Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, is a technology
that allows PCs to communicate with
each other or access the Internet via
radio communication rather than wires.
Originally developed for laptops, Wi-Fi
now incorporates devices such as mobile
phones, PDAs and games consoles
(including PSP and Xbox 360).
You can use Wi-Fi in your home with
a broadband Internet connection and a
wireless router. Alternatively, when
you’re out and about you may encounter
Wi-Fi hotspots. These range from a single
room – say a coffee shop or airport lounge – to large areas of overlapping hotspots,
such as a Wi-Fi enabled city centres.
You’ll sometimes see Wi-Fi referred to
as a number, 802.11, which relates to the
frequency the technology operates on.
Most current Wi-Fi devices use 802.11g,
which offers a typical data transfer rate
of 25 Mbits-per-second and a range of
around 30 metres. 802.11n, though,
typically performs at a much more
impressive 200 Mbits-per-second and
has a range of 50m.
To find out more
information please visit www.wi-fi.org
You might know that wireless
networking enables you to
share a broadband Internet
connection between different
PCs in your home. But what
you possibly don’t know is that wireless technology is about to get a lot better.
Each and every piece of current wireless
hardware conforms to a certain standard.
These standards are set by an independent
body (namely, the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, or IEEE) to ensure that
wireless kit from different manufacturers
will work together. 802.11g is the current
standard, but it is limited in both range and
the amount of information it can transfer at
once. You might be able to transfer your
photos from PC to PC using it, but if you
also try to simultaneously watch a large
video file it will cause problems.
So 802.11n is the next standard for Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). It won’t be finalised until 2008, but products are now on sale that take advantage of the first draft of the standard. All forthcoming wireless networking kit for the home will be based on 802.11n.
Traditionally, the speed of the connection has been a concern for anybody thinking of going wireless. No longer: 802.11n is fast, typically eight times faster than the data transfer rates seen with 802.11g devices.
We’ve all been seduced by adverts promising you can use your laptop in the garden, well, this new generation of wireless networking kit finally delivers – although you’ll still need to wait for the weather to improve.
More important is the ability to perform multiple computing activities at the same time. So you could be transferring files from PC to PC in the study, while someone else is busy downloading music in the bedroom and video is being streamed from the PC to the television in the living room. You can even very comfortably stream High Definition (HD) video over these new 802.11n connections. It’s that fast.
So how can you sample the new technology
right now? Networking expert Netgear has
released two routers using the new draft
standard. The Netgear DG834N RangeMax
NEXT Wireless ADSL Modem Router and the
Netgear RangeMax WNR834B NEXT Wireless
Router are available in PC World.
These kits use several different Netgear technologies to maximise performance. SmartMIMO ensures that wireless signals get past obstacles that weaker signals wouldn’t. MIMO stands for Multiple Input, Multiple Output and this clever technology sends out and receives multiple wireless streams simultaneously. What’s more, it learns from its mistakes so it can find the most efficient route for your wireless transmissions! Steady-Stream is the result of Netgear’s expertise in ensuring that your connection is consistently solid, so you don’t get problems with data transfer – the last thing you need is for your network to fail while you’re showing off your best home videos!
In order to get the maximum benefit from both the range and data throughput of the new models you’ll need to have a RangeMax NEXT wireless adapter for your laptop or desktop PC. As the routers are compatible with both of the older standards, 802.11b and 802.11g, they will work with older adapters – Centrino laptops, for example – but to get the best performance you will need a RangeMax NEXT adapter.
The Netgear WN511B RangeMax NEXT Wireless Notebook Adapter is for use with laptops; it slides into the PC Card slot on the side of your notebook. The Netgear WN311B RangeMax NEXT Wireless PCI Adapter is also available for use with desktop PCs. To use it, you’ll need to open the casing of your PC and fit it into a PCI slot. This is a very simple process, but if you have problems your local PC World Clinic will be pleased to help.
Finally, it’s worth noting that these kits are based on the very first draft of the new 802.11n wireless standard. It’s highly likely these kits will be upgradeable to the standard when it is eventually finalised (perhaps via the use of a firmware update downloadable from the internet).
So it’s time to say hello to far better connection ranges, and the ability for the whole family to use the wireless network at the same time!
The DG834N is the successor to the popular 802.11g model, the DG834G. It boasts an integral ADSL modem router so if you get broadband over a standard phone line this is the model for you. It connects directly into the line to share your broadband connection, without the need for a PC to be constantly on. Like the WNR834B, it also has wired ports.
The WNR834B connects to your cable modem via Ethernet and is ideal for use with NTL/ Telewest connections. It can share information between wired and wireless PCs – there are four wired ports for connecting computers close to the router. If you have an ADSL line, you’ll need the DG834N, above.
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