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    802.11g vs. 802.11n

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Quest, Jun 6, 2007.

  1. Quest

    Quest Notebook Guru

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    I am going to purchase an older C2D Black Macbook but I am concerned about the 802.11g wireless card. How much faster exactly is the "n" card? Can anyone comment on your experience with both? I do remember once a friend of mine had a 1st gen Black MB and she had trouble connecting to the wireless network where we were staying, whereas I was fine with a 2nd gen MBP. Is the g vs n more an issue of speed or connectivity?

    Thanks!
     
    Quest, Jun 6, 2007
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  2. Budding

    Budding Notebook Virtuoso

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    The 802.11n card is also compatible with 802.11g networks, so you should not worry about connecting to g networks using a n card.
    Currently there are very very few n networks out there, so I haven't been able to test out the n speeds yet. However, in theory, 802.11n is supposed to be up to 5x faster and have twice the range of 802.11g networks. That is only theory however, as quite a high number of experiments have shown this not to be the case.
     
    Budding, Jun 6, 2007
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  3. Sam1

    Sam1 Notebook Evangelist

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    A lot faster if your cable provider does not have many subscriptions around your areas and the websites you are visiting have a lot of bandwidth. 'N' will run with 'G' speed if your other 'G' device is used and you cannot run it at 'N' mode with 'G' devices. You can run your 'N' at 'G' mode which is still faster than normal 'G' mode. I.e. you will need an 'N' wireless router to work hand in hand with 'N' wireless card in your MB.
     
    Sam1, Jun 6, 2007
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  4. cramar

    cramar Newbie

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    Well, I have a black MacBook with 802.11n enabled plus the newest AirPort Extreme Basestation. When I connect to 802.11g WiFi networks, my Network Utility says my connection speed is 54 Mb. When I connect to my own AirPort, the connection speed is 144 Mb! Haven't found an open 802.11n to test yet. Contrast this to my broadband cable speed of 6.4 Mb! BTW, the range on the basestation is incredible. Anywhere on my property is still reads 144 Mb. and 5 bars signal strength!
     
    cramar, Jun 6, 2007
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  5. cashmonee

    cashmonee Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    Well, first it sounds like you are concerned about getting a g card instead of an n, but the C2D MacBook has an n card. As for speed, it will be significantly faster inside your network, but the limiting factor is going to be your internet connection. So for file transfers within your network, yes it will be faster, but you will not see a speedup in your internet because it is already slower than g. Of course the other plus is much better range as well.
     
    cashmonee, Jun 6, 2007
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