Industry Expert Blogs

Speed sells. Bells and whistles are always intriguing and fun to have, but the driver for new products is usually speed. We want to move our phones to the 4G network for faster download speeds, or replace our 802.11g home router with the new 802.11n, we want a PC with a dual-core processor to replace the single-core processor, and the list goes on. Clearly speed is an easy way to get the attention of consumers…and it usually closes the deal. But is faster always better? In some cases, absolutely. We all remember switching to high-speed cable or DSL from dial-up. After a day of using a high-speed Internet connection there was no turning back. Other times, however, the benefits of increased speed might not be so obvious. In the case of the 802.11n wireless router, one vendor boasts a 12X speed improvement over 802.11g. This speed boost, however, may not offer any advantage to homeowners with DSL or cable since the typical download speed is about 5Mbps (on a good day). The ‘old’ 802.11g router could handle about 10 to 12Mbps of actual throughput, so having 150Mbps data rate available does not help—especially if you’re only doing e-mail and surfing the Web (although, as former WiFi Alliance Board member, I will say the 802.11n router does give much better range.)

Click here to read more ...