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Broadcom Announces New 5G 802.11ac Wi-Fi Chip for Smartphones
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Yeah, I think AC is considered to be the 5th Generation update of wifi, which is confusing. I don't think phone makers will advertise their products as 5G, because that would just be silly.
Sadly? I get, just about, why .ac is good for computers: if you're connecting to a local intranet (or for you lucky few for whom your ISP bandwidth isn't your limiting factor on a 1400Mbps file transfer), AND you frequently deal with enormous files, AND a physical connection isn't an option, OR your house is wifi unfriendly and for whatever reason you can't use signal boosters or run ethernet around the place for additional routers then yes, .ac is for you.
Otherwise, who cares? Point being, nobody using a phone or tablet is ever going to need 800Mbps file transfers. Ok, ever is a naive statement for me to make, but I can't see it happening in the next 6 years. A beam forming relies largely on distance between aerials to work, which is why the new Airport Extreme looks so daft, distances which phones just don't provide, certainly not when manufacturers are trying to compact down so much.
So once again, who cares?
Uhh, I don't think you fully understand. Your ISP connection isn't the only use for faster wifi. Data transfers in your own home network will benefit from faster wifi performance such as sending a movie file from one pc to the next. Now you can transfer data faster from your mobile devices on supported networks with this new chip.
So yes, this is a welcomed improvement by Broadcom.
Pretty sure it's going to be very confused with cellular.
Like many of the comments here so far.
Pretty sure it's going to be very confused with cellular.
Reading the comments above and below, it already is!!
The "G" in 5G doesn't refer to generation, it refers to GHz. It has become synonymous with .ac but that isn't exactly what it means. Case and point, I'm using an original rMBP which doesn't have a .ac chip to connect to my Netgear router on its 5G band. It broadcasts a normal and a 5G band so that I can choose which to join and still connect on my older, 2.4GHz only devices.
I still have a wireless G router, but isn't the 800mbps divided by all of your devices that are connected? And do the newer .ac routers still do the thing where they drop the data rate for everyone down to the slowest connected device's speed or did they fix that?
Why?
Am I the only one who thinks Apple has at least ideas/inklings about these types of releases and purposefully doesn't upgrade at certain times because they know something better is coming that will more effectively coincide with their own release?
Like not including ac wifi in the 5S because they knew this newer chip would be out months later for implementation in the 6?
Perhaps, I'm naive.....or not cynical and jaded. Either way, good news!
If you look at the majority of a user's WiFi traffic, it's going to be dominated by internet browsing and media streaming. Actual file transfers that can saturate bandwidth are likely a low percentage for most users. It's a good improvement there, but not something to jump up and down about as an across the board revolution (like LTE was for cellular data). Still, any efficiency improvements would be most welcome. It's also useful to get on a 5GHz signal when 2.4GHz is still predominant in places like apartments.
Awesome. The MIMO and 802.11ac is going to offer a huge improvement over the 150Mbps 5GHz 802.11n signal offered in the previous models.
How about new rumored Apple TV using this? And paired with other Apple devices.
It would be nice to see the AirPort TimeCapsule act as a local iCloud node. Allow phones and other devices to quick offload to the nodes then have the node or nodes co-ordinate with the server.
That sure would make use of speed and save bandwidth.
"Line of sight" beaming! My house uses plaster walls supported with expanded metal lathe. Higher frequencies don't see though metal very well (like the perforated metal on your microwave's door window). I had to ditch my ac system and go back to n to recover my throughput.
It's about local networks. Streaming from itunes, etc. Transferring files over a local network.
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Great idea. Time Capsule should really be an itunes server. Making it an icloud hub would be icing on the cake.
Finally, AT&T customers will be able to get >10Mbps sustained "5G" speeds!!*
*All for an additional low low price of $59.99/mo.
*All for an additional low low price of $59.99/mo.
Yup, this is what I was thinking too, and that's what it really means but, when I saw the 5G, I couldn't get this out of my head:
Attachments
a and b were released simultaneously, a used the 5GHz frequency and was designed for media streaming while avoiding the crowded 2.4GHz frequency. They are, together, one generation.
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Yes, it's also better if you're using WDS which will cut the useable bandwidth in half. Really wish people would stop jumping to conclusions like this before fully understanding what they're talking about. Another good example is "64-bit with less than 4GB of memory is useless!"
Most people won't be able to use the new AC. They have older devices that still use the tech accent b,g channels 1-13. The AC routers won't do those channels so their older devices will not be able to use AC routers. It's the classic chicken or egg scenario paradox.