This story appears in the
February 2003 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Ideally, dual-band Wi-Fi adapters let you run 802.11a and
802.11b wireless networks side by side according to your need and
budget. The 54Mbps 802.11a is up to five times faster than
802.11b-and about five times as expensive. Unfortunately, the two
technologies' data transmissions don't mix. But new
transceivers from Intel and others for about $650 run 802.11a and
802.11b networks side by side. Also, $125 to $160 dual-band PC
cards from firms like D-Link let mobile users tap networks wherever
they go. "A is for halls, b is for walls," says mobile
analyst Ken Dulaney, referring to 802.11a, which works well in open
spaces, vs. 802.11b, which is better at penetrating walls. 802.11b
is fine for sending documents in an office, but 802.11a lets you
browse the Web and download files in commercial hotspots.
Dulaney says dual adapters are here to stay, but networking
protocols are not set in stone. Europe is demanding changes to
802.11a, that could affect existing hardware. Then 802.11g rivaling
802.11a's speeds could challenge the status quo. Experts
recommend waiting until year-end 2003 for large-scale Wi-Fi
deployments.
San Francisco-based Erik P. Nelson is a frequent contributor
to Entrepreneur.