802.eleventy what? A deep dive into why Wi-Fi kind of sucks [telecom]

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When wireless networking based around the 802.11b standard first hit consumer markets in the late nineties, it looked pretty good on paper. Promising "11 Mbps" compared to original wired Ethernet's 10 Mbps, a reasonable person might have thought 802.11b was actually faster than 10Mbps wired Ethernet connections. It was a while before I was exposed to wireless networking - smartphones weren't a thing yet, and laptops were still hideously expensive, underpowered, and overweight. I was already rocking Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) wired networks in all my clients' offices and my own house, so the idea of cutting my speed by 90 percent really didn't appeal.

Since the iPhone that my employer has provided to me doesn't work in my home unless I allow "WiFi" connections to AT&T, I hope this will be of interest.

Bill Horne Moderator