Time to upgrade to 802.11g???

Any views would be appreciated - I'm running a 802.11b wireless router with an iMac and PB connected. Basically, is it worth investing in 802.11g (AirPort Extreme Base Station)?
Thanks

There are so many factors to consider when creating a wireless network. 802.11b advertised throughput is 11mbps and 802.11g is 54mbps. But the actual throughput for these is typically 4-7mbps and 22-27mbps respectively.
With security encryption like WPA, there is additional overhead that lowers throughput.
Other important things to consider/remember is that the radio in the AEBS handles one data packet per user at a time. So, if you and a friend were both downloading a file, the radio is not simultaneously sending the two of you data; it sends packets to each of you one at a time. The more users using your wireless connection, the slower it will seem.
Finally, it all comes down to Internet link you have. How much bandwidth does your ISP provide? Your ISP may support less bandwidth than the AEBS is capable of, therefore making the ISP your limitation.
Sorry - no clear answer. I have an AEBS (802.11g) and it's nice...if that helps.
Various Macs and PC's Mac OS X (10.4)
Various Macs and PC's Mac OS X (10.4)

Similar Messages

Time Capsule slow as 802.11g WAP

I've been having trouble with my wireless network since I received my 1TB Time Capsule. AppleTV quit syncing, .Mac Sync hung repeatedly, and Printing via the Time Capsule stutters. I only have 802.11g hosts on my network, so 802.11n performance isn't something I'm evaluating.
The goal of this testing is to assess the Time Capsule as a network access point for 802.11g hosts. Disk read/write is not part of this experiment. Each of the measurements below are results from the exact same test -- measure internet upload and download performance to a test server on the speedtest.net network.
My topology is as follows:
SBC DSL -> 2Wire modem -> TimeCapsule
For the tests below, I connected my MacBook Pro to each device, wirelessly via 802.11g and direct connect via Ethernet and ran the test from speedtest.net. Since I have a 3Mb connection, the speed of my ethernet is irrelevant. The results of the testing is below and the results show that using the Time Capsule as an 802.11g hub is slow, in fact 75% slower.
Internet Performance (3Mb service)
network performance -- connecting via
*660k dl/430 ul -- TimeCapsule (802.11g - single base station, or as WDS main)*
2546k dl/429 ul -- TimeCapsule (Ethernet Hard Wired)
2547 dl/432 ul -- 2Wire 802.11g
2546 dl/431 ul -- 2Wire (Ethernet Hard Wired)
My conclusion, based on this testing and from several posts in this discussion board is that the Time Capsule exhibits poor performance for hosts connecting via 802.11g.
Is there some setup thing I'm missing?
Message was edited by: JustStone

JustinK101 wrote: I suppose I could plug my MacBook into the TC via a gigbit cable and see the speed then, but the whole point was to do wireless backups.
The initial backup should have been wired. Future incremental backups would not be this large and wireless backups should be okay.

Upgrading From 802.11g To 802.11n.

I have an Intel 24" iMac which I understand is compatible with wi-fi standard 802.11n. I have paid £1.25 and downloaded the 802.11n update from Apple.
However, my router is a Netgear DG834G which, I understand, is only compatible with 802.11g.
Would I notice any benefit if I upgraded my router to a Netgear DG834N or is there a better alternative?

I think (and stand to be corrected) that upgrading your router and Mac to be 802.11n compatible would make very little difference to your experience with the internet or downloading from the web.
Where it would (theoretically) make a difference is if your wireless network between your equipment at home were all 802.11n compatible then transfer speeds between those (again theoretically) would be quicker (for e.g. Mac-to-Mac or, Mac-to-AppleTV over a wireless network)
Luke (please someone correct me if I'm wrong!)

Recent News on How to upgrade the 802.11g Wireless Card to a 802.11n Card

Hi everyone!
I have a macbook Core Duo (not core 2 duo) and I want to buy the new airport express. I was really upset to see that I will not gete the performance upgrade of the n technology on my new computer. Finnaly I saw this post on AppleInsider
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2510
It says that you can replace the wireless card in the Macbook with a card from the Mac Pro (the same size and same amount of antenas) and the n technology would work (and increase speed and performance).
Here is how to do it:
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/71/
Has anyone done this yet? Does it work? Is there a violation of Applecare by doing this? Where would you get a n airport card for the MacPro?
Any ideas on this subject would be great!
If it is true and leagl, then I would be very happy.
Message was edited by: AlwaysApple

As to your question about a 'violation of Applecare...' it was already answered in your first link...
"A quick warranty-voiding disassembly later..."
Macbook 1.8-) Mac OS X (10.4.8) Week 38 base model w/1G Ram

Re: Time Capsule & 802.11g

Has anybody used a Time Capsule over 802.11g? How is the performance? Thanks.

The goal of this testing is to ***** the Time Capsule as a network access point, not a network disk. Disk read/write is not part of this experiment. Each of the measurements above (repeated w/ typo fixed so you don't have to scroll) are results from the exact same test -- testing internet upload and download performance to a test server on the speedtest.net network.
My topology is as follows:
SBC DSL -> 2Wire modem -> TimeCapsule
For the tests below, I connected my MacBook Pro to each device, wirelessly via 802.11g and direct connect via Ethernet and ran the test from speedtest.net. Since I have a 3Mb connection, the speed of my ethernet is irrelevant. The results of the testing is below and the results show that using the Time Capsule as an 802.11g hub is slow, in fact 75% slower.
Internet Performance (3Mb service)
network performance -- connecting via
*660k dl/430 ul -- TimeCapsule (802.11g - single base station, or as WDS main)*
2546k dl/429 ul -- TimeCapsule (Ethernet Hard Wired)
2547 dl/432 ul -- 2Wire 802.11g
2546 dl/431 ul -- 2Wire (Ethernet Hard Wired)
My conclusion, based on this testing and from several posts in this discussion board is that the Time Capsule exhibits poor performance for hosts connecting via 802.11g.

802.11g on a Firewire G3

My router handles 11g. What do I need to use 11g on my Powerbook?

The only option if you have an old PB to upgrade to 802.11g is to purchase an PCMCIA 802.11g card. Or you could use a 802.11g wireless bridge (but this is not very portable, but can be a solution for an old iMac).
You want a third party WLAN Cardbus cards based on the same Broadcomm chipset that Apple used in the Airport Extreme which will work in a Mac running OS X 10.2.6 or later and Airport 3.1 or later.
Companies using the Broadcomm chipset include: Linksys, Buffalo Technology, Belkin.
Not all cards though do work.
Another option is to use an Atheros card with the Orangeware driver.
The other thing to consider is that do you really really need the extra speed of 802.11g. The only real benefit is if you are transferring really really large files in an internal network (eg video files) and has no "real" impact on wireless internet access (as 11Mbps is generally a lot faster than your average 512Kbps ADSL speed).

Step-by-step guide to upgrading a MacBook Core Duo from 802.11g to 802.11n.

Hardmac.com has post a step-by-step guide on how to upgrading a MacBook Core Duo from 802.11g to 802.11n using an 802.11n card from the Mac Pro desktop. The upgrade was also tested and confirmed to work with the AirPort Extreme 802.11n at 802.11n speed.
There is no reason that a similar upgrade shouldn't also work with the MacBook Pro.
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/71/

Hardmac.com has post a step-by-step guide on how to
upgrading a MacBook Core Duo from 802.11g to 802.11n
using an 802.11n card from the Mac Pro desktop. The
upgrade was also tested and confirmed to work with
the AirPort Extreme 802.11n at 802.11n speed.
There is no reason that a similar upgrade shouldn't
also work with the MacBook Pro.
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/71/
Gino,
Interesting how the Apple 802.11n Enabler installed on the MacBook with no problems using the CD that comes with the AirPort Express.
I must try that.
Thanks for the post!
William

Upgrade Portege A100 Wireless to 802.11g??

Hi,
Does anyone know if it is possible to upgrade the internal wireless chip in a Portege A100 to support 802.11g??
Cheers
G

Hi again
This must be some series produced just for UK. The best way to find out is to visit http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com site. Under Products > Options and Accessories > Wireless communication you can find Wireless LAN Mini PCI Card - 802.11b/g (PA3300U-1MPC). This one should be compatible with Protg A100 P-M.
With a few mouse clicks you can find the answer alone. ;)

Can 802.11g upgrade to 802.11n

i have an older airport basestation (domed top) plus two airport express units that operate on 802.11g.
can they be upgraded to work with my newer 802.11n equipment?

Sorry, but no. Complete internal hardware changes would need to be made to the older Express device....which is not possible.

Symptoms of Airport Parameter Corruption witn 802.11g WPA: ping times

Hi,
I've had problems with MBP connecting and staying connected to a Netgear 802.11g network with WPA (password). An older G4 Powerbook would have no problems, so it is the intel MBP. This is with all the latest patches. One of the things I've noticed is if I ping the router ( open terminal, type: "ping 10.0.0.1" or whatever your router address is) I would have pings of about 1.633 ms but then there would be some pings which would take 1500 ms or 2000 ms! The G4 laptop was always around 1-2 milleseconds. The intel laptop was having some trouble, and it would eventually corrupt the Netgear so I had to reboot it. So by rebooting and zapping the pram, the ping times went to normal, like the G4 laptop. I am assuming some parameters get corrupted and rebooting + zapping pram clears out the corrupted parameters. And if I used iStumbler the corruption would return; so I don't do that.
MBPro 15 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hi,
I've had problems with MBP connecting and staying connected to a Netgear 802.11g network with WPA (password). An older G4 Powerbook would have no problems, so it is the intel MBP. This is with all the latest patches. One of the things I've noticed is if I ping the router ( open terminal, type: "ping 10.0.0.1" or whatever your router address is) I would have pings of about 1.633 ms but then there would be some pings which would take 1500 ms or 2000 ms! The G4 laptop was always around 1-2 milleseconds. The intel laptop was having some trouble, and it would eventually corrupt the Netgear so I had to reboot it. So by rebooting and zapping the pram, the ping times went to normal, like the G4 laptop. I am assuming some parameters get corrupted and rebooting + zapping pram clears out the corrupted parameters. And if I used iStumbler the corruption would return; so I don't do that.
MBPro 15 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Pb G4 titanium 1ghz 15" - 802.11g upgrade?

is there a way to upgrade to a 802.11g wifi connection from 802.11b which is currently the classic airport card?

I purchased a Sonnet Aria Extreme card (802.11g) a bit over a week ago. It's much faster than the original (802.11b) AirPort card. The range is not always as great but it's adequate for my use. Speed decreases when the signal is weaker, but never slower than the original card. I purchased it based upon reading this forum. I only wish I'd done it sooner. One of the pleasant surprises was that I did not have to remove my original AirPort card in order to use it. The instructions for the MacWireless cards indicate that you need to remove the AirPort card but the Sonnet instructions indicate that the card overrides the AirPort card.
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4)

Using an Older (802.11g) Airport Extreme as bridge with Time Capsule

Several people have inquired about the possibility of having older (802.11g) computers and devices connected through their Time Capsules without disturbing the 802.11n capabilities of their newer equipment.
The latest version of Designing AirPort Networks Using AirPort Utility --
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/DesigningAirPort_Networks10.5-Windows.pdf -- explains (pp. 48-49) that one can configure a dual-band (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz) network of this type by setting up the "second device [i.e., the older Airport Extreme] as a bridge." What is lacking is a clear (at least to me) way of configuring the 2.4 GHz Extreme as such a bridge, although the text states that one need only follow instructions "earlier in this chapter" (which begins at p. 14). When I try to do this, the AirPort Extreme shows up as a separate network.
Obviously, I am doing something wrong. Can someone walk me through how to configure the AirPort Extreme as a bridge?
Thanks.

The MAC support people walked me through a solution to my question about using an older (802.11g) AirPort Extreme and a Time Capsule to form a dual network. The solution turns out to be pretty easy but I am posting it in case anyone else has a similar problem.
Here's what was involved:
N-capable equipment: MacBook Pro, IMac, Time Capsule.
B/G-capable equipment: AirPort Extreme (flying saucer 802.11g); Mac G4; older (802.11g) AirPort Express supporting a network printer; IBM ThinkPad running Windows XP (w/service pack 2).
Step 1: Using AirPort Utility (manual setup), I set the Time Capsule to run at 5 GHz (click on "Wireless" then "Radio Mode". Under the same "Wireless" tab, I assigned a 13-digit WPA2 password to this network (more about this latter). If you opt to use the 5GHz frequency, you have the choice of WPA2 or nothing. After saving your settings, exit out of the AirPort Utility; you are done with the Time Capsule.
Step 2: Reset the AirPort Extreme to its default settings by depressing the small reset button while the device is plugged in.
Step 3: I reopened AirPort Utility, accessed the Extreme and clicked manual setup. (You will loose your connection to the Time Capsule at this point, but this is okay.) At the top of the screen that opens in response to clicking "manual setup," click "internet" and set "connection sharing" to "Off (Bridge Mode)" Next click "AirPort" at the very top of the screen: under "Base Station" I named the Extreme as "G network" and set up a network password. Under "Wireless" I next set up a WEP 40 bit password which was identical to the WPA2 password I used for the Time Capsule. Using a WEP password was necessary, because some of the older computers were not WPA2 compatible. I kept the passwords identical simply as a matter of convenience.
Step 4: Connect the AirPort Extreme to the Time Capsule using an Ethernet cable between the WAN port of the Extreme, and one of the three LAN ports on the Time Capsule. There is a small, green LED recessed in the LAN port socket; if it lights up, you are in business.
Step 5: Using a pin, I reset the 802.11g AirPort Express to its default settings, opened AirPort Utility (no need for manual setup for this), named the Express "Printer" and added it to the G network in a conventional manner by following the setup prompts. (If anyone needs help with this, let me know). Exit out of AirPort Utility and reopen it to refresh; all wireless devices (3 in my case) should be visible and lighted green.
Step 6: I set up the MacBook Pro and the IMac to join the 5 GHz Time Capsule network, and everything else to run on the G network. At this point, everything appears to be working. I can, for example, print a document from my MacBook Pro (N-network) to the network printer which on the G-network. (Because the older computers belong to my daughters, I'll never know if file sharing across the networks is a possibility.)
I take no credit for any of this; it was all accomplished through the efforts of very patient MAC support people.
Carl

My wifi network is 802.11n but there are times changing for 802.11g, and have to restart ... after the update for Mountain Lion

My wifi network is 802.11n but there are times changing for 802.11g, and have to restart ... after the update for Mountain Lion... Help!!!
Several problems with Mountain Lion, APP STORE (login/logout error), WIFI(802.11n for 802.11g), MAIL (horrible)... Apple, what is happening?

Do a factory reset .. nothing will be deleted from your backups and you will be able to get access to them again.
The Factory Reset Gen1-4.
Unplug your TC. Hold in reset. and power the TC back on.. without releasing reset for about 10sec. When the status light flashes rapidly; release it.
Be Gentle! Feel the switch click on. It has a positive feel.. add no more pressure after that.
TC will reboot after a couple of minutes with default factory settings and will wipe out previous configurations.
No files are deleted on the hard disk.. No reset of the TC deletes files.. to do that you use erase from the airport utility.

Airport Drives Me CRAZY! New 802.11n Network Slower Than Old 802.11g/b

I've been using Macs since 1988 and consider myself an advanced user. However, every time I setup a new Airport wireless network or re-configure an existing one, I feel like a helpless newbie trying to figure out how to open a folder on my desktop. No matter how many times I read the manual or the help files or these forums, I can never grasp what seems like it should be a simple path from A to B to C.
Anyway, here's my current situation: I've been successfully (I think) running a 6 year old AP Extreme Base Station [AE] (in my home office addition) and 2 Airport Expresses [AX] (one AX roughly 15 feet from the base station--through sheetrock, and the second AX roughly 30 feet from the first AX--through sheetrock and some wooden stairs. (so roughly 45 feet from AE to 2nd AX). It wasn't the speediest thing going but it did the trick with older Macs.
I recently bought a MacBook Pro which supports 802.11n. I most often use this laptop at the point in the house furthest away from the AE (Base Station) The AE (Base Station) is in my home office connected to my MacPro desktop (see #1 below). In addition, the family iMac is also in that room furthest from the AE. Using the new MacBook Pro with the old 802.11/g/b network turned out to be painfully slow. I was experiencing the same slow network connection my family has complained about for years with their older Macs and 802.11g/b.
I decided it was time to upgrade the whole network, if only to speed up my MacBook Pro connection. Bought new 802.11n Airport Extreme (MC340LL/A) and 2 new 802.11n Airport Expresses (MB321LL/A). Setup did not go smoothly. Again, my normally competent Mac persona was reduced to a babbling three-year-old. Had three different Apple techs on the phone trying to help me through it. Got different, contradictory instructions from the last two. Finally got all three units working, only to find that not only does my MacBook Pro seem even more sluggish than when connected to the old 802.11g/b network, but my wife tells me web pages are taking at least twice as long to load as with the old network.
As concisely as I can lay this out:
*1. Airport Extreme (Base Station)*
Connected via Ethernet from its WAN port to my Comcast cable modem. One Ethernet (LAN) port on that AE is then connected via Ethernet to my Netgear 8-port Ethernet switch. Ethernet from switch to Ethernet port 1 on my MacPro. (MacPro does NOT have an Airport card because I forgot to order one. Also I confirmed that this setup was functional by connecting to the AE wirelessly with my MacBook Pro showing the name I'd given the new network prior to adding the two AX's to the mix).
Some Airport Extreme settings of note (all accessed via "Manual Setup" button):
Airport Tab > Summary
Version 7.5.1
Wireless Mode: Create a wireless network
Channel: 149 (Automatic), 1 (Automatic)
Wireless Clients: 3
Airport Tab > Base Station:
Allow Setup over WAN: Unchecked
Airport Tab > Wireless:
Allow this network to be extended: Checked
Airport Tab > Guest Network:
Nothing checked
Airport Tab > Access Control:
MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled
Internet Tab > Internet Connection:
Connect Using: Ethernet
Ethernet WAN Port: Automatic (Default)
Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address [Think this one is probably wrong]
Internet Tab > TCP/IP:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
Internet Tab > DHCP:
Shows Beginning & Ending Address
Internet Tab > NAT:
Enable default host at: Unchecked and blank field
Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol: Checked
Internet Tab > Advanced
Didn't touch anything here, so all at defaults
*2. Airport Express #1: Living Room Express (Closest to AE (Base Station)*
Airport Tab > Summary
Version 7.4.2
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Connect using: Wireless Network
Channel: 1 (Automatic)
Wireless Clients: 1
Airport Tab > Base Station:
Allow Setup over the Internet using Bonjour: Unchecked
Airport Tab > Wireless:
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Allow wireless clients: checked
Airport Tab > Access Control:
MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled
Internet Tab > Internet Connection:
Connect using: Greyed-out, not selectable
Connection sharing: Greyed-out, not selectable
Internet Tab > TCP/IP:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
Shows IP Address
Internet Tab > Advanced
Didn't touch anything here, so all at defaults
*3. Airport Express #2: Dining Room Express (Furthest from AE (Base Station)*
Airport Tab > Summary
Version 7.4.2
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Connect using: Wireless Network
Channel: 1 (Automatic)
Wireless Clients: 2
Airport Tab > Base Station:
Allow Setup over the Internet using Bonjour: Unchecked
Airport Tab > Wireless:
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Allow wireless clients: checked
Airport Tab > Access Control:
MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled
Internet Tab > Internet Connection:
Connect using: Greyed-out, not selectable
Connection sharing: Greyed-out, not selectable
Internet Tab > TCP/IP:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
Shows IP Address
Internet Tab > Advanced
Didn't touch anything here, so all at defaults
SETUP/GOALS:
With Airport Extreme (Base Station) as the starting point, have the two Airport Express units with the strongest, fastest signal possible, provide Internet access (and file sharing, iTunes speakers capability) to three Macs (one older iMac, one older PowerBook and my new MacBookPro). Again, I believe my new MacBook Pro is the only one with 802.11n support, so I don't expect the other Macs to take advantage of the speed boost offered by the three new 802.11n devices.
+Any and all help with this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!+

{quote}With the AirPort Extreme, in the AirPort panel, Wireless tab, click on the button for "Wireless Network Options", check the box for "5 GHz Network Name", and enter a different network name. (That can be trivially different, such as the name of the main network suffixed with an underscore and the digit 5.) Once configured that way, connect your "N" gear to each network in turn to see if one is any better than the other. (If you're wondering what effect this would have, it allows segregating your "N" gear from the older gear to prevent the older gear from slowing down your network. However, distance and interference from things like walls may negate any advantage.){quote}
William: I was gone most of yesterday, but had a chance to implement your recommendations today. I added the 5 GHz network as you suggested, but in order to connect to that at all with my 802.n11 MacBokk Pro, I need to be within a few feet of the AE (base station). If I try to access that network even from the next room (well within reach of both the AE and the livingroom AX, I get one bar and "failure to connect" messages just trying to logon to that network.
However, I did some experimenting that (as of right now, anyway) resulted in much faster network access, not only from my MacBook, but also from the older iMac which is the furthest Mac from the AE. According to my wife, that iMac is "loading web pages faster than I've ever seen them!"
Here's what I did:
1. Moved all three units to places where it seemed they would have the least amount of interference with the clearest path from unit to unit, also raising the height of both AXs from about 2-3 feet from the floor to about 5-6 feet from the floor.
2. Changed one setting on the AE (base station): Wireless Tab > Wireless Network Options > Multicast Rate ---> Changed this from Low to High.
I have a feeling the location shifts made the real difference, but I will try changing the multicast rate back to "Low" just to see what happens.
Paul

AE not working after upgrading to 802.11b/g/n AEBS

I upgraded to the square 802.11b/g/n AEBS but have lost my AE which I use to play iTunes through my stereo. I just get the blinking yellow on the AE now and there's no longer a pulldown window in the lower right corner of iTunes for me to pick the output (i.e., Living Room.)
I've updated the firmware in both the AEBS and AE. I've run the Airport Utility to make sure I'm getting out to the net via AEBS. But Airport Utility can't find AE.
However, if I reset AE to its factory default, Airport Utility will see AE as having default settings and ask me to Update them. I go through the updating procedure (choosing one time to choose to join the existing AEBS network and at another time, to Create a New Network.)
Both times the Airport Utility eventually will say AE has been successfully updated and go into restart. However, it hangs and after a few minutes says it can't fine ANY of my networks and for me to try again. (And again, and again.) I can get the AEBS back up every time but AE is still lost to me.
Any suggestions as to how to get the older AE to work with the new AEBS?

Hi,
When a wireless network has a mixed environment of 802.11b clients and 802.11g clients, make sure that data rates 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps are set to required (basic) and that all other data rates are set to enable. The 802.11b adapters do not recognize the 54 Mbps data rate and do not operate if data rates higher than 11Mbps are set to require on the connecting access point.
here is the link which clarifies all your doubts.. and also tabular as well
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/wireless/access_point/12.4_21a_JA1/configuration/guide/scg12421aJA1-chap6-radio.html#wp1101903
lemme know if this answered your question..
Regards
Surendra
====
Please dont forget to rate the posts which answered your question and mark it as answered or was helpfull

Time to upgrade to 802.11g???

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