Exploring Time Capsule: WiFi 802.11n and the 5GHz band
March 31st, 2008
Earlier versions of the WiFi specification all used the 2.4GHz radio spectrum. The new 802.11n standard, supported in Time Capsule, the square AirPort Extreme, and recently shipping AirPort Express units, allows users to alternatively select the use of 5GHz channels. This segment, the third of six, compares the pros and cons of using this new section of frequencies, which can be both problematic and provide a major boost in speed.
Continues: Exploring Time Capsule: WiFi 802.11n and the 5GHz band
Previous articles related to Time Capsule and its AirPort Extreme cousin:
Exploring Time Capsule: theoretical speed vs practical throughput
Exploring Time Capsule: how it fits into Apple’s AirPort family
An in-depth review of Apple’s 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station
Apple Time Capsule unboxing and preview
A Look Inside Apple’s New Time Capsule
Answers to Time Capsule reader questions
Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone, Mac, Review, Software
Support RoughlyDrafted!
Affiliate links:
Amazon | Netflix
iPhone App Store | iTunes
Bookmark: Del.icio.us Slashdot Digg
RSS feed for comments on this post
TrackBack URI for this post
2 comments
Remember: Signal as stated in the chart inside Airport Utility is actually stronger when you get closer to zero. Confusing but true. Try it out.
“Earlier versions of the WiFi specification all used the 2.4GHz radio spectrum.”
Not true at all. 802.11a works at various frequencies around 5 GHz, at 54 Mbps.
*Consumer* access points and “WiFi routers” all used 802.11b/g radios, with some rare exceptions, such as the Linksys WRT54AG and the Buffalo AirStation WHR-HP-AG108, which had two independent radios and supported two SSIDs.
I’m a happy user of the latter and had to look for quite a while before I found one for sale. I had to leave the 2.4 GHz band as it got too crowded with WiFi and crap like TV extenders.
Sadly, Apple did not do dual-radio for the latest AirPort Extreme, even though the cheapest AirPort is already more expensive than that AirStation.
You must log in to post a comment.