Members of the IEEE Task Group n (TGn) have finally, after years of bickering, agreed upon a completed specification for the next generation of wireless ( Wi-Fi ) networking - 802.11n (currently known as 'Draft N', 'Draft 2.0' or just 'N' if you've brought any supporting wireless kit recently).


Most Wi-Fi kit these days supports up to 802.11g, which can deliver a typical network speed of just 54Mbps, though using multiple channels and other technology this can be pushed up past 100Mbps.

By comparison 802.11n has greater range and a typical speed of around 100 to 130Mbps, which can push up to 600Mbps. To date we've yet to see anything claim more 450Mbps - D-Link(R) Xtreme N 450 Dual Band Router (note: the real-world performance is often considerably less).

It's understood that formal ratification of the 802.11n standard will be given in September, though we doubt it will have a huge impact given the mass of manufacturers with Draft 2.0 kit on the market. It will be interesting to see how many developers deliver a firmware update to the final spec.