Several of my co-workers and I recently went on an IBM ThinkPad shopping spree and we decided it was time to go WiFi at our office.
We did some reading on the available protocols (I’ve worked up a helpful addition to this chart to the right). 802.11b is everywhere. 802.11a seems to be nowhere. 802.11g is faster and backwards compatible with 802.11b. G it is.
However, it turns out that the 802.11g specs are not finished and all products released as “802.11g” are based on draft specifications. What does this mean for you? Don’t buy 802.11g products yet. They don’t work yet.
We bought a Linksys Wireless-G Access Point. While they do clearly describe the product as “based on the Draft 802.11g Specification”, we naively assumed it would work. It doesn’t. Apparently it does work ok with Linksys’ own 802.11b spec client cards, but we all have different client cards.
Apparently we should have known better. We are obviously not the first people to run into this. The Register has article describing the situation. However, I thought some anecdotal evidence may be helpful: We bought a Linksys WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point and it did not work with our 802.11b cards (we’ve tried a variety of different cards: Cisco, Orinoco/Lucent, & Phoebe).
On the bright side, I’ve now got an 802.11b network at work and at home. This is one of those “Eureka” technologies – like when I first tried instant messaging. A recent trip to Ottawa showed about 20 networks in just a few blocks, about half of them open. For any local readers, look forward to more on open WiFi in Charlottetown (contact me if you are interested in participating).
An old fart writes:
Having failed to hook up the Power Mac to isn [I actually think the modem died but that is besides my point here] I was reminded of my frustration with the use of the words “standards” in software. I know this thing worked in 1998. I know my car worked in 1998, my TV in 1998, my CD player in 1998. The internal combustion engine, broadcast and cable TV, as well as CD standards have actually maintained what can be actually called “standards.” Software and PC’s, on the other hand, have such immediate obsolesence built into them which, when combined with Steve’s point on parallel and/or never quite completed technologies, I wonder what sector [other than the military] could survive with such inherent inefficiencies.
When I bought my iBook last summer, I decided to get an Airport card and a LinkSys wireless router. I went through the same process as you (reading), but I was actually forced into going 802.11b because the Airport cards don’t support any higher (or didn’t). Therefore I didn’t run into the trouble you had, but I definitely would have if I didn’t have to buy the Airport card–I would have definitely gone to g and been screwed as well.
I’ve been using a ThinkPad from work and it has a somewhat strange keyboard interface. No track pad. No logo or context menu keys. And the fn key is placed where I expect to find the control key. Frustrating, says I.
Dan, the location of the Function key on the ThinkPad drives me insane. I’ve gotten used to it, but now I get mixed up when using other keyboards. Other than that, I’m quite happy with my T30.
Try a Sun SparcStation keyboard… Crazy.
IBM’s desktop keyboard is no better for changing the normal key layout.
I agree, but I have adjusted… Maybe IBM should just leave keyboards alone? There really is no good reason for altering the desktop keyboards like that, there is much more reaching involved.
I don’t understand why IBM doesn’t just place the FN key between Ctrl and Alt. This is where the Windows button normally is and it’s easy to avoid. This is how Dell does it and makes lots of sense…
I’ve seen 802.11g working at the AppleStore, hitch free. When the draft is finished, the companies who manufacture this stuff will all have one, non-moving target to hit, and finish up their firmware. Then the WiFi committee will be able to certify and then you’ll be able to go cross-vendor. But it’s what you get when you jump on a technology before its finished, I mean, come on, it’s technology! It barely works right when it IS finished!
Garrett M- could you clarify what you’re trying to say? Basically, the first G-chipsets just came out, and you weren’t happy that there were no cards for G in the summer? That doesn’t make any sense… Your iBook has one of the best WiFi experiences you can buy on any platform, btw (range, ease of use, etc). And lastly, I can’t stand that “pencil-eraser” the ThinkPad has. It makes me twitch.
i am looking so hard for a way to assign ‘fn’ to ‘ctrl’ but it seems no one has made a hack for it yet. the nub doesn’t bother me that much, i rarely hit it. but yeah that fn thing is horrible if you use mad hotkeys (like most of us programmers do)
it’s not that they “don’t work.” It’s just that the draft hasn’t been nominated as the good one yet.