Wireless G Vs. N Routers
Wireless N routers are based on newer technology than wireless G routers. The standards defining both types of router come from the same standards body, which ensured that the newer system is compatible with equipment built to the older specifications.
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Standards
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The full names of the "G" and "N" standards are 802.11g and 802.11n. A router claiming conformance with these standards has to be checked and passed by the Wi-Fi Alliance before its manufacturer can publish these claims. The standards specify methods of radio transmission and expected levels of service, but do not include designing the equipment.
Input and Output
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A standard wireless router has a receiver to listen for signals and a transmitter to send data. N routers have at least two of each which enables them to receive and transmit more data simultaneously. This is called MIMO -- multiple input, multiple output. The N router can have up to four antennae each to transmit and receive. Therefore a wide range of performance within the N router specification exists. G routers have only one of each. This means N routers have a higher data throughput than G routers.
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Compatibility
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The requirement to make 802.11n equipment compatible with 802.11g standards means the N router operates on two frequency bands. Better performance is achieved at the N routers 5GHz transmission frequency. This means more waves are generated per second than the G routers 2.4 GHz frequency. However, the N router also has to operate at 2.4 GHz in order to communicate with any nearby 802.11g equipment. When the N router is operating at the 2.4GHz frequency, its data throughput is no better than that of a G router. It cannot receiver data faster than the transmitter can transmit.
Range
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An N router has a wider transmission range that the G router. The radio waves of both types of routers can be blocked by objects including buildings. Therefore, the standards give an indoor and an outdoor range for any type of router. The N router's range is around 70 meters indoors, which is almost double the G router's indoor range of 38 meters. The outdoor range of the N router is 250 meters, much further than the G router's outdoor range of 140 meters.
Performance
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The N router ranges widely in both price and performance as the standards allow flexibility in design. The number of antennae and the frequency used by the router are crucial factors influencing performance. At the lower end of the market, N routers using the 2.4 GHz frequency offer little improvement over G routers. The routers using 5 GHz frequency provide all the improvements in performance that the consumer may have heard about. By understanding the 802.11g specifications, the consumer can get a good idea of what a G router provides. However, the buyer of an N router needs to read further into the equipment's specification to work out the capabilities of a particular 802.11n router, given the possible range.
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References
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