802.11b vs 802.11g

Dear Group: Is there any new security feautres built into the 11g
standard, or is it just an bw increase upgrade?
TIA

 

ear Group: Is there any new security feautres built into the 11g
:standard, or is it just an bw increase upgrade?

It's mostly a speed update. On the other hand, due to market
pressures and the timing of technology, you are much more likely
to find WPA and 802.11x support on 11g devices than you are on
11a or 11b devices. Cisco's recent upgrades for its 350 cards
and its 1100 and 1200 APs are unusual in the marketplace
(but there are a couple of others.)

 

Walter, can you elaborate on "unusal in the marketplace", should I
upgrade my 1200 fro $100 to 802.11g if its just a speed upgrade that i
don't need, but improved security which I desparately need.

And are you saying that an 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g product will
all support 802.11x and wpa at some future time?

 

:Walter, can you elaborate on "unusal in the marketplace", should I
:upgrade my 1200 fro $100 to 802.11g if its just a speed upgrade that i
:don't need, but improved security which I desparately need.

Cisco released a new IOS version for the 1100 and 1200 series about a
month ago, 12.2.13-JA1. The software works on both the 11b and 11g
radio equipped models. You can download the software for free (no CCO
login required) from
http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/Software/WLAN/wlplanner.cgi

Cisco's support for WPA, 802.11x, and TPC on 11a or 11b radio-
equipped devices is what is "unusual in the marketplace" --
most vendors are so-far only putting the WPA support into their
new 802.11g models. Some of the other vendors -are- putting
out WPA firmware updates for a few of their models... but
even then they tend to concentrate first on getting WPA into
their early-release 11g models. It depends on the vendor.


:And are you saying that an 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g product will
:all support 802.11x and wpa at some future time?

802.11x and WPA are independant of the 11a/11b/11g transport, so it
comes down to whether vendors want to put resources into giving
free updates for their old rusty models that aren't making them
as much money, or whether they would rather sell you their new shiny
in-demand 11g model, thus taking a second profit off of you.
Some vendors are better at legacy support than others.