Q: What are the differences between the 802.11 wireless technologies?

Given that the performance and range always varies by environment, the technologies offer the following.

• 802.11a
  54 Mbps theoretical throughput with 22 Mbps of potentially usable throughput in the 5-GHz band.
• 802.11b
  11 Mbps theoretical throughput with 5 Mbps of potentially usable throughput in the 2.4-GHz band.
• 802.11g
  54 Mbps theoretical throughput with 22 Mbps of potentially usable throughput in the 2.4-GHz band. Also offers additional wireless coverage versus 802.11a and b.
• 802.11n
  300 Mbps theoretical throughput with 180 Mbps of potentially usable throughput in the 2.4- or 5-GHz band. Offers dramatic improvement in range over 802.11 a, b and g.