WiFi

[joejoe]

I've never had a WiFi device before so please excuse my ignorance.

According to Sony, the TH55's : "Wireless connectivity requires access to an 802.11b Access Point..." Does this mean that the access point *must be* 802.11b or would 802.11g do?

[winexprt]

I'm 99.9% sure that this new TH55 is only 802.11b compliant.

[joejoe]

Originally posted by winexprt
I'm 99.9% sure that this new TH55 is only 802.11b compliant.

So what you're saying is that it would *need* a 802.11b hotspot to work at all?

Or would it work, but at "b" speeds, at a 802.11g hotspot or network?

[winexprt]

I'm saying (thought I already said it) that it will ONLY work with 802.11b. It cannot connect at all with an 802.11g hotspot because it's not 802.11g enabled or compliant.


http://www.clie-online.sony.net/prod_info/peg-th55/pdf_catalogue_specs.html?hk

[Unregistered]

802.11 g hotspots are backwards compatible with 802.11 b...

[winexprt]

Originally posted by joejoe


So what you're saying is that it would *need* a 802.11b hotspot to work at all?

Or would it work, but at "b" speeds, at a 802.11g hotspot or network?

Sorry. Clarification..you're right, it would work at 'b' speeds at an 'g' hotspot. It just can't work with the faster signal.

[gklinger]

Just to add my $0.02 worth. 802.11g is backwards compatiable so if you're going to get an access point to use with the TH55, you might want to consider getting an 802.11g unit rather than an 802.11b. The price difference is negligible and you may want the faster speed later for a notebook or desktop computer.

As for using wifi, it's great. Being able to use my laptop wherever the mood suits me is a wonderful thing. I'm very excited about having wifi in a Clie. I'm constantly running to the computer to look stuff up in the IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/) when I'm watching movies and since my Clie is always at hand, it will save me missing parts of the movie. I'm also intrigued by the idea of walking around looking for open access points. I even know a few places that offer free wifi although going there just to mess around with my Clie might be too geeky, even for me.

[Cyker]

Are you sure about that?!

AFAIK 11g and 11b are COMPLETELY different standards, in the same way that 11a isn't compatible with 11b.

It isn't so much of a problem now, because a lot of WiFi base-stations are 'Dual', i.e. they support 11b and 11g, but I'm 90% sure that 11g, on it's own, does not support 11b!

[ifonline]

Yes, winexprt and gklinger are correct. Here is a writeup from Linksys regarding their 802.11g router.

Wireless-G is the upcoming 54Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country — but since they share the same 2.4GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices can also work with existing 11Mbps Wireless-B equipment.

802.11b and 802.11g both work on 2.4gHz signals, and are therefore compatable. 802.11a works on 5gHz signals, and is therefore not compatable.

[joejoe]

Originally posted by ifonline
Yes, winexprt and gklinger are correct. Here is a writeup from Linksys regarding their 802.11g router.



802.11b and 802.11g both work on 2.4gHz signals, and are therefore compatable. 802.11a works on 5gHz signals, and is therefore not compatable.

Thanks for the definitive quote, ifonline.

I know many things are backwards compatible but, knowing precious little about wireless, I couldn't be sure.

[ifonline]

Not a problem. I wasn't too sure myself as I currently run only 802.11b at the house, but since I use Linksys products, I figured they should know.

[dwig]

Note the following:

1. "WiFi Certified" 802.11g equipment is backward compatible with "b". Both use the same frequencies as each other but completely different from those used by the "a" spec.

2. The "g" formatted network packets are _NOT_ compatible with equipment that carries only "b" capabilities.

3. A "g" Access Point will, generally, communicate with both "g" and "b" clients _BY DEFAULT_ although in almost all current hardware, it is possible, and sometimes very desirable, to disable the "b" compatibility rendering the AP inaccessable to "b" client hardware.

4. When a "g" Access Point associates (actively communicating with but not necessarily sending/receiving data) with a "b" client all traffic with that AP must slow down to accomidate the dual mode operation (hence the availablity of the option mentioned in #3).

If you encounter difficulty in connecting a "b" client to a "g" AP, you need to check all parameters _including_ whether or not it is set to accept "b" traffic.

[Unregistered]

Originally posted by dwig
Note the following:

3. A "g" Access Point will, generally, communicate with both "g" and "b" clients _BY DEFAULT_ although in almost all current hardware, it is possible, and sometimes very desirable, to disable the "b" compatibility rendering the AP inaccessable to "b" client hardware.

Which might mean that some free hotspots (http://www.wififreespot.com/il.html) would be free but not accessible to users of this device either now or in the future...