Wireless networks speeds i did not know this...?

[Uraken]

i read that having a user with an 802.11b card in an 802.11g network slows the maximum speed of all the wireless network's users to the 11 Mbps 802.11b standard. I did not know this can any one explain why??

[petectid]

At the Physical layer they use different modulation to send the signal, 802.11g use Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing similar to the way ASDL sends information over the wire and the same modulation technique used in 802.11a. And if my failing memory serves me correctly 802.11b uses Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum. When using a wireless network all devices on the network have to use the same modulation so if an 802.11b device joins the 802.11g network all devices on that network start using the same modulation in this case DSSS.

[plexer]

Sureley this would only affect all the users associated with the access point that the 802.11b device is associated too not all of them?

 

Ben

[Oops_my_bad]

It would only affect users on that particular access point if there's a mix of b+g clients. This is why I set our access points to "G only" mode. Anything non-G cant connect but we only have G products anyway. Helps keep things nice and stable too :D