[CaseCom]

AirPort Software 3.1 now available via Software Update:

This software update provides improved AirPort wireless networking software, and is recommended for all users with an AirPort Extreme enabled computer or an AirPort Extreme base station.

New AirPort Extreme Base Station Features

This software includes v 5.1 of the AirPort Extreme base station firmware. Instructions for updating the base station firmware can be found in AirPort Help.

This update is compliant with the final IEEE 802.11g specification for both the AirPort Extreme base station and AirPort Extreme client. Additional new features include AirPort Extreme base station and client support for Interference Robustness, which provides improved performance when 2.4GHz devices like cordless phones and wireless video distribution system cause significant interference with the AirPort network, simpler WDS setup within the AirPort Admin Utility, and more.

Downloading now ... can anyone report whether the interference improvement is significant?

[CharlesS]

Also let us know if the performance is decreased at all. Remember that whole issue about the official version of the standard reducing 802.11g's speed?

[tikki]

Originally posted by CharlesS:
Also let us know if the performance is decreased at all. Remember that whole issue about the official version of the standard reducing 802.11g's speed?

20mbps to be exact.

apple.com/airport still boasts 54mbps as the speed, so who knows.

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by tikki:
20mbps to be exact.

apple.com/airport still boasts 54mbps as the speed, so who knows.

NO! GET A CLUE! The 802.11g standard has always had a theoretical maximum of 54Mbps (compared to 802.11b at 11Mbps). The IEEE announcement of the final spec's ratification even says "New IEEE 802.11g(tm) Standard Extends Data Rate of IEEE 802.11b(tm) WLANs to 54 Mbps from 11 Mbps".

20Mbps is just the real-world data rate that you can expect, compared to 5Mbps for 802.11b. The only reason there was any confusion was some idiot in the press read something saying that 802.11g would work at 20Mbps, and took this to mean that the speed had been reduced. This was obviously incorrect, and is the sort of thing that happens because journalists make mistakes. It was a mistake. Please, will people let this one die.

[tikki]

Originally posted by Angus_D:
NO! GET A CLUE!

NO! HAVE SOME TACT!

[Timo]

http://wireless-starter-kit.com/airportblog/ is reporting a couple of improvements:

As a reader posted in comments in the previous news item, the new Apple AirPort 3.1 release adds a third bridging mode when you use the WDS (Wireless Distribution System). The WDS originally let you connect up to four base stations, called remotes, directly to a unit that was hooked up to the Internet, or a master. The new software introduces a relay to which up to four remotes can connect, and which itself connects to the master, according to Dave Russell at Apple, the director of portables and wireless marketing. You can only have one relay per networks, he said.

Apple also released the AirPort Extreme Admin Utility for Windows in beta/preview form. It will work with Windows XP and 2000 equipped with any 802.11b or 802.11g wireless card -- they hope. There are a lot of cards, and they did a lot of testing. They're looking for feedback before they finalize this version because of the variables.

Finally, Apple's adding a packet burst mode for 802.11g-to-g communication that should increase the throughput by a reasonable amount, or actual data transferred after network overhead is subtracted. Their chip supplier was saying 25 percent improvements when all devices use this new packet bursting technology.

Can't confirm myself.

[Blacklit]

I just installed the Firmware update on my Extreme base station and 17" alBook the reception seems better and speed slightly improved (I could just be crazy on the speed thing) but if I enable "Interference Robustness" I can't get more than 5m from the base station without loosing signal.