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The promise of improved performance and speed from the next generation of Wi-Fi, 802.11n, eventually should be an incredible benefit to home and business wireless network users. The speed of 802.11n will make current wireless networking standards seem as though they’re working through a strong headwind. 802.11n will be key in developing home networks, such as allowing for the sharing of high-def files among components on the network.

There’s much to like about 802.11n, other than one problem: the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) may not ratify the final specification until the second half of 2007. Until then, those wanting 802.11n have two choices: 1) Wait 2) Purchase “pre-standard” equipment, gain some of the benefits of 802.11n now, and hope that the hardware will still work with the final standard.

It’s your standard risk-reward question: Is the risk of whether the new technology will work as expected in the future worth the reward of spending money on it now?

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DIYers IT Zone reported that Paris is planning to offer wireless Internet that would blanket the city by the end of 2007, according to a plan laid out by city mayor, Bertrand Delanoe. Additionally, Delanoe is hoping to having 80 percent of the city covered by a fiber network by the end of 2010.

Tax breaks would be given to all companies that installed these fiber-optic cables throughout the city. Although access to the network would be free, it is said that it will maintained by private networks. Also, access points would be installed at many public places, such as libraries. The final plans for the network are planned to be presented next week.

Many companies are starting to experiment with wireless Internet access in popular cities. Google, for example, now provides free access in Mountain View, California by installing routers on telephone poles. However, Google wasn’t the only Internet search service that was launching a Wi-Fi service – Yahoo was rumored to launch one in April (Although the rumored service has yet to launch). Many other cities, such as Philadelphia and New York City, now have networks that are slowly gaining support from users.

[tags]Paris, Wireless Network, Metro Wi-Fi, Internet[/tags]

Even as Linksys, Netgear, and Belkin sell routers and wireless network cards based on a mere draft of the eventual 802.11n Wi-Fi specs, that standard remains uncertain. The IEEE committee assigned to ratify such things failed to move the current 802.11n spec forward for final approval. All of those pre-802.11n routers already in the field may have been launched prematurely, critics warn. As no one knows for sure what shape the final 802.11n spec will take, it’s increasingly unclear whether a firmware upgrade will make the pre-802.11n routers truly 802.11n compatible, let alone interoperable.

[tags]Pre-80211n[/tags]