Comparative 11n throughput and range

Chipmaker shares sample rates based on performance modeling

Industry analysis by expert Joanie Wexler, plus links to the day's wireless news headlines

Draft 2.0 802.11n network performance is dependent on so many variables that it can be challenging to get your head around just what to expect with the next-generation Wi-Fi LAN systems. However, Wi-Fi chipmaker Atheros has shared some ballpark throughput numbers based on hypothetical modeling it has conducted in-house.

The table provides estimates of the downlink throughput likely to be realized in Atheros-based networks at various distances and depending on how many antennas and spatial streams are in play. The lion’s share of Wi-Fi systems use Atheros chipsets; many also use the Atheros reference design. Cisco is a notable exception.

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Draft 2.0 802.11n network performance is dependent on so many variables that it can be challenging to get your head around just what to expect with the next-generation Wi-Fi LAN systems. However, Wi-Fi chipmaker Atheros has shared some ballpark throughput numbers based on hypothetical modeling it has conducted in-house.

The table provides estimates of the downlink throughput likely to be realized in Atheros-based networks at various distances and depending on how many antennas and spatial streams are in play. The lion’s share of Wi-Fi systems use Atheros chipsets; many also use the Atheros reference design. Cisco is a notable exception.

In addition to the core chips and system implementation, some other key contributors to actual throughput include the following:

* Architecture of the WLAN system.
* The mix of clients in your environment and their degree of “stickiness.”
* The mix of mandatory and optional 802.11n features supported in the pre-standard 802.11n devices you use.
* How many antennas are used in the system and how many spatial streams are supported (see "MIMO, antennas and streams - oh, my!" and "What 802.11n tech specs mean").
* Whether you operate in 40MHz dual-channel mode or in 20MHz single-channel mode.
* Whether 11n APs are serving 802.11a, b or g clients as well as n clients.

And so on. In the coming months, we’ll take a look at each of these items a bit more under the microscope.

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.

Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in Silicon Valley.