802.11N Becomes Official In September [Broadband Reports]
Consumers have had the ability to purchase hardware based on the draft 802.11N standard for around two years now, allowing them to take advantage of super-fast wi-fi, even before the IEEE had formally approved the standard for use. Now, it appears that given IEEE Standards Review Committee approval, the N standard will, at long last, be approved in September.
The N standard allows broadband users to project their broadband connection at speeds up to 300 Mbps in theory. Practically speaking, the speeds of a wireless N router are around the 100 Mbps mark -- plenty fast for today's cable broadband speeds. While a draft N standard was approved in January 2006, the standard failed to pass for final approval by IEEE in 2007. Wireless makers were able to convince the Wi-Fi Alliance to certify their draft N standard products for release, allowing consumers to begin taking advantage of super fast wireless Internet, even though the standard had not been formally approved.
If IEEE approves the N standard, I'd expect that all router manufacturers will move from the G standard up to N. I've been using my draft N standard Apple AirPort for well over a year now, and I'm glad to see that the standard should be approved in the next few weeks.
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