Wireless b/g compatibility?

Many wireless-g routers are also compatible with b frequencies. I have 2 questions:

1) What frequency ranges do the g and the b broadcast inexactly?

2) Can a router broadcast (effectively) in both b and g frequencies at the same time? Say one computer has a g card and the other still uses a b.

Thanks

 

There are a few threads on this already, but here are the answers.

1) frequency ranges are around 2.4ghz. Your router will modulate frequencies to reduce destructive interference
2) yes. you will be able to get b & g simultaneously at once

You can alter the router's settings to not do the above things. For example, you can have your router only work with g cards. Depends on the router you own.

 

the only downside to using the router in mixed mode (b and g at the same time) is a drop in the signal/wireless performance.

 

I have this setup at home, it works just fine.

 

1)2.4ghz (each channel is slightly different)

2) When a router or WAP broadcasts a signal it will broadcats in g mode only. BUT the 802.11g standard is backwards compatible with 802.11b. SO your 802.11b lappy wont know its actually on a 802.11g network, as it is still working on the 802.11b standard. My lappy has a/b/g and I can pick up all the 5ghz 802.11a WAPs as well as 2.4ghz 802.11b/g WAPs at the same time. Routers/WAPs, as stated above, can run in g or mix mode. It is your choice when configuring the router.