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qasdfdsaq · 19-03-2011, 23:46

A mistaken association in my opinion. Dualband 'N' gear is no more widespread than dualband 'AG' gear in the consumer space. Almost all consumer 'N' gear is 2.4Ghz only, and anyone expecting 5Ghz capability to be largely associated with 'N' will be sorely disappointed.

As far as 'B' and 'G' go, while they are normally considered 2.4 Ghz only, they can just as easily be converted into a 5Ghz 'A' device with a frequency doubler/shifter. In fact both A and G are practically the same standard, a 22Mhz signal is modulated into either a 2.4 or 5Ghz carrier, in fact no different from the two variants of 'N'.

Dual-band 'AG' gear was actually pretty widespread in the enterprise space, at the time of 'N' draft 2's publication there were at least one thousand 'A' routers/access points within 1 mile of my flat, though almost all of these were operated by my work. Additionally, dual-band 'A/B/G' cards were very common in consumer laptops but not routers/APs.

Back to my original point, there's no logical reason to associate 'N' with 5Ghz any more than the older 'AG' standards, as it is just as rare to see a dual-band 'N' router as it is to see a dual-band 'AG' router. All 'N' equipment supplied by VM (except the Superhub), BT, and O2 so far have been 2.4Ghz only. I don't know of any other UK ISPs supplying 11n kit at all, but if any do I suspect most are 2.4Ghz only as well.

That's why I'm still rather excited about getting my hands on discarded Superhub hardware as it is the first mass-produced consumer kit to support dual-band 'N'.

19-03-2011, 23:46	#156
qasdfdsaq cf.mega poster Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 11,207	Re: Finally arrives here ! A mistaken association in my opinion. Dualband 'N' gear is no more widespread than dualband 'AG' gear in the consumer space. Almost all consumer 'N' gear is 2.4Ghz only, and anyone expecting 5Ghz capability to be largely associated with 'N' will be sorely disappointed. As far as 'B' and 'G' go, while they are normally considered 2.4 Ghz only, they can just as easily be converted into a 5Ghz 'A' device with a frequency doubler/shifter. In fact both A and G are practically the same standard, a 22Mhz signal is modulated into either a 2.4 or 5Ghz carrier, in fact no different from the two variants of 'N'. Dual-band 'AG' gear was actually pretty widespread in the enterprise space, at the time of 'N' draft 2's publication there were at least one thousand 'A' routers/access points within 1 mile of my flat, though almost all of these were operated by my work. Additionally, dual-band 'A/B/G' cards were very common in consumer laptops but not routers/APs. Back to my original point, there's no logical reason to associate 'N' with 5Ghz any more than the older 'AG' standards, as it is just as rare to see a dual-band 'N' router as it is to see a dual-band 'AG' router. All 'N' equipment supplied by VM (except the Superhub), BT, and O2 so far have been 2.4Ghz only. I don't know of any other UK ISPs supplying 11n kit at all, but if any do I suspect most are 2.4Ghz only as well. That's why I'm still rather excited about getting my hands on discarded Superhub hardware as it is the first mass-produced consumer kit to support dual-band 'N'.