By DPA
Berlin : It once was a privilege only large companies could afford but now is part of even the most humble student accommodations: Wireless Local Area Networks, better known as WLAN.
The radio technology for wireless Internet access continues to grow cheap – and quicker. Yet the latest jump to a more advanced standard, this one known as IEEE 802.11n, has encountered some stumbling blocks. Anyone interested in setting up the new technology now should be aware of a few important points.
Most existing WLAN transmitters work with the 'b' and 'g' standards. They provide surfers with speeds of up to 11 or 54 megabytes per second (Mbit/s) respectively. The 'n' standard, which is still under development, offers bandwidth of up to 300 Mbit/s – a speed jump certain to perk up the ears of users who transfer large amounts of data across networks or who want to view streaming video.
Although the standard will likely only be officially ratified in 2008, there are already numerous new devices sailing under the "n" flag. Caution is in order, through, since the chips included in such devices are known as "draft," non-final versions of the standard.
"You have to be certain at the time of purchase whether today's 802.11n draft products can be updated after the fact through a firmware update," advises Peter Knaack, technology expert at the German consumer-testing organisation Stiftung Warentest in Berlin.
Manufacturers such as Asus are offering an upgrade or exchange guarantee for devices it is currently selling as n-ready. "The upgrade program will begin as soon as the final 802.11n standard has been ratified," reports the Taiwanese hardware maker. Apple for its part is reporting that many of its laptops are already ready for the n standard. At some point they will simply need to be activated with an update.
The update is necessary to prevent compatibility problems between devices from different manufacturers. "There is already a series of proprietary solutions that cannot be modified," Knaack says. One of these quasi-standards is g+, with speeds of up to 108 Mbit/s. It works only if the WLAN base station and receiver are from the same manufacturer, however. As soon as devices from other makers are integrated into the network, everything slows down to the older 802.11g or 802.11b speeds.
The receiver adapter is not the only piece of hardware required to work with the WLAN n standard. An appropriate transmitter is needed as well. These are generally available in stores as routers, combining modem, access point and network switch functionality into one device.
It's easy to recognise routers intended for the n standard: they have three antennas. This multiple antenna process is known as MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) and aims at increased data rates and broadcast range. "That's a good thing: the connection is better, and data throughput rises significantly particularly at the edges of the broadcast range," Knaack says.
When making a purchase, the customer should be aware of the router's security settings. Good devices are delivered with WPA encryption already activated. "WEP encryption can be cracked in seconds." If older devices do not support WPA, then the network name, called the SSID, should be hidden to prevent unauthorised users from seeing the network in the first place.
"What's also very important is turning off the remote control function on the router and to implement a new password when setting it up," Knaack advises.