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The Sluggish Effect of 802.11b Clients on 802.11g Networks
Although 802.11g access points (AP) are backwards compatible with 802.11b technology, it is not without a sacrifice. When organizations have an 802.11g wireless network and IT administrators allow 802.11b clients on it, the result is a slow data throughput of no more than 6 Mbps versus 22 Mbps.
The reason for the lost throughput (performance) is that in order to maintain backwards compatibility, 802.11g APs must implement a "protection" mechanism. When an 802.11g AP detects an 802.11b client, it initiates its protection mode and sends "Clear to Send" (CTS) and "Request to Send" (RTS) to the 802.11b clients. When an 802.11g AP communicates with an 802.11g client, this mechanism is not necessary. However, add even only one 802.11b client and protection must be implemented through the use of CTS and RTS. The CTS and RTS processes create overhead resulting in lost throughput.
The inverse holds true when the client wants to transmit to the AP.
To obtain the higher speeds that 802.11g technology offers, IT administrators must prevent 802.11b clients from associating to the 802.11g network. By disabling 802.11b data rates, IT administrators prevent 802.11b clients from joining the 802.11g network. 802.11b data rates are 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps. By disabling the data rates, IT administrators will free the 802.11g network from slower older wireless technology. IT administrators should be sure to send beacons at 6 Mbps, the lowest supported 802.11g data rate.
To learn more, contact GigaWave Technologies at 210.375.0085 or info@giga-wave.com
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