802.11g

To keep up with the 54-Mbps speed claims of 802.11a, the 802.11g protocol was ratified in 2003. This protocol took the OFDM modulation technique of 802.11a and applied it to the 2.4 GHz spectrum of 802.11b. Because it operated in 2.4 GHz, it was possible to remain backwards-compatible with 802.11b equipment. 802.11g radios support both OFDM and DSSS modulation techniques. Therefore, an 802.11g device would, in theory, be compatible with an original 1 or 2 Mbps 802.11 DSSS device from 1997.
Keep in mind that a typical residential or small business hotspot has a DSL or similar connection behind it providing the bandwidth to the Access Point.These broadband connections typically provide speeds in the 1.5 to 3 Mbps range. Obviously, the bottleneck in a Wi-Fi deployment is usually the DSL (or even T1) pipe.Therefore, the advantages of higher speed wireless connections (such as 802.11g) are often limited because of the Internet connection.The only exception would be if there is a large number of data transfers between wireless clients and PCs on the local area network (or between two wireless PCs). In those cases (such as gaming or local file transfers), users will notice a significant speed increase when using 802.11g,  compared to slower wireless protocols, such as 802.11b. In many large-scale community wireless networks, a system of repeaters will be used to enhance coverage in dead spots. Because each repeater (such as WDS) reduces the bandwidth by half, using 802.11g (and 54 Mbps) is often desirable.The logic here is that you can halve 54 Mbps more times then you can halve 11 Mbps, and yet still wind up with a useable, decent bandwidth speed for the client.
The pros and cons of 802.11g are as follows:

• Upside: Relatively fast speed; compatible with 802.11b
• Downside: Interference from other 2.4 GHz devices; only three non-overlapping channels

802.11a

Although 802.11a was released around the same time as 802.11b, it never achieved the same critical mass or wide scale acceptance.This was despite 802.11a’s superior 54-Mbps speed. (Before 802.11g was released, 802.11a was the fastest Wi-Fi protocol available.) 802.11a operates in the 5 GHz spectrum and has 12 non-overlapping channels. As a result of this higher frequency, 802.11a has a much harder time penetrating through obstacles, such as walls and other objects.This results in a range much lower than 802.11b.
One major advantage of 802.11a is that it is less prone to interference from other 5 GHz devices simply because there are fewer 802.11a and 5 GHz cordless devices deployed in the real world to compete with. Unlike 2.4 GHz (which is flooded with competing devices), 5 GHz remains relatively unused.This trend, however, is changing as more and more cordless phones and other gadgets are migrating to the less crowded 5 GHz spectrum. However, for the time being, 802.11a makes an excellent choice for building-to-building and backhaul solutions where line of sight is available. Also, 802.11 offers 11 non-overlapping channels. See Table 1.2 for a list of 802.11a channels.The pros and cons of 802.11a are as follows:

• Upside: Relatively fast speed; more non-overlapping channels than 802.11b/g; 5 GHz spectrum is less crowded
• Downside: More expensive; shorter range

The History and Basics of 802.11

The desire of people to communicate wirelessly spans many generations and technologies. Some might even argue that the ancient activity of lighting fires and using smoke signals was an early attempt to distribute a message without wires. In this book, however, we refer to the term “wireless” in the context of a modern data network. In other words: the ability to transmit and receive binary data from one location to another. A great deal of wireless data technology evolved in the late 20th century. Unfortunately, these wireless devices were typically proprietary and expensive.Their uses included specialized applications, such as remote cash registers and warehouse inventory systems.
After spending the better part of the 1990s engaged in technical discussions, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ratified the 802.11 protocol in 1997.The original protocol supported three physical layer definitions: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), and InfraRed (IR).The supported data rates for DSSS and FHSS were 1 and 2 Mbps.These protocols operated in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed spectrum. IR remains an interesting footnote in the history of 802.11, as it never achieved any notable commercial success due to its limited range and line of sight requirements.
In 1999, the higher speed 802.11a and 802.11b protocols were ratified. 802.11b added 5.5 and 11 Mbps support using DSSS in 2.4 GHz, making it backwards-compatible with existing 1 and 2 Mbps DSSS gear (but not compatible with FHSS or IR equipment). 802.11a added Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) as a modulation technique in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum, with speeds of up to 54 Mbps. In 2003, 802.11g was ratified, which provided higher speeds (up to 54 Mbps). 802.11g works by applying OFDM modulation techniques in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed spectrum. It remains backwards-compatible with 802.11b by integrating DSSS modulation (at 11, 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps).