by Dan East » Feb 23, 2002 @ 8:25pm
At close range (<5 meters) 802.11b is as fast as ethernet 10Base-T. I can't tell a difference between the two. That is only if the CF card is configured without power saving mode. When power saving is enabled, the throughput was reduced to 1/5 or so (at close range). The battery drain without power saving is very high on my iPaq. It will kill the batteries in less than 30 minutes. My experience is that walls and floors greatly reduce signal strength. I was able to go about 125 meters outdoors (my WAP was sitting in the window, line of sight from my location) before the connection was completely lost. Indoors at about 12 meters through a couple walls (paneling - not concrete or brick) I had to "baby" it to keep a connection. I would have to move my iPaq around until I found a good spot to maintain a connection. The signal strength would read around 30% at most in that scenerio.
All in all I am disappointed with 802.11b when used with a Pocket PC. I was testing out the feasibility for use in hospitals, and my verdict is that WAPs would be required ever 25 meters at most down all hallways to provide decent coverage in that type of setting. Now if one were using fixed access points, such as PC to WAP, where one could employ additional high gain antennas, etc, then I think it would provide a good alternative to ethernet. Directional antennas can be used outdoors between fixed-point sites to span many miles (line of site). The biggest problem I see with 802.11b at this time with Pocket PCs is the battery life.
Dan East
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