7. 802.11g

Updated April 2003

802.11g's claim to fame is 54Mbps raw data rate with 802.11b backward compatibility. The higher speed comes from using the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme - the same as used in 802.11a. Backward compatibility comes from staying in the 2.4 GHz band and supporting the Complementary Code Keying (CCK) modulation scheme used by 802.11b.

802.11g's negatives are the same as 802.11b's, only three non-overlapping channels and susceptibility to interference from 2.4 GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens.

Although this standard won't be ratified until June/July 2003, it seems to be taking the consumer WLAN market by storm. Not only are single-band, dual-mode (b/g) products available from multiple vendors, but second generation dual-band, tri-mode (a/b/g) products are already hitting the shelves! See our 802.11g NTK for the full report.

Recommendation: Although this new technology is tempting, we still advise waiting until the standard is ratified before buying. Once it is, we recommend dual-band, tri-mode client adapters for anyone who will be moving between home and office WLANs.

Now that you know what you can buy today, let's look at the stuff that will be trying to pry the money out of your wallet tomorrow...