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Wireless-network shoppers take note: 802.11g, the latest Wi-Fi standard, is fast, compatible with its popular but slower 802.11b sibling, and affordably priced. But there is some fine print for you to consider.

First, the nomenclature: Today's 11-megabits-per-second 802.11b wireless networks are fine for broadband Internet access (which typically tops out at about 1 mbps) but a bit poky for large internal file transfers or streaming video. However, 54-mbps, corporate-oriented 802.11a is expensive--and because its radio uses the 5-GHz band and 802.11b uses the 2.4-GHz band, upgrading to an 802.11a network means either scrapping 802.11b gear or buying even-pricier hardware that can support both standards.

But 802.11g promises the same speed as 802.11a and the ability to coexist with 802.11b equipment on one network, since it too uses the 2.4-GHz band.

The catch is, the first retail products are based on a near-final spec. The IEEE isn't expected to ratify the standard before June, and the Wi-Fi Alliance needs a ratified standard to begin certifying cross-vendor compatibility. These so-called pre-g products aren't guaranteed to work with either final versions or each other.

But judging from informal tests of the first shipping prestandard 802.11g hardware from Buffalo, D-Link, and Linksys, you shouldn't shy away from these early birds--if you need to buy now. Not only are these products fast and--at $125 to $149 for gateways--only a bit more expensive than 802.11b equivalents, but in our tests they worked seamlessly with each other as well as with 802.11b gear from other vendors. One caveat: Vendors say that these products will need only free, downloadable firmware updates to meet final certification standards, but there are no ironclad guarantees.

How about performance? With an all-802.11g network, we got real-world throughput ranging from 10 to 15 mbps, or about four times the 2.5 to 4 mbps we've historically recorded for all-802.11b networks (see chart). Speeds dropped when WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption was turned on or when we used both 11g and 11b cards on the same WEP-disabled network, but they still beat out 802.11b-only speeds. Even 802.11b cards ran about 15 percent faster when connected to an 11g gateway than when connected to an 11b gateway.

If you already have an 802.11b setup, and don't feel a compelling need for a faster network, there's no reason to upgrade to 802.11g immediately. But if you're planning to buy Wi-Fi equipment anyway, we'd recommend these prestandard products. The risk is minimal; the rewards are clear.

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