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In my EDIXMAX router's configuration I can choose B, G or B+G.

What are the pros and cons of each and which should I choose to make transmission faster?

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3 Answers

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For most people, there is very little reason to enable B at this point as most newer computers, yours included, support the faster G, or even N. Since you are only going to be using one or the other, which would you prefer: 11Mb/sec for B, or 54Mb/sec for G?

The only reason to enable both would be if you have friends that might come over with older laptops, which only have a B wireless card, and you want them to connect. If they still use B, the heck with them (kidding, kind of). There is no performance hit for enabling both.

From a slight security point, there is no reason to have B enabled if you are not going to connect to it. Who will then, your neighbor, who wants to break in and download kiddy porn? I know, not likely, since they can still try to attack you on the G band, but there is still no real reason for you to enable B.

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Even G- and N-capable devices can use B rates to their advantage at range. B rates use simpler modulation schemes that work successfully at longer distances and lower signal-to-noise ratios than G and N rates.

Well-designed Wi-Fi routers implement G-only mode in a way that keeps B-only devices from joining, but keeps the B rates available for G-capable devices that might want to use them at range. Some poorly-designed Wi-Fi routers might implement G-only mode in a way that completely disables all the B rates, and thus hurts G-capable devices.

If you can't tell whether your router leaves the B rates enabled even in G-only mode, it's probably best to leave B+G enabled.

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You made mistake in the end of second paragraph. I think it should be B-capable devices. – Boris_yo Jun 14 '11 at 11:09
@Boris_yo Actually, it's right how I wrote it. If you take away the B rates, you limit the working range of your network, even for G-capable devices (G-capable devices usually fall back to B rates at range). – Spiff Jun 14 '11 at 15:52
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These represent different WLAN protocols. B means 802.11b, G means 802.11g. 802.11g is the faster of the two protocols. For maximum performance and compatibility, use the B+G mode.

On a side note, your router does not appear to support the latest and fastest protocol, 802.11n which can currently reach up to 450 Mbps (theoretically up to 600 Mbps; 802.11g allows up to 54 Mbps).

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Since my laptop has N network adapter and router can support only G, should i set only G mode on router? – Boris_yo Jun 14 '11 at 3:26
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No. If you set only G, a device that supports only B will not be able to connect to the router. However, a laptop with N will be able to connect at the G speed. Allowing both B and G will not cause the system to select the slower protocol unless it is not compatible with G. – DragonLord Jun 14 '11 at 3:28
802.11n can reach 450Mbps? I thought it was 300? – Boris_yo Jun 14 '11 at 11:10
Read the Wikipedia article; it explains how the protocol works. The original answer reflected what I thought was possible in current hardware. – DragonLord Jun 14 '11 at 11:29

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