‘N’ Versus ‘G’ Wi-Fi

I’m wondering about wireless specs for a laptop. I suspect the “n” version of Wi-Fi is best but “g” is adequate. Any advice would be appreciated.

A. It depends on how and where you intend to use your laptop’s wireless connectivity. The “n” version of Wi-Fi can be much faster than “g” and can have much greater range. However, the speed difference won’t matter much if your sole use is connecting to the Internet with a typical home or public hotspot service, since the maximum speed of these services is almost always well below “g” and “n” capabilities. But if you are streaming video at home or backing up large files wirelessly among computers and networked hard disks on a home network, you’d be much better off with “n,” assuming all devices involved support it. The same goes for range. In a small apartment, it likely won’t matter. In a large home, it could.

I’m thinking about getting the updated Apple MacBook Pro 13′ with the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. I very much like size and weight of this laptop, but is it wise these days to invest in an Intel Core 2 Duo instead of the newer Intel chips? I mainly need it for “Office Work” (email, Internet, Word, Excel, etc.).

A. As I said in my recent PC buyer’s guide, Intel’s newest processors can give you extra speed for demanding scenarios and then ratchet down to save battery life under simpler situations. But there’s nothing wrong with the older Core 2 Duo, or competing processors from AMD (AMD), for mainstream tasks. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a laptop with a Core 2 Duo for the kind of tasks you anticipate, or even heavier use.

As for battery life, Apple (AAPL) rates the Mac model you’re considering at up to 10 hours of use between charges. In my harsh battery test, it got 7 hours. In normal use, I’d guess it would easily exceed 8 hours.

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davedoty

If you have are contemplating “N” versus “G” Wi-Fi I am going to assume that the network you will connnect to is already “N” Wi-Fi. You should know that running a “G” device on an “N” wireless system slows everything down to “G” speeds. That is why, for me, everything I buy now must be “N” Wi-Fi.
Sophlady

Better quality routers, such as Apple's, allow dual 'g' and 'n” networks simultaneously, without throttling 'n.' Some also give one the option of two frequencies, including the less used 5 GHz. There is less likelihood of interference on it.
http://www.level3securities.com investor relations

“N” wifi is the new standard everything else will be antiquated.
http://www.mediahound.biz @Edw3rd

Walt, what's up with this WiDi that Microsoft is promoting in its new Windows7 tv spot? I thought they were just (finally) promoting good old DLNA connections…
davedoty

Right, I should have pointed out that since the more expensive routers can do this. Most of the existing wireless adapters, however, are made to support only the 2.4Ghz band. For this reason, the new routers that support the 5Ghz frequency generally also support 2.4Ghz, in most case, simultaneously. A problem some have found in all of the dual-band routers I have seen tested is that the range of the 5Ghz frequency is shorter than that of the 2.4Ghz frequency. And oftentimes the 5Ghz throughput performance is not much faster that of the 2.4Ghz, either.
jescott418

I think trying to run 2 different 2.4Ghz channels to support both N and G in a mixed network is asking for interference problems. If you have all N hardware then it really is not important. Although 2.4 will go through walls better then 5 Ghz. Yes, the 5 Ghz band is quieter but it does depend on if you need real speed increases for local network or range for a bigger house for example. I just turned off my N portion of my WRN3500 Netgear until all my hardware runs N.

‘N’ Versus ‘G’ Wi-Fi

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