What Is the Difference Between Wireless Internet Ranges N, G, B and A?

Wireless Internet connections follow standards set by the IEEE.

The letters "A," "B," "G," and "N" refer to the protocols, frequency bands and speeds ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), under which local area networks establish connections between computers, wireless providers and the Internet, whether at work, in public or in the privacy of a home.

802.11a Protocols

Original networking standards fall under IEEE 802.11 protocols set in 1997. "A" refers to an amended standard created in 1999, which uses the same frame format and data link layer standard as 802.11, but also uses an air or physical interface in the 3.7-gigahertz (GHz) and 5-GHz bands. Over-the-air data transmits at 54 megabits (Mbps) per second and does not travel through walls, with an unobstructed indoor distance, under the 5-GHz band, of 115 feet, and 390 feet outdoors.

802.11b Networking

Standards adapted early in 2000 under the "B" designation operate under 2.4-GHz at 11 Mbps. 802.11b uses direct sequence modulation and goes farther than 802.11a: 125 feet indoors and 460 outdoors. Other unregulated devices operate in this same band, however, causing interference problems: microwaves, cordless telephones, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and wireless keyboards.

802.11g Connections

By 2003, a new standard was agreed upon that operates under 2.4-GHz with higher over-the-air data rates at 54 Mbps. Most common in the consumer market, it works with the modulation of both 802.11a and b. Compatible with 802.11b, but at lower connection rates, its transmission travels the same distance.

802.11n: the Next Generation

Approved in October of 2009, this new amendment protocol operates at 150 Mbps and in either the 2.4- or 5-GHz frequencies. An added feature is that it has multiple inputs and multiple outputs, and operates under the same modulation as 802.11a, with distances of 230 feet indoors and 800 outdoors.

References

• Air 802: 802-11 Wi-Fi Wireless Standards
• Intel: 802.11 Standards

Resources

• IEEE: Homepage
• Intel: Nex-Gen Wireless 802.11 a-b-g-n