What is Wireless N?

While Wireless G’s 54 Mbit/sec speeds for downloads may have been impressive, they pale in comparison to Wireless N. That’s right, the long awaited update to wireless technology that allows for nearly eleven, that’s right, 11 times faster downloads is here.

Wireless N, or formally IEEE 802.11n-2009 is an amendment to the previous standards that expands the threshold of raw data allowed significantly. This is done using four different streams at a channel size of 40 MHz.

The main change to Wireless N from previous inundations of wireless technology is the use of Multiple Input Multiple Output, or MIMO technology. This deals with the four 40 MHz channels that create the rapid raw data speeds that Wireless N can afford. This technology uses multiple antennas to deal with a much larger amount of information and data than previous systems that only used a single antenna.

This process can properly allocate, distribute, and deal with complex data and information or just a sheer plethora of stuff being thrown at the network. Another change is the use of pre-coding and post-coding methods to allow the MIMO links to function correctly. This both improves signal quality at pre-coding and increases the range of the device by the end of the process.

The key aspect of Wireless N is the multiple antennas, and the data streaming ability of the network is determined by the ratio and number of antennas in use. The general formula is A * b:c,  or the a is the maximum number of transmitting antennas that can use the radio, b represents the maximum number of receiving antennas, and c is the largest number of data spatial streams that can be applied. For example, the 802.11n gives 4 *4:4, which gives fantastic download speeds.

There are variations upon this, but this is generally the most common form of antenna setup. While the maximum 600 Mbit/sec can only be achieved with specific and highly expensive arrangements, it is not terribly difficult to achieve a setup in your household that gets exponentially higher data streams than previous wireless networks.

With many deployment strategies, backwards compatibility, and a higher threshold of speed, Wireless N is bringing the future to the present with ridiculous power and abilities for households everywhere – sometimes through the usage of a wireless USB adapter. If you thought Wireless G was impressive, taking a test drive on the Wireless N super highway will blow your mind!