Can my iMac work with the Airport Extreme 'n' 5GHz?

[photogpab]

I'm close to purchasing a new router and am leaning towards the Airport Extreme. I don't really understand what this new "n" connection type is (vs the old b/g) and I know the extremes can run at 5Ghz and 2.4GHz simultaneously.

My concern is, I know not all devices are compatible. For example, my iMac is almost 5 years old so I'm not sure if it is even compatible to run on "n"? I'm assuming "n" is faster? And I dont know if my iMac can run at 5GHz?

I have no idea how to find out, but, i did a search in the "about this mac" section of my computer and this is what I found. Can anyone help me figure out what my old dinosaur is capable of?

and can someone explain difference between "n" and the older b/g.

 

[waw74]

was about to post for you to look at about this mac, but you posted a pic that answered the question, you have 5GHz N, as the channels supported go above 11.

also that's the same card as in my macbook pro, so it definitely does.

if you look at this chart on wikipedia it will tell you the differences are, mostly speed.


5GHz will have more difficulty going through walls and things, so if there are a lot of walls, or if you're going through a wall diagonally, you may see a bit weaker signal.

2.4 is more widely used, so there is more chance for interference from neighboring networks, also microwave ovens, cordless phone, baby monitors, and bluetooth all use frequencies that are close, so they can cause interference.

 

[psxguru]

If you're going for a new Airport Extreme with simultaneous dual band then you can configure it to give you 'n' in both 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands at the same time as well as b/g in the 2.4Ghz band for compatibility for other devices.

 

[DaveTheRave]

If you're going for a new Airport Extreme with simultaneous dual band then you can configure it to give you 'n' in both 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands at the same time as well as b/g in the 2.4Ghz band for compatibility for other devices.

Right, and I think the ideal setup would be to make sure your computer's wireless settings are configured to choose your 5Ghz network first, and your 2.4 ghz network second. That way as long as you're in range you'll get the faster, less congested network. And if you move out of range of the 5 ghz, you can fall back onto your 2.4 network.