Wireless N - 5Ghz?

pioneer2000 · 26 Nov 2009 at 09:42

Can 5Ghz band be used with wifi-B/G etc? Or do you have to use 2.4Ghz when running B/G devices?

Also, if one were to use wifi-N and Wifi-G devices on a Wifi-N router, would the N devices run at N speeds or always be restricted to G?

tbz_ck · 26 Nov 2009 at 09:52

Hi

5GHZ can't be used on B/G devices. they are 2.4Ghz range only.

Not sure on your second question, but I think the N devices will run at N speeds.

PistolPete · 26 Nov 2009 at 17:48

5Ghz band is 802.11A
You can get dual A / B-G-N devices that you can use either / both 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz kit on but they are not as common as single band B-G or B-G-N devices.

Unless you have some funky dual radio kit, then the network will slow to the slowest of the connected devices. ie. All N laptops on an N network = N speeds, but if you connect a G laptop, all laptops run at G speeds. This is why you should not let the kids connect their Nintendo DS to your N network as it'll all run a B speeds!!

Matmulder · 26 Nov 2009 at 20:14

Despite 802.11a (5Ghz) being superior (less interference, although range is more limited) its not very well supported these days.

Most WAP's allow both 2.4 (b/g/n) and 5 (a) standard to be active, Windows wireless client sees them as one connection assuming you've named the SSID the same. It'll just connect to whichever is the strongest.

PistolPete said:
Unless you have some funky dual radio kit, then the network will slow to the slowest of the connected devices. ie. All N laptops on an N network = N speeds, but if you connect a G laptop, all laptops run at G speeds. This is why you should not let the kids connect their Nintendo DS to your N network as it'll all run a B speeds!!

Be aware this is only while communicating simultaniously - when the DS's (for example) get turned off or stop communicating, it'll go back to the quickest speed, so it's not too much of a concern.