What is the Difference Between 802.11B and 802.11G?

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) certified a new standard, 802.11G, by merging two incompatible wireless networking standards 802.11B (goes far but not fast) and 802.11A (goes fast but not far). The new "G" standard has a 150-foot range, and the top speed is 54 Mbps (as opposed to 11 Mbps that we had with the "B" standard).

All of the wireless access points on our campus are now compliant with the "G" standard so that you can take advantage of the faster connections. The good news is that 802.11G is backward-compatible with 802.11B. This means that if you have a "B" card you do not have to purchase a new wireless card if you are satisfied with your connection speed.

If you are interested in purchasing a wireless card, we recommend that you get a combination wireless card with all three standards (A, B, and G). (As with any new product, make sure that the one you purchase will be compatible with your computer.) That way you are able to communicate with any 802.11 wireless network you come across. We recommend the Proxim Orinoco Silver 802.11 A/B/G card.