Will Wireless G Card Improve Wireless B (2004) Connectivity?

I'm connecting at very low speeds to a neighbor's secured wireless
while I am away from home. I have wireless B in my Thinkpad R40
(circa 2004). He told me to buy a wireless g card, which I just did,
but before breaking the cellophane and being unable to get a full
refund, I want to check out the salesman's warning: "The connection is
only as strong as the weakest link in the wireless chain, and if his
(neighbor's) router is the problem, then the wireless g card will do
you no good."

Thanks.

 

If your friend's wireless device is G,...then a G in the laptop is faster
and should still work with a B wireless device if that is what you have at
home.

If you friend's wireless device is a B,...then I think you have to use a B
adapter.

G is faster than B

G is backward compatible with the slower B

I do not think B is "forward" compatible with G so all the G stuff has to
"talk B" when it communicates with a B device

Since only one device can "talk" at the same time with wireless,....and
since it takes longer for B to "talk",...and everyone has to wait for B to
finish what it is "saying",...B slows down the whole Wireless LAN.

So make everything G and be done with it.

Do not by any N equipment until the actual N Standard has been finally
ratified.

--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.

 

Scratch that comment. You can keep a G in the Laptop, but it will only run
at B speed when communicating with a B device.

Bottom line,... buy the G, leave it in the Laptop. It will work in both B &
G situations but will run faster when it is doing G-to-G. There is no
reason to leave a B in anything.

--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

 

As long as it is a "G" router. The best performance would be in "G"
only mode since mixed b/g mode has to "stop and wait" for B traffic.

--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

 

Hi
The fact that you are using 802.11b might indicate that the connection is
Not secured or it secured on WEP Level.
If it is so, you are using as your main Internet service a connection that
can be "sniffed" and your personal information can be easily Deciphered.
Not a Good Idea.
Upgrade to 802.115g and discuss with your friend using WPA Security.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

Thanks to all this group for good advice, information, and support.