Maximum PC 802.11n RSS Feed

Netgear’s Open Source Router Available Soon for your Tweaking

Jason Barry — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:25:40 -0500

Netgear announced their latest foray into the open source wireless router realm with the Netgear WNR3500L. Cisco based Linksys routers targeted at consumers have been flaunting the Linux OS for quite some time. However, Netgear has plans to become a favorite amongst the open source networking community.

The WNR3500L rocks the latest 802.11n support and is fully customizable with the latest open source firmware out there: DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and Tomato. Som Pal Choudhury, senior product line manager for advanced wireless, also mentioned their “Development Partner Program, with multiple software vendors and developers creating customized, robust, commercial-grade applications on the WNR3500L.”

In addition to the open source community, Netgear has collaborated with software application companies to deliver applications such as hotspot software by Sputnik, and remote access by Leaf Networks, among others, to run additionally on the Linux platform.

In terms of hardware, it sports a 480MHz MIPS 74K CPU, 8MB of flash memory, 64MB of RAM, 5 gigabit Ethernet ports, and USB ports for shared peripherals. Netgear will launch the router this Fall with a starting price of $139.99.

The price is a bit steep; do you think the flexibility of Linux and additional software, not to mention full 802.11n support is worth the price tag?

802.11n Standard Finalized After a Mere Seven Years

Justin Kerr — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:20:09 -0500

The IEEE standards group has finally ratified 802.11n, a standard that has been stuck in limbo since 2006 when it first entered draft status. Draft N devices delivered on the promise of higher speeds and better range, but despite assurances, many feared compatibility would be an issue down the road.

The extended delay in approving the standard came from competing “pre-N” technologies from Atheros and Broadcom, which led to a long and drawn out debate over the form of the final spec. The delay led the IEEE to certify Draft 2.0 802.11n devices in March 2007, with the understanding that these would be upgradable through firmware to the final standard. To accomplish this, a promise was made to make no major changes to the spec, or the certification process.

802.11n has seen a high level of adoption within consumer electronics and networking equipment, but companies are typically slow to adopt anything bearing the title “draft”. Keep an eye out for new firmware and drivers for your 802.11n hardware in the days and weeks to come. Officials from the IEEE plan to publish the final standard sometime in mid-October. I guess the time has finally come to look forward to the next big leap in Wi-Fi speeds. I wonder how many letters of the alphabet they plan to skip this time?

Have you been waiting for the Wi-Fi Alliances blessing to buy new hardware?

802.11n Standard Should be Approved by September

Paul Lilly — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:44:17 -0500

At long last, it looks like the 802.11n standard might finally get approved. Bob Heile, who heads up the 802.15 group for Personal Area Networks, fired off an email confirming that the IEEE 802.11n draft standard had been sent to the Standards Review Committee, PCMag.com reports.

"On other fronts, 802.11 was granted unconditional approval to forward 11n to RevCom," Heile wrote. "After a bit of a rocky period on getting acceptable coexistence language included in the draft, I was pleased to support this approval. Congratulations to Bruce for his patience and perseverance in getting this done. This was an extremely complex project."

And a time consuming one. The 802.11n standards process first began almost five years ago in 2004. Internal turmoil and political maneuvering put the clamps down on the process, even after a draft version of 802.11n was approved in January 2006. But come September 11, 2009, the draft may finally become a standard.

"We sought and were granted conditional approval to forward 802.15.3c latest draft to Revcom for its consideration at its Sept. 2009 meeting," Heile added. "A third and, we hope final, recirculation is in the process."

Image Credit: networkinstruments.files.wordpress.com

D-Link DAP-1522 Wireless Bridge/Access Point

Michael Brown — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:53:51 -0500

D-Link’s DAP-1522 demonstrates the danger of shopping for a product based on its specs. On paper, this combination bridge/access point sounds as though it could solve just about any wireless coverage problem you might have. In reality, it’s a one-trick pony

It’s a dual-band device, meaning it has one radio that operates on the 2.4GHz band and a second radio that runs on the 5GHz band. It’s outfitted with an 802.11n Draft 2.0 chipset, so it should deliver very good throughput speeds (it’s backward compatible with 802.11g networks). And it can be configured as either a wireless bridge or a wireless access point.

As a wireless bridge, the DAP-1522 is designed to connect wired Ethernet devices, such as an Xbox 360 or your cable-TV set-top box, to your wireless router. You plug your wired devices into the bridge, and the bridge establishes a wireless connection to your router. But the DAP-1522 doesn’t have any external antennas, so it delivers extremely poor range; in fact, D-Link advices against placing the device inside a cabinet or closet. But that’s exactly where many people’s gaming console and set-top boxes are going to be located.

Fans of real-world testing that we are, we decided to test the DAP-1522’s wireless bridge capabilities by putting inside our entertainment center anyway; after all, that’s where the gear we needed to connect to our network is located. Sure enough, the bridge couldn’t establish a connection with either of the radios in our dual-band 802.11n router while it was in there. And it couldn’t establish a connection until we moved the bridge into the middle of the room; even then, it managed TCP/IP throughput of just 4.5Mb/sec, which is completely inadequate for streaming video.

The DAP-1522 performed a little better as a wireless access point. In this mode, it must be hardwired to an Ethernet network using one of the device’s four gigabit Ethernet ports; the three remaining ports then act as a switch. The device delivered wireless TCP/IP throughput of 19.2 Mb/sec at close range (10 feet with no walls separating the AP and our wireless client), 14.9 Mb/sec at with the client 18 feet away and with one wall in between, and 12.7 Mb/sec with the client 30 feet away and with two walls in between.

So if you need a wireless bridge to enable wired clients to connect to your wireless network, we recommend steering clear of the DAP-1522. If, on the other hand, you’re interested in adding a wireless access point and a gigabit switch to a room that’s hardwired to your network, the DAP-1522 is worth a look.

But we also recommend that you examine Trendnet’s much cheaper TEW-637AP. It’s not a wireless bridge, and it lacks several access-point features that the DAP-1522 offers (the TEW-637AP operates only on the 2.4GHz band, and it doesn’t have an integrated switch), but Trendnet’s device is street-priced $60 lower than D-Link’s.

New D-Link DIR-628 Router Features Dual-Band 802.11n at Popular Prices

Mark Edward Soper — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:04:07 -0500

DIR-628: Two Modes in One Router...

The new D-Link RangeBooster N Dual Band Router, the DIR-628, joins a very short list of 802.11n-compliant routers that are compatible with both the 802.11n 2.4GHz mode (backwards-compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b) and the optional 5GHz mode (backwards-compatible with 802.11a):

Linksys WRT600N
D-Link's own Extreme N Duo Media Router DIR-855
Netgear's RangeMax WNDR3300

(Buffalo Tech's Wireless-N products are involved in ligitation and are currently not available in the US).

5GHz support enables 802.11n networks to escape the channel congestion inherent in 2.4GHz networks (where only three of the 11 channels theoretically available do not overlap) and achieve faster throughput through the use of double-width (40MHz) channels.

To find out how the DIR-628 implements the 2.4GHz and 5GHz modes, and to find out what level of wired Ethernet it supports, keep reading.

...But Not Two Routers in One

The DIR-628's dual-band rivals actually feature two routers in one: they have dual radios that can transmit on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands at the same time, enabling you to have two separate wireless networks (one for data and one for streaming media).

By contrast, the DIR-628 uses a simpler (and less-costly) design: during setup, you select whether you want to use the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency. Thus, if you have dual-mode 802.11n and/or 802.11a wireless adapters (which run at 5GHz) on your network, you can run in 5GHz mode. If you have only 2.4GHz adapters (802.11n, 802.11g, or the pre-Cambrian 802.11b), choose the 2.4GHz mode.

This router gives you the ability to move from 2.4GHz to 5GHz without replacing the router, but there's no way to have a mixture of clients. If the DIR-628 is at the center of your wireless network, you must upgrade all of your clients from 2.4GHz or 5GHz at the same time. Ouch!

Fast Ethernet in a Gigabit Ethernet World

The other cost-cutting feature of the DIR-628 is its lack of Gigabit Ethernet support. Gigabit Ethernet is supported in other dual-band routers, enabling wired clients with Gigabit ports to run at top speed. And, some 2.4GHz-only 802.11n routers, such as the D-Link DIR-655 and the Linksys WRT310N include Gigabit support at only a slight price premium to the DIR-628.

Missed It by This Much!

In terms of features, the DIR-628 is a puzzling mixture of the interesting (switchable between 2.4 and 5GHz) and frustrating (runs only one band at a time; lacks Gigabit Ethernet ports). The DIR-628 is likely to be of the greatest interest to those who already have 5GHz-compliant 802.11n (or 802.11a) hardware and are looking for a low-cost way to move to 802.11n support. For the vast majority of users, however, who are running in the 2.4GHz band or have dual-band clients, there are better choices in the marketplace.

(image courtesy D-Link)

Hawking Technology 300N Dish Network Adapter

Michael Brown — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:23:38 -0500

The last unconventional network adapter we examined, hField Technologies’ WiFire Wi-Fi adapter, wowed us with its range, but its sloppy antenna mount robbed it of a Kick Ass award. We didn’t ding it for not working with 802.11n networks because nothing else did like it, either. That’s no longer the case.

Hawking Technology's 300N Dish Network Adapter is big and bulky, but it gets

the job done when you're a long way from your router.

Hawking Technology doesn’t have much of a knack for naming products, and this one is no exception. It would be exceedingly tiresome to repeat “Hi-Gain USB Wireless-300N Dish Network Adapter” every time we mention the product, so we’ll just use the model number, instead: HWDN1. Hawking’s HWDN1 is capable of operating with 802.11b, -g, and -n networks; so if you’re operating an 802.11n network, you can leave your router in “n-only” mode.

Like hFields Wi-Fire, the HWDN1 plugs into your laptop’s USB port. Unlike the Wi-Fire, however, Hawking’s HWDN1 doesn’t have any means of being mounted to your laptop; it’s designed to sit on a tabletop next to your laptop, instead. That’s not a big deal unless you’re working in a crowded coffee shop or are actually using the PC on your lap because you don’t have a table.

As you’ve probably guessed, by virtue of its dish shape, the HWDN1 is a highly directional antenna that performs best when it’s aimed squarely in the direction of the router to which it’s connected. This adapter is much bulkier than the Wi-Fire, measuring four inches wide, 5.25 inches long, and 2.75 inches thick when folded flat for travel (it stands 5.25 inches tall when in use).

We tested the adapter using our new favorite 802.11n router, the dual-band Linksys WRT600N (incidentally, the HWDN1 works only on the 2.4GHz frequency band). As you can see from the benchmark chart below, the adapter performed relatively poorly at close range when compared to Linksys’ WPC600N PC Card adapter, delivering TCP throughput of just 62.3Mb/sec (compared to the WPC600N’s 125Mb/sec at the same location). On the other hand, the HWDN1 was considerably faster than the Wi-Fire, which is limited to operating on 802.11g networks, it performed much better than both adapters in our media-room test, and it clobbered the PC Card adapter in our outdoor tests.

The Wi-Fire remains the extreme-distance champ by virtue of its ability to deliver TCP throughput of 14.5Mb/sec at 350 feet (with the signal passing through a garage firewall and a steel garage door). The HWDN1 maxed out at 13.9Mb/sec at 300 feet and dropped its connection to the router when we ventured further out. Given a choice between the two adapters, however, we’d go with the HWDN1. Its bulky form factor makes it a pain to travel with, but its capacity for operating on 802.11n networks at very long distances gives it an undeniable edge.

802.11n Gains Traction - Here's What You Need to Know

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:56:53 -0500

Introducing 802.11n

IEEE 802.11n is the most interesting wireless network standard since the original development of 802.11-based wireless networking several years ago. Here are a few reasons why:

The base 802.11n standard is backwards-compatible with the mainstream 802.11g 54Mbps wireless network, while offering the ability to run at much faster speeds. This is possible because both 802.11n and 802.11g use 11 channels in the 2.4GHz radio band.
An optional part of the 802.11n standard also supports 5GHz frequencies, enabling dual-band 802.11n hardware to also be backwards-compatible with 802.11a wireless networks.
Dual-band 802.11n routers, such as the Linksys WRT600n, enable a single router to support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless networks at the same time.
802.11n offers potential speeds of up to 300Mbps, and even though real-world speeds are much slower, 802.11n blows the doors off the established 802.11a and 802.11g standards (11Mbps 802.11b is long overdue for replacement due to slow speed and very weak security).
802.11n 5GHz offers many more channels (with no overlap) than 802.11g or 2.4GHz 802.11n, and also offers wide channels for better throughput.

Since there are two different "flavors" of 802.11n hardware on the market, how can you tell what the best choices are? Read on to find out more.

When a "Standard" Isn't Really a Standard

Although you can still find a lot of 802.11g (both standard and proprietary speed-improved versions) on the shelves of your local computer store, 802.11n hardware is rapidly taking shelf space away from its predecessor. And, with most of the latest laptops on the market, along with the forthcoming ASUS eee Box, offering 802.11n adapters in either their standard or custom configurations, you'll probably be using 802.11n wireless networking sooner rather than later.

This is ironic because, as we told you about last year, the 802.11n standard is still in its draft stage, with final certification expected in 2009. However, by certifying 802.11n hardware as being Draft 2.0 compliant, the Wi-Fi Alliance is telling users that it's safe to start using 802.11n now - and manufacturers and users alike are responding.

Start With the Router, then Build Up from There

If you're planning to upgrade to 802.11n, start by choosing a router that has 802.11n support. I chose the Linksys WRT600N router for a couple of reasons:

It supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies
It has an integrated Gigabit Ethernet switch

These features enable me to run two different wireless networks if I want, and support the integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports found in many recent computers at full speed. Even though my home wireless network is a mixture of 802.11n and 802.11g clients, I'm already seeing a big boost in network performance.

Getting the Best 802.11n Hardware for Your Money

One of the strengths of 802.11n is the ability to support both the crowded 2.4GHz radio band and the uncrowded 5GHz radio band. Unfortunately, many integrated and add-on 802.11n adapters and routers support only 2.4GHz frequencies.

Wi-Fi Draft 2.0-compliant 802.11n hardware that supports only 2.4GHz frequencies has the following certification mark:

While virtually any 802.11n hardware provides a great speed boost over 802.11g (and even improves performance on a mixed 802.11g and 802.11n network), you'll be better off in the long run to go with dual-band hardware. Look for the Wi-Fi Alliance ABG+Draft N certification mark if you want dual-band hardware:

Buyer Beware!

If you're shopping for a new notebook computer, keep in mind that most of the clearance-priced models being blown off store shelves this summer don't include 802.11n support. If you want maximum speed today and tomorrow, you'll want to pay a bit more for an 802.11n radio in your notebook (preferably dual-band). Similarly, be sure to use the custom-configuration tool when you order a notebook computer so you can choose an 802.11n radio in place of an 802.11g radio.

Finding the Mother Lode of 802.11n Draft 2.0-compliant Products

Over 300 products have been certified as meeting 802.11n Draft 2.0 standards. See the listing here.To learn more about Wi-Fi 802.11n Draft 2.0, see the Wi-Fi Alliance website.

Belkin N1 Vison (F5D8232-4)

Michael Brown — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:18:07 -0600

Belkin’s N1 Vision and Trendnet’s Wireless N Gigabit are among the first routers to be benchmarked in our new real-world test environment: a 2,800 square-foot foot home in rural Northern California (call it Maximum PC Lab North). You’ll find all the details, including photographs, at Mike's blog.

Belkin’s N1 Vision takes user friendliness to a whole new level. This is the first router we’ve seen that offers extensive installation hand-holding right in the firmware—there’s no need to drop a CD in your drive.

The N1 Vision earns its name from the large LCD that reveals your network’s broadband speed, bandwidth consumption, time of day, the status of networked devices, and other useful information. And unlike the piddling four-port Fast Ethernet switch on Belkin’s N1, the N1 Vision packs a four-port Gigabit switch.

Enable the Guest SSID feature and the N1 Vision will set up a second password-protected network that enables authorized clients to access the Internet without granting them entrée to the rest of your network.

The other N1 couldn’t connect through our double-walled media room, but the N1 Vision connected to our mobile client at its furthest point outside the house (90 feet from the router); however, we presume radio waves have a difficult time penetrating the cement-fiber siding on the home we’re using for testing because none of the routers we’ve tested so far has performed well when the client is outdoors.

Many of the N1’s other limitations are also present in this fancier model: The Vision operates only in mixed mode (802.11b, -g, and –n), for instance, and its only useful quality-of-service option is “off.” The N1 Vision is a better choice for networking neophytes than the N1, but power users will crave more meat.