[Gorest Gump]

What do y'all think about 802.11a? I hear it is stronger, faster, and more dependable. Also it is not prone to interfere with satellite radio, which is growing. I'm considering an investment in a 802.11a company, and I'd like to hear someone with more techie knowledge comment.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

What do y'all think about 802.11a?

I use 802.11b EVERY day and my company is a player. I have yet to even SEE 802.11a in action. I can only respond based on what I've read. From what I can tell

1. Expect to see devices that combine both 802.11a and 802.11b. 802.11a delivers much higher bandwidth, since 802.11b is 11 Mbps, I think 802.11a is in the 54 Mbps.

2. The disadvantages of 802.11a are going to be cost (especially initially) and more significantly, range. 802.11b allows you to be up to 300 feet from the base station whereas that distance drops to 50 feet for 802.11a. The limited range and the increased bandwidth derives directly from the higher frequences used (just as FM has higher quality but shorter range than AM).

The drivers for 802.11a are going to be bandwidth hungry applications (read video) or dense user populations (as the available bandwidth is shared unlike switched ethernet where the bandwidth is dedicated).