[sledsbehave]

so i finally upgraded to a belkin .11g router and it has a "mixed 11g and 11b" setting. i was under the impression 802.11g was backwards compatible with 802.11b without being in mixed mode.

am i wrong about this?

if i want .11b to work, do i have to be in mixed mode?

[ghporter]

I'd have to check the documentation, but I think what you get in "G only" mode is a network that won't allow B clients to connect. I could be wrong-the G standard is supposed to be backward compatible, but that doesn't mean that all equipment is fully compliant. Give it a try in "G" mode and see if your older stuff connects. I should point out that a lot of older B stuff doesn't support WPA, meaning that it's not at all secure (WEP is worthless, by the way). It's a good idea to make sure all your equipment supports WPA for the sake of your data's security-original AirPort cards, for instance, are usually compatible with a firmware upgrade, but a lot of other B hardware isn't and can never be compatible with WPA.

[dimmer]

"G Only" means just what it says: while the spectrum is the same, allowing B clients ona G network will slow things down. If you need to support both B and G use that setting. If you have an open network, allow B clients or you'll confuse folks.

[ghporter]

Most G routers made in the last four or five years have been able to handle both B and G traffic without perceptible loss of speed for G clients. N equipment is starting to be able to do this too. It means having some extra radio hardware in the box and some extra programming, but it works and so it's pretty much omnipresent.

[dimmer]

Really? I suppise they channel the low speed stuff down and run the high speed adjacent but not quite touching. My home netowrk (which is old: I'm poor) has a -big- drop as soon as my Quicksilver or Pismo get on it.

[dimmer]

And all the typos are the fault of my keyboard too...