User's Manual
Chapter 1: Introduction 7
Understanding Wireless Transmission Standards
802.11 is a series of wireless transmission standards developed by the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for wireless local area networks.
Currently, four specications make up the 802.11 series: 802.11, 802.11a,
802.11b, and 802.11g. Your Microsoft Wireless Adapter conforms to the latest
specication, 802.11g. The main features that distinguish these specications are
connection speed and radio frequency.
The following table summarizes the four specications in the 802.11 series.
Specication Connection speed Radio frequency band
802.11 1 or 2 megabits per second (Mbps) 2.4 GHz
802.11a Up to 54 Mbps 5 GHz
802.11b 5.5 and 11 Mbps 2.4 GHz
802.11g Up to 54 Mbps 2.4 GHz
Note The benet of the 2.4-GHz radio frequency band is that it allows for greater
range than the 5-GHz band. The drawback is that it is susceptible to interference from
other devices such as 2.4-GHz cordless telephones.
Because 802.11b and 802.11g use the same radio frequency band, your
802.11g adapter is compatible with 802.11b devices. However, when you transfer
data between 802.11b and 802.11g devices, the connection speed is limited to
the 802.11b maximum of 11 Mbps.
Note Your Microsoft Wireless adapter is not compatible with 802.11a-only devices.
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