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Quick answers to real classroom technology questions. An online service of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse.

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What is 802.11?

This is the name given to the wireless networking standards by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the governing body for all networking standards. The IEEE has released a number of different standards over the years as wireless hardware has become faster. The original IEEE 802.11b standard only supported a maximum speed of 11 Mbps.

The more recent 802.11g and 802.11a standards support speeds of up to 54 Mbps. The major difference between 802.11a and 802.11g is that the 802.11g standard is backward compatible with the widely implemented 802.11b, while the 802.11a standard uses a different signaling method and is not backward compatible. As a result, 802.11a is not as popular. Most of the wireless hardware sold today is either 802.11b or 802.11g. For maximum compatibility and performance you should buy 802.11g compliant hardware.

Additional Websites

An Educator's Guide to Computer Networks

Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101

How Stuff Works: Computer Stuff

The Elder Geek on Windows

Paul Thurrott's Windows Supersite

Annoyances.org

Windows Update

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Tech-Ease for Windows is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Mac site is also available. This collection is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse and is funded in part by a grant from the Florida Department of Education. Copyright 2008 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida.

			Quick answers to real classroom technology questions. An online service of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse.
ETC HOME	TECH-EASE HOME	HARDWARE FAQ	SEARCH
What is 802.11? This is the name given to the wireless networking standards by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the governing body for all networking standards. The IEEE has released a number of different standards over the years as wireless hardware has become faster. The original IEEE 802.11b standard only supported a maximum speed of 11 Mbps. The more recent 802.11g and 802.11a standards support speeds of up to 54 Mbps. The major difference between 802.11a and 802.11g is that the 802.11g standard is backward compatible with the widely implemented 802.11b, while the 802.11a standard uses a different signaling method and is not backward compatible. As a result, 802.11a is not as popular. Most of the wireless hardware sold today is either 802.11b or 802.11g. For maximum compatibility and performance you should buy 802.11g compliant hardware.			Additional Websites An Educator's Guide to Computer Networks Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101 How Stuff Works: Computer Stuff The Elder Geek on Windows Paul Thurrott's Windows Supersite Annoyances.org Windows Update
ETC HOME	TECH-EASE HOME	HARDWARE FAQ	SEARCH
Site Map \| Submit a Question \| About Tech-Ease \| Privacy Policy \| ETC Home Tech-Ease for Windows is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Mac site is also available. This collection is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse and is funded in part by a grant from the Florida Department of Education. Copyright 2008 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida.