802.11 Draft N Wireless Networking in Depth

The 802.11 draft n standard was a significant upgrade to wireless networking, offering speeds of up to 600 Mbps.

This was a huge leap from the 802.11g standard, which topped out at 54 Mbps. The draft n standard was also designed to provide better range and reliability than its predecessors.

The key to the draft n standard's speed was the use of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology, which allowed for the simultaneous transmission of multiple data streams.

MIMO technology enabled the use of multiple antennas to improve signal strength and reduce interference.

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The performance of 802.11 draft n products can be a bit of a mixed bag. Some products, like the Netgear RangeMax 240, show impressive results, while others, like the Broadcom-based products, struggle to keep up.

The Netgear RangeMax 240, which uses Airgo Gen 3 silicon, managed to achieve an average throughput of 93 Mbps in a controlled test environment. This is a respectable result, especially considering the product's ability to stay connected at longer ranges.

However, not all Broadcom-based products perform equally well. The Marvell-based products, on the other hand, show some interesting characteristics. They tend to shift down from maximum rates sooner and more quickly than the Airgo Gen 3 based product, but they also appear to have better rate adaptation and can shift to 802.11g and even 11b rates.

Here are some key differences between the Marvell and Broadcom-based products:

It's worth noting that the Buffalo Nfiniti product had some issues with reliability during testing, and was unable to operate reliably downstream. However, a quick walk-around test in a home environment showed that the Buffalo AP and STA remained connected at all locations and changed link speed as they should.

In a comparison test with 802.11g products, the Airgo Gen 3 based RangeMax 240 showed a rate vs. range curve that was better than all the draft 11n products tested. The Broadcom-based products' throughput fell off earlier than the Airgo, and failed to transition to lower link rates to stay connected.

The 802.11n vs 802.11g debate is a crucial one for Wi-Fi enthusiasts.

In a test run with an 11g AP and card, draft 11n products showed mixed results.

The Azimuth test revealed that the only product with a rate vs. range curve better than the 11g pair tested was the RangeMax 240 (Airgo Gen 3).

Both Broadcom-based products' throughput fell off earlier than the Airgo and failed to transition to lower link rates.

The Marvell-based Netgear Next managed to transition to lower link rates, but at a throughput lower than that provided by the 11g pair.

The 802.11g products used were a Cisco Series 1200 AP and AIR-CB21AG-A-K9 client card.

The Cisco 11g trace in Figure 20 was the average of 20 runs taken overnight to check the repeatability of the Azimuth system.

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The Linksys Wireless-N appears to be unable to make the shift to 802.11g rates, as confirmed by Figure 17, which shows the link data rates reported by the Linksys client driver.

This means that the device may not be compatible with older routers or devices that only support 802.11g.

Some devices, like the Linksys Wireless-N, may struggle to adapt to different wireless standards, leading to reduced performance or connectivity issues.

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I decided to try a different test methodology for this article, thanks to Azimuth's approach, which puts both the AP and STA in RF-tight boxes to remove interference sources.

These enclosures, known as RadioProof boxes, provide 90 dB of isolation over 1 to 6 GHz and include filtered power and data connections to prevent RF leakage.

The products under test were connected through programmable RF attenuators to simulate "range" effects and ensure a direct, cabled connection to all three antenna connectors on the AP and STA radio cards.

Here's a summary of the card driver and router firmware revisions tested:

I also checked for any newer firmware on the manufacturer's websites and installed them if available.

The Linksys Wireless-N had a notable issue with shifting to 802.11g rates, which was confirmed by a graph showing the link data rates reported by the Linksys client driver.

The Linksys Wireless-N was unable to make the shift to 802.11g rates, as shown by Figure 17 in the article.

It's worth noting that this limitation had a direct impact on the device's performance, affecting its ability to operate at higher speeds.

Here's a summary of the key findings regarding the Linksys Wireless-N's compatibility with 802.11g rates:

The 802.11 draft n standard has finally arrived, and it's a game-changer for wireless networking.

The increased data transfer rate of up to 600 Mbps is a huge improvement over the 54 Mbps of 802.11g, making it ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications like video streaming and online gaming.

With multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) technology, the draft n standard can handle multiple data streams at the same time, resulting in faster speeds and greater reliability.

This is a significant advantage over the single-input/single-output (SISO) technology used in 802.11g, which can only handle one data stream at a time.

Draft n devices can also use the 40 MHz channel bandwidth, which is twice as wide as the 20 MHz channel bandwidth used in 802.11g.

This wider channel bandwidth allows for faster data transfer rates and greater capacity, making it ideal for crowded wireless networks.

In addition, the draft n standard supports beamforming, which allows the router to focus the signal in a specific direction, resulting in a stronger and more reliable connection.

This is particularly useful for devices that are far away from the router or have a lot of obstacles between them.

Overall, the 802.11 draft n standard is a significant improvement over its predecessor and offers many advantages for wireless networking.

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