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You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Networking > Does a 802.11g base station have larger 802.11b range?

Does a 802.11g base station have larger 802.11b range?
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Phat Bastard
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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May 17, 2003, 12:22 PM
 
As far as I can tell, I haven't been able to find any information about this.

I understand that the Airport Extreme base station and other 802.11g access points have better range than the graphite/snow Airport base stations and other 802.11b access point, but this applies only to 802.11g networks. In other words, a purely 802.11b network has worse range than a purely 802.11g network.

The reason why I'm asking about this, is that I currently have a 802.11b network based on the original graphite Airport base station, with two Macs and two PCs. The PCs are pretty far away from the ABS (through 2 floors of the house) and they get really bad reception. I'm thinking of buying a 802.11g basestation (not the AE base station though, it's a rip-off!) in an attempt to increase the range of the 802.11b network, and keeping my options open for future upgrades in all the machines to 802.11g. I understand that I won't be able to run a mixed 802.11g + 802.11b network, I'll have to go completely 802.11g at some point.

Is this plausible at all? Will a 802.11g base station help with the reception problems in "802.11b mode"?

Thanks in advance, and I apologize if this has been covered already!
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Chimpmaster
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May 17, 2003, 10:32 PM
 
I was under the impression that

1) The difference in reception quality and range between b & g is negligible. G is just faster.

2) Mixing and matching b & g shoudlnt matter much, as long as all base stations are g.

3) g actually runs at a higher frequency that b, meaning that in an ideal world, penetration through walls etc would be worse

4) the reason that g base stations tend to provide slightly better range and performance for b devices is that the quality of the base stations and the components with in have been improved, rather than the g standard itself being better than b.

5) perhaps what you need is one of those external antennas (not sure of the exact details) that extend the range of a base station from 50m to 150m. Not usre if they are an antenna or just a bridge. D-link make them. The new base station mentions in the specs that it has a port for one....
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suthercd
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May 18, 2003, 03:04 PM
 
I have a wireless router that is both b and g equiped. 802.11g is definitely more limited in range. There may be other mechanical factors in the white Airport Base Station that help range.

The router does offer a mixed environment.

Craig
     
teknologika
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May 24, 2003, 08:42 PM
 
This info is from www.apple.com/airport/specs.html.
Range
  • 50-foot range from the base station in typical use at 54-Mbps data rate (range depends on building construction)
  • 150-foot range from the base station in typical use at 11-Mbps data rate (range depends on building construction)
     
Ken_F2
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May 25, 2003, 02:59 AM
 
Originally posted by teknologika:
This info is from www.apple.com/airport/specs.html.

50-foot range from the base station in typical use at 54-Mbps data rate (range depends on building construction)

150-foot range from the base station in typical use at 11-Mbps data rate (range depends on building construction)
As you can see right here and right here, there is little to no difference between 802.11b and 802.11g once you hit 75 feet or so. At around 100 feet, throughput drops off dramatically, and at 125-150 feet, throughput is near zero for both without a repeater of some kind.
     
Ken_F2
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May 25, 2003, 03:03 AM
 
The reason why I'm asking about this, is that I currently have a 802.11b network based on the original graphite Airport base station, with two Macs and two PCs. The PCs are pretty far away from the ABS (through 2 floors of the house) and they get really bad reception. I'm thinking of buying a 802.11g basestation (not the AE base station though, it's a rip-off!) in an attempt to increase the range of the 802.11b network, and keeping my options open for future upgrades in all the machines to 802.11g. I understand that I won't be able to run a mixed 802.11g + 802.11b network, I'll have to go completely 802.11g at some point.
When you buy your next wireless router, you might want to consider looking for one with a detachable antenna that will allow you to replace it. There are some people that have purchased large antennas and mounted them on their chimneys to share network bandwidth with friends and neighbors. You obviously wouldn't want something of that scale, but you could do with a somewhat larger antenna than included by default with most base stations.
     
   
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