as valid?

Also, can a regular 56k modem go wireless via an in home wireless router?

Thanks,
Brett
"gary" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:SDYub.146$(E-Mail Removed) .com...
> This place has two T1s for at least 3Mbps. Where I live, many hotspots
(even
> free ones) have business-class DSL or cable. Generally 2 - 3 Mbps.
>
> 11b and 11g run at the same frequency, so both signals have about the same
> physical propagation range and wall-penetration characteristics. 802.11g
is
> less sensitive to multipath echo. If anything, you'll get better signal
with
> g over most of the range. At the extreme edge of range, sustainable
> datarates do drop off faster for g than for b. However, more users can
share
> 54Mpbs without degrading each other due to backoff, which is a not a bad
> thing for a public hotspot.
>
> There is no WEP at any hotspot I know of. Some commercial spots may use
WPA,
> but a free hotspot is usually not going to setup a Radius server. This one
> runs on donated equipment. It's a community center, so the ISP may be
> subsidized by the city.
>
> If you can get a good g card for not much more than a b card, I don't see
> the downside.
>
> "Martin²" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:NUUub.10695$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Even if you find a hotspot that operates 802.11g at 54Mbs it is very
> > unlikely that the connection to internet
> > will run at anything above 0.512Mbs.
> > So 11b will do, and it will have better range and it's cheaper.
> > As for security, how do set-up WEP / WPA on a hotspot anyway ?
> > Regards,
> > Martin
> >
> >
>
>

"Brett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Why above do you say "(not 11g)" but in other posts, including this one,
you
> mention 11g as valid?

You're right, I made a bad choice in a post where I referred to "11b" and
"11g". That's confusing, because some vendors use "54g" to refer to
equipment that supports 802.11g at 54Mbps. Terms like "11g" confuse because
they suggest that there is a g standard that supports only 11Mbps. In that
last post, just put "802." in front of "11b" and "11g".

>
> Also, can a regular 56k modem go wireless via an in home wireless router?

Yes, there are routers that support a serial interface to a modem. There
have been several threads on this newsgroup about them. I don't own one, so
I can't make a recommendation. Without paying attention to price, I found:

D-Link DI-824VUP (1 serial, 1 parallel, 1 USB printer port)

Check vendor's web pages, and also check

http://www.dslreports.com/forums/18

which is a collection of user experience forums broken down by vendor.

>
> Thanks,
> Brett
> "gary" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:SDYub.146$(E-Mail Removed) .com...
> > This place has two T1s for at least 3Mbps. Where I live, many hotspots
> (even
> > free ones) have business-class DSL or cable. Generally 2 - 3 Mbps.
> >
> > 11b and 11g run at the same frequency, so both signals have about the
same
> > physical propagation range and wall-penetration characteristics. 802.11g
> is
> > less sensitive to multipath echo. If anything, you'll get better signal
> with
> > g over most of the range. At the extreme edge of range, sustainable
> > datarates do drop off faster for g than for b. However, more users can
> share
> > 54Mpbs without degrading each other due to backoff, which is a not a bad
> > thing for a public hotspot.
> >
> > There is no WEP at any hotspot I know of. Some commercial spots may use
> WPA,
> > but a free hotspot is usually not going to setup a Radius server. This
one
> > runs on donated equipment. It's a community center, so the ISP may be
> > subsidized by the city.
> >
> > If you can get a good g card for not much more than a b card, I don't
see
> > the downside.
> >
> > "Martin²" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:NUUub.10695$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Even if you find a hotspot that operates 802.11g at 54Mbs it is very
> > > unlikely that the connection to internet
> > > will run at anything above 0.512Mbs.
> > > So 11b will do, and it will have better range and it's cheaper.
> > > As for security, how do set-up WEP / WPA on a hotspot anyway ?
> > > Regards,
> > > Martin
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

Actually, for routers with dialout capability, see thread "rotuer" started
by Gene Martinez on 11/19.

"Brett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Why above do you say "(not 11g)" but in other posts, including this one,
you
> mention 11g as valid?
>
> Also, can a regular 56k modem go wireless via an in home wireless router?
>
> Thanks,
> Brett
> "gary" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:SDYub.146$(E-Mail Removed) .com...
> > This place has two T1s for at least 3Mbps. Where I live, many hotspots
> (even
> > free ones) have business-class DSL or cable. Generally 2 - 3 Mbps.
> >
> > 11b and 11g run at the same frequency, so both signals have about the
same
> > physical propagation range and wall-penetration characteristics. 802.11g
> is
> > less sensitive to multipath echo. If anything, you'll get better signal
> with
> > g over most of the range. At the extreme edge of range, sustainable
> > datarates do drop off faster for g than for b. However, more users can
> share
> > 54Mpbs without degrading each other due to backoff, which is a not a bad
> > thing for a public hotspot.
> >
> > There is no WEP at any hotspot I know of. Some commercial spots may use
> WPA,
> > but a free hotspot is usually not going to setup a Radius server. This
one
> > runs on donated equipment. It's a community center, so the ISP may be
> > subsidized by the city.
> >
> > If you can get a good g card for not much more than a b card, I don't
see
> > the downside.
> >
> > "Martin²" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:NUUub.10695$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Even if you find a hotspot that operates 802.11g at 54Mbs it is very
> > > unlikely that the connection to internet
> > > will run at anything above 0.512Mbs.
> > > So 11b will do, and it will have better range and it's cheaper.
> > > As for security, how do set-up WEP / WPA on a hotspot anyway ?
> > > Regards,
> > > Martin
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>