(May 5, 2003) — 802 what? .11g? What? Even for a Clark student, terms like “Wi-Fi” and “802.11g” may seem unfamiliar. But as we enter a school where networks are a necessity, one must know their left from their right – or in this case, 802.11b from 802.11g. Clark is currently using 802.11b, the older and slower “sibling” of the latest 802.11b. The 802.11b works at 11mbps, where the corporate-oriented 802.11a works at a whopping speed of 54 mbps. The 802.11g promises matching speeds of an 802.11a, at a much more affordable price. The 802.11g also ensures compatibility with the 802.11b, unlike the 802.11a which does not. This means that if Clark were to upgrade to match the speeds of the 11a devices, all that’s necessary is to purchase 11g devices and connect with our current 11b devices. With the 11a, our 11b would have to be disposed of. The only downside to the 802.11g is that it is not yet IEEE ratified, and is not expected to be until June or later. It doesn’t sound like a bad thing at all, does it? Well, it’s not. The pre standard 11g hardware from big-name corporations such as Buffalo, D-Link, and Linksys was tested and showed smooth and satisfying results. But the Wi-Fi Alliance needs a ratified standard to certify the cross-vendor compatibility. Not only are the 11gs fast, but are priced at only about $125 to $149 for gateways, only a fraction more than the 11bs. The compatibility also allows the 11bs to transfer about 15 percent faster when connected to an 11g. Aside from all its speed and affordability, free updates will be downloadable to meet certification standards. But seeing as it is pre standard, nothing is absolutely for certain and the pre-g products aren’t guaranteed to work with final versions or each other.