Re: What speed is the wireless on my laptop?

Some folks have reported better range when using n routers even just running
in g mode. So if range/house coverage is an issue you might want to
consider an n router.

While n units can talk back to g and b and g units can talk back to b, a is
a different spec with no cross-compatibility. Your chipset supports both a
& g so you're covered pretty much regardless of which router you buy. I'd
recommend a good g unit or an n unit if range is an issue or if you think
you might buy any n-capable client machines in the next year. Most new
laptops support n.

On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 1:10 PM, Dan <dan27649@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Lukas Beeler <
lukas.beeler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 18:00, Dan <dan27649@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm using a Lenovo ThinkPad T61, which has an Intel 4965AG adapter.

That's a 4965AGN, stripped of 802.11n functionality.

Kind of figured that, but there's no clear documentation on that. If you
search for 4965AG on Intel's website, you get the specs for 4965AGN.

> Due to some new flakyness on my current router (affecting both wireless

and

wired), I am shopping for a new wireless router. Will an 'N' router

perform

better / faster for me, given the adapter I have, than a 'G' router?

No. But a router that is capable of 802.11a (basically, 5Ghz 802.11g)
will perform better, because fewer people use the 5Ghz band.

O.k., this is where I got messed up. I made the bad presumption that the
a,
b, g, n amendments each represented an upgrade on the data transfer rate.

> How

can I tell from a given wireless adapter what the maximum speed it will
support, so I can know whether to just stick with 'G' and avoid wasting
money on 'N' which has features I can't take advantage of?

Look up the spec sheet.

As described above, it doesn't exist. However, what I've been able to
glean
so far is that I would be wasting money on an 802.11n router because 4965AG
doesn't support it.

Be aware that there's a mutltitude of 802.11n classes - 802.11n is
available in 150 Megabit, 300 Megabit, 450 Megabit. 600 Megabit is
currently planned, but as far as i know, no products have hit retail
yet.

802.11n is also available in 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz modes. 5 Ghz has worse
wall penetration, but the 5 Ghz band is used by fewer devices, thus
often offering advanced performance.

Thanks Lukas!

- Dan
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