Super G®  and Super AG® :  FAQ

1)      What are Super G®  and Super AG®  technologies?

Atheros’ Super G®  and Super AG®   technologies provide speed and throughput of more than double standard wireless LAN technologies in networking products such as PCs, access points, routers and PC cards.

2)       Why should I purchase WLAN products enabled with Super G®  or Super AG® ?

Super G®  and Super AG®  enabled WLAN equipment—PCs, access points, routers and PC cards--are very helpful to users who require additional bandwidth (over standard WLAN technologies) that results in higher throughput necessary for a variety of functions such as:

• Streaming media: video, DVD, MPEG

• High-speed gaming

• Photo printing

• Large file transfers

• VOIP

• Or, for providing multiple users on a single WLAN with optimal speeds despite network demand

3)      I have heard Super G®  and Super AG®  provide speeds of 108 Mbps?  Is this the speed I can actually expect from my PC or access point that has Super G®  or Super AG®  capabilities?

108 Mbps is the maximum link speed available when Super G®  and Super AG®  are in Dynamic Turbo mode.  Dynamic Turbo mode is achieved through the bonding of two 54 Mbps channels to deliver significantly higher throughput versus standard .11b, .11g and .11a technologies.

However, what is most important to end-users of WLAN technologies is not  link speed, but the actual throughput they experience in day-to-day  usage. Typical MAXIMUM end-user throughput ranges from approximately 40 Mbps to 60+ Mbps when Dynamic Turbo or the Super features are enabled, depending on application demand and network environment.

4)      How does the actual throughput of Super G®  and Super AG®  compare with throughput available through standard technologies?

Standard .11b products generally achieve maximum throughput of 6 Mbps; .11g and .11a products tend to deliver optimal throughput of 18-22 Mbps.

• 60 – 70 Mbps:  Super G®  and Super AG®  will deliver end-user throughput of more than 60 Mbps or 3x standard when both PC and access point are enabled with Super G®  or Super AG® ; with both ends enabled, they shift into Dynamic Turbo mode when the  application demands greater throughput and channels are available for Turbo Mode operation.  This is the highest actual throughput available in the wireless LAN market today.

• Approximately 40 Mbps:  or 2x standard throughput is achieved when both PC and the access point are Super-enabled but application demand has not signaled the need for Dynamic Turbo.

• Approximately 26 Mbps:  upstream transmission of  20+% over standard when the PC or the AP alone is enabled with Super G®  or Super AG® , due to packet bursting performance enhancements which are delivered regardless of network environment.

• 22 Mbps: when Super G®  and Super AG®  are in base mode, with Super capabilities idle.

5)       What is the difference in performance of Super G®  and Super AG®  versus standard 11a, 11b, or 11g products?

Standard b products generally deliver 11 Mbps link rates and peak actual throughput of 6 Mbps; standard g and a products have link rates of 54 Mbps and will generally deliver end-user throughput of 18-22 Mbps.  As discussed in point 2, Super G® /AG products offer actual end-user throughput of 60 to 70 Mbps when in Dynamic Turbo Mode, approximately 40 Mbps when in Super mode (both the access point or router and the PC are enabled but the application does not require Turbo speeds), and 22 Mbps when in base mode or when the Super G®  or Super AG®  enhancements are idle.

6)      Do Super G®  and Super AG®  PCs work with standard a, b, or g access points?

Yes.  Super G®  interoperates with both b and g WLAN equipment and Super AG®  offers optimal compatibility, working with a, b, and g WLAN products.

7)      How do I get the greatest benefit from Super G®  and Super AG®  with my PC?

The optimal Super network is one in which both the station (PC) and the access point or router are Super-enabled with either Super G®  or Super AG®  technology.

8)      Do I need to do anything special to my PC to make in work in Super G®  or Super AG®  mode?

No.  Super G®  and Super AG®  are smart technologies that sense their WLAN environments and immediately shift into Dynamic Turbo when your application demands additional bandwidth and when the Super-enabled is present at both ends of the network.  You do not have to perform any special adjustments or configurations to enjoy the maximum benefits of Super G®  or Super AG®  technologies. 

9)      I have heard that Super G®  and Super AG®  have a feature called Adaptive Bandwidth or Adaptive Radio.  What does that do?

Super G®  and Super AG®  are the first commercial deployments of Adaptive Radio Technology.  The Dynamic Turbo mode that gives Super G®  and Super AG®  their enhanced performance boosts is driven by Atheros’ Adaptive Radio Technology.

This new technology provides performance-on-demand based on channel utilization.  Adaptive Radio monitors the entire 802.11 g and .11a bands and automatically increases the throughput only when channels are available and the application demands additional bandwidth.  Adaptive Radio is a smart technology that aligns with the Federal Communications Commission initiatives on Cognitive Radio which promote more efficient sharing of spectrum.

Adaptive Radio is important to end-users because it is, in effect, the brains that enable the highest throughput of Super G®  and Super AG®  networks.

10)  How do Super G®  and Super AG®  in my PC operate with a standard WLAN access point?

In this network scenario, Super G®  and Super AG®  PCs will provide actual end-users with transmissions in excess of 20+% over standard throughput speeds.

11)  What happens to Super G®  and Super AG®  when non-Super devices are in the network or in an adjacent channel?

Because Super G®  and Super AG®  are smart technologies that utilize Adaptive Radio when they are in Dynamic Turbo Mode and a non-Super device enters the network or enters an adjacent channel, Super G®  and Super AG®  will automatically downshift out of turbo into the enhanced performance mode, still delivering real throughput of approximately 40 Mbps to each Super-enabled station (PC).

* Theoretical wireless link rate based on applicable IEEE 802.11 standards. Actual user throughput will be lower than the theoretical link rate and will vary, as network conditions and environmental factors can lower actual throughput rate.