Speed and Coverage Area – 11Mbps /54Mbps Shared, Within Buildings
ITS uses the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g "WiFi" wireless standard for Penn State Wireless. The 802.11 number refers to standards developed for wireless networks and the a, b and g notations identify different "flavors" of the 802.11 standard. The 802.11b specification supports a speed of up to 11Mbps in a shared environment (as opposed to the 100 Mbps of most wired connections). Both the 802.11a and 802.11g specification, at 54 Mbps in a shared environment, support a speed that is up to 5 times faster. The shared environment means that all users connected to an access point share the common date transmission rate. See Data Transmission Rate chart (below) for explanation.
Note that the wireless signal in some buildings may extend to adjacent outside areas. Solid objects between the access point and the wireless user can dampen the signal. Interference may occur from the building’s walls, ceilings, metal, furniture, and even people. If you are attempting to use a wireless connection in an area where signal strength is weak, moving your laptop just a few feet may improve your reception dramatically. In general, the closer you are to an access point, the better your signal.
Penn State Wireless provides data speeds that are sufficient for the most common LAN-based applications like email exchanges, access to printers, Web browsing, and access to multi-user databases and applications such as word processing and spreadsheets. It’s important to note that the speed of Penn State Wireless, however, can fluctuate significantly depending on the number of simultaneous users and the applications being used.
Penn State Wireless is not a substitute for the higher-speed wired connections on campus, so it’s important for you to match your applications with the bandwidth that’s available. Wireless shouldn't be used for high-performance computing or bandwidth intensive multi-media applications. But it works great as a complementary service for the common, low bandwidth, applications mentioned above.
Penn State Wireless is a service provided to colleges or departments that will create wireless networking areas in your building. ITS will design, implement and maintain 2.4GHZ, 54Mbps maximum 802.11g wireless LAN service in all new Penn State Wireless locations. Additionally, existing Penn State Wireless customers may request faster 5GHz, 54Mbps maximum 802.11a coverage in any or all locations covered by 802.11g.
Date Transmission Rate Chart
Maximum
Transmission Speed by Client Type |
|||
Penn State Wireless
Service Type |
802.11b |
802.11g |
802.11a |
802.11b |
11 Mbps |
11 Mbps |
NA |
802.11g |
11 Mbps |
54 Mbps |
NA |
802.11g and 802.11a |
11 Mbps |
54 Mbps |
54 Mbps |