Beyond 802.11g with MIMO - Increasing Range in Wireless Networking
Introduction
Ever since the first generation of 802.11-based (Wi-Fi) wireless networks were introduced, vendors have sought to exceed the speed limits of the established standards of the time. When 11Mbps 802.11b wireless networking was standard, some vendors developed 22Mbps extensions. Many of these vendors have also developed extensions to improve the throughput of 54Mbps 802.11g wireless networks.
Despite improvements in performance from developments such as Broadcom's 125 High Speed Mode and Atheros' Super G and Super AG technologies, signal range continues to be a major problem with wireless networking.
This article discusses a technology called MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) and how major wireless hardware vendors are using it to improve range.