As others have said the faster speed helps a bunch with computer to computer transfers, but now there are internet link that are out pacing 802.11g. Verizon FiOS is a prime example with speeds up to 100 mbps (via fiber optic cables) for home users updating will improve users online experience. I for one will update soon so that I can increase my range for the laptop, but it will also speed up the internet for me and data transfers between computers.
802.11n Moves Closer To Ratification
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As others have said the faster speed helps a bunch with computer to computer transfers, but now there are internet link that are out pacing 802.11g. Verizon FiOS is a prime example with speeds up to 100 mbps (via fiber optic cables) for home users updating will improve users online experience. I for one will update soon so that I can increase my range for the laptop, but it will also speed up the internet for me and data transfers between computers.
Heart Break Kid
macrumors 6502a
This may be a studpid question, so please bare with me
Would it be possible to upgrade my first generation Macbook with an internal card that is 802.11n? Will apple be selling such a product anytime soon?
Thanks
HBK
Would it be possible to upgrade my first generation Macbook with an internal card that is 802.11n? Will apple be selling such a product anytime soon?
Thanks
HBK
That would be glorious but I don't think it could be done without voiding your warranty or sending it back to apple for some sort of upgrade.
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
Depending on your definition of "internal," not necessarily. There could certainly be an ExpressCard slot upgrade. But then it'll need drivers...
shamino
macrumors 68040
Who told you that you will get a 100M connection? The fibers may be capable of that much (actually, fiber optics are capable of much much more than 100M), but that's not what you can buy. At least not as a home user.
According to Verizon's price list, FiOS is rate-limited to the amount of bandwidth you pay for. 5Mbps (for $40/mo), 15Mbps (for $50/mo) or 30Mbps (for $180/mo).
This is nice and fast, but it's less than 802.11g's capacity, and a lot less than 100M.
GFLPraxis
macrumors 604
File transfers. Same reason people use gigabit ethernet over 100 mbps ethernet over the 10 mbps ethernet nobody uses anymore (even though no internet connection in the average home will even max out the 10 mbps one).
Chef Medeski
macrumors 6502a
RANGE.... G is plenty fast besides network transfers to me. But its range is sucky!
SiliconAddict
macrumors 603
Maybe we can get charged by Apple for certified drivers as well. Woo hoo!
This may be a dumb question but I will ask anyway. I have a first gen macbook without the n card and a 24in iMac with the n card. If I got a n basestation would the macbook drag the entire network down to g speeds or just the speed between the base station and the macbook. I would like to get a appletv and stream hd content, but I'm concerned about my macbook bogging down the entire network.
Express card would be bad ass, but if there was an antenna sticking out past the edge of the enclosure... I don't know if Jobs would stand for that though, messing up the pretty lines of his laptops.
It would have to be 3rd party perhaps one of those external USB deals.
It would have to be 3rd party perhaps one of those external USB deals.
SeaFox
macrumors 68030
Yeah, I think what we're seeing here is the IEEE dropped the ball.
They have taken so long to ratify the standard that manufacturers and the public said "screw them" long ago and gone on without an official spec. So now psuedo-N gear has enough market penetration that the roles have been reversed, in effect. The IEEE now has to change their spec to match what has already been done to keep from pissing off a bunch of consumers.
Peace
Cancelled
Yeah, I think what we're seeing here is the IEEE dropped the ball.
They have taken so long to ratify the standard that manufacturers and the public said "screw them" long ago and gone on without an official spec. So now psuedo-N gear has enough market penetration that the roles have been reversed, in effect. The IEEE now has to change their spec to match what has already been done to keep from pissing off a bunch of consumers.
And rightfully so!
MacinDoc
macrumors 68020
Of course, that would not work with the MacBook, which doesn't have a slot. Should work with MBP though.
shamino
macrumors 68040
This is a more interesting question than you may realize.
802.11n can run on two different sets of frequencies. It can run at 2.4GHz, which is what b/g networks use (and what draft-n devices have historically used until now). It can also run at 5GHz (which is used by 802.11a).
I don't think anyone knows, yet, whether Apple's device uses 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or possibly both. If it uses 2.4GHz, then I will expect non-n devices to slow down the network, but not all the way to b/g speeds (much like how a b device will slow down a g network, but not all the way to b speeds.)
If Apple's device uses 5GHz, then I wouldn't expect any effect, since the b/g devices will not be interfering.
We'll know for sure when the new base stations and firmware updates start shipping.
I'm sure this is a part of it, but I doubt it's the whole picture.Yeah, I think what we're seeing here is the IEEE dropped the ball.
They have taken so long to ratify the standard that manufacturers and the public said "screw them" long ago and gone on without an official spec. So now psuedo-N gear has enough market penetration that the roles have been reversed, in effect. The IEEE now has to change their spec to match what has already been done to keep from pissing off a bunch of consumers.
If IEEE rules are anything like IETF rules, then it is actually a requirement for anything new to be proven (in the form of shipping product) before that something can be approved as a standard.
This usually doesn't bother customers, as long as the draft-spec products shipped can be upgraded for free/cheap to the final spec when it gets approved.
Chef Medeski
macrumors 6502a
shamino
macrumors 68040
More accurately, Apple's web site says both are supported, so we shouldn't expect any slowdown.
But as you must know, things don't always work the way we expect.
ClimbingTheLog
macrumors 6502a
Hold on everyone! Don't pay for the pre-n firmware upgrade now from Apple - Save your money for when they charge you for the ratified n firmware upgrade that this will require!!!!111!!11
Oh, I expect to have to pay $2 at least six times before the standard is done and when optional extensions to the final become available.
Because the accountants made them do it.... whatever.
ClimbingTheLog
macrumors 6502a
shamino
macrumors 68040
I think we were referring to third-party cards.
I don't think Apple will ever release n-hardware for older systems. Just like they never released g-hardware for systems that shipped with the original AirPort (802.11b) card.
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, pessimistic, or seriously think that this will happen.
Based on the extensive postings from accountants, we know there is no requirement to charge for upgrades. There are some procedural rules regarding when you can report earnings, and those rules get ugly if this update is free.
This isn't because it's an update. It's because a free update would be admitting "we shipped incomplete hardware when you bought it". That admission, combined with the fact that the earnings from the sales have already been reported, creates a mess.
Upgrading from a draft-n firmware to a final-n firmware, however, doesn't trigger these rules. That upgrade won't give you any new capabilities - you'll have the same high-bandwidth WiFi connection as before. Therefore, it's not the same as admitting an incomplete prior shipment, therefore it shouldn't trigger any accounting rules, therefore there shouldn't have to be a charge.
But even if it does trigger these accounting rules, it will only be admitting that the $2 enabler (from g to n) was incomplete, not the entire computer. So only $2 of earnings per laptop would need to be restated, not the full price of the MacBook. This amount of money bay be small enough that they can absorb this restatement without creating larger problems.
jaw04005
macrumors 601
Apple's AirPort Extreme was released a few months before "G" was ratified. However, a firmware patch updated the draft-g to the final spec.