802.11n wireless LAN tests show 'unbelievable' results at state college - Network World

Skip Links

DNSstuff.com
Get information about your IP
IP Information
50+ On-demand DNS and network tools

Wireless & Mobile

Videos

rssRss Feed
Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, executive guides are added to our library.  Stay informed and up-to-date with the latest on IT Technologies with Network World's Resource Alerts.
Audio

Sprint, Clearwire in WiMAX venture; Indian workers don't want U.S. jobs. Listen now!

Network World 360

Qwest taps Verizon as wireless carrier; Apple wins big in Consumer Reports survey. Listen now!

Network World 360

Additional Resources

RSS

FEATURED REPORTS

Executive Guide: Storage Heats Up HP

Get the latest on storage technologies that allow IT professionals to better cope with new IT demands. Learn how storage technologies can help you successfully tackle e-Discover, regulatory compliance, green data center initiatives and the data explosion. Get all the details now.

RSS

FEATURED WEBCASTS

Reduce the Complexity and Cost of Windows Server Consolidation in Six Modules Novell

Watch this webcast to learn in six modules how to more cost effectively consolidate your Windows servers with virtualization. This unique program allows you to pick and choose which of the six modules you would like to view or watch the entire webcast at once. Topics covered: Performance, Use Cases, Enterprise-level Support, Managing Windows Workloads, Setup and Configuration and The Future. Find out how you can simplify server consolidation within your organization today. Register below to learn more and be entered to win an Archos 605 Portable Media Player.

IT Buyer's Guides

View All Buyer's Guides

Free Newsletters

Sign up and receive the latest news, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Save The Date!
What They Are Saying

You can find related project managemen articles in - Anonymous

Join the Discussion

802.11n wireless LAN tests show 'unbelievable' results at state college

802.11n generally seen as five times as fast as 11g, Morrisville IT staff finds
By John Cox , Network World , 08/06/2007
  • Social Web 
  • Email 
  • Feedback 
  • Close

The IT staff at Morrisville State College, where the first large-scale Draft 802.11n wireless LAN is being designed, says the beta gear exceeds expectations. The school last week plugged in the first 10 production units of Meru Networks access points.

One issue still facing the college, however, is when and how to upgrade the electrical system for the high-throughput devices, 900 of which will eventually be deployed across campus

The New York college, near the state’s rural center, is in the final stage of building a pervasive campuswide WLAN based initially on Meru Networks’ existing 802.11a/b/g access points. Those will start to be replaced this month and next with the newest Meru access points, which have a chipset that supports 11n. The first ten of these were shipped to the college last week.

With 11n, users can expect to see throughput of 100M to 300Mbps, depending on how the access point and client adapter are configured. That compares with 20M to 25Mbps today for 11a and 11g WLANs. In addition, users can expect to see high throughput sustained over longer distances from 11n access points. In tests that began in June, Morrisville network administrators are finding that 11n is delivering on its promise.

Click to see: Testing out 802.11n

Testing out 802.11n
Morrisville State College's client test results with Meru Network's 802.11n wireless LAN gear.
Description of test File size Client with 802.11g USB Client with 2.4 GHz 802.11n USB Client with 5 GHz 802.11n internal
Windows file upload from laptop to network share 50 MB 3 min. 51 sec. 26 sec. 8 sec.
Windows file download from network share to laptop 50 MB 1 min. 28 sec. 21 sec. 8 sec.
Web file upload from a laptop to server 20 MB 10 min. 2 min. 18 sec. 2 min. 36 sec.
Web file download from a server to laptop 20 MB 20 sec. 8 sec. 6 sec.
Ruckus* double album, music download from local server to laptop 164 MB (33 tracks) 2 min. 59 sec. 1 min. 37 sec. 1 min. 15 sec.
* a legal music-download service offered at Morrisville

“Some of the statistics [from the tests] were just unbelievable,” says Jean Boland, vice president of technology services for the college,  in Morrisville, N.Y. “[In general,] speeds were five times that of 11g.” Often, they were higher: According to Boland, a 50MB file uploaded from a laptop to a network drive took 3 minutes, 51 seconds with an 11g connection, but 26 seconds with an 11n connection -- nearly nine times faster.

1 | 2 | 3 |  Next >
Comments (16)
Login
Forgot your account info?

Information lackingBy Ed Schoffler on September 6, 2007, 9:24 amThe tests failed to compare the 802.11g internal NIC to a 802.11n internal NIC. Why did they stop short with the test? Did the 11g internal test outperform the...

Reply | Read entire comment

RE: Why not use built-in Intel 4965AGN adapter from Lenovo?By Anonymous on September 5, 2007, 10:40 pmLet me answer my own question, from above, based on information I just received. They tested with the Atheros chipset, because Intel's 4965AGN doesn't support...

Reply | Read entire comment

Why not use built-in Intel 4965AGN adapter from Lenovo?By Anonymous on September 5, 2007, 12:06 amOne thing that interests me about this article is the performance comparison between a USB 11n adapter, and an 11n adapter that's built into the laptop, which presumably...

Reply | Read entire comment

Even though I find Meru'sBy Anonymous on September 2, 2007, 2:19 pmEven though I find Meru's virtual MAC technology interesting for scaling bandwidth and for minimizing the burden of reassociating/reauthenticating when using strong...

Reply | Read entire comment

These results are "unbelievable"?By Anonymous on August 21, 2007, 6:45 pmI'm not sure how these data are "unbelievable". Morrisville got 1.73 Mbps for the 11g transfer; 15.38 Mbps for 11n with the 2.4 GHz Linksys card; and 50 Mbps on...

Reply | Read entire comment

View all comments

Add comment
Anonymous comments subject to moderator approval. Register here for member benefits.
Have a NetworkWorld account? Log in here. Register now for a free account.
First Name
Last Name
E-mail
Zip Code