SPOTLIGHT: 802.11n not (yet) ready for prime time

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT... Not (yet) ready for prime time
Experts at Atheros say that the maximum speeds claimed for 802.11n may not come close to being achieved, at least as long as older wireless networks are still around. According to version 1.10 of the 802.11n specifications, 802.11n devices must switch from their 40 MHz operating mode down to 20 MHz when an older network (for example, 802.11g) is detected. This is done to ensure that the older network is not swamped by 'n' dominating the WiFi spectrum.  Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates, told vnunet.com that "There seems to be this movement afoot to address uncompressed video, particularly uncompressed HD...In that sense, I am not sure that the solutions as they stand have the throughput." Scherf suggested that reliable support for streaming HD video requires that researchers go back to the drawing board. "There is going to be yet another solution needed if they want to do it wirelessly," he said. Report