Why does 802.11g perform better than 802.11n on my iMac?

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Level 1

25 points

Why does 802.11g perform better than 802.11n on my iMac?

I've set my AirPort Extreme to Simultaneous dual-band mode and my 24 inch iMac can see both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless networks.
When I am connected to the 5 GHz (802.11n) network, my web browsing experience is a little sluggish at times and then has bursts of speed. When I switch to the 2.4 GHz (802.11g) network, the sluggish performance goes away and browsing is consistently more snappy.

Has anyone seen this before? I'm using the default settings for the 5 GHz network.

Please advise.

Thank you!

24 inch iMac 2.33, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 19, 2009 6:18 AM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

141,270 points

Jun 20, 2009 8:18 AM in response to Udder

The first thing that comes to mind is that you may be near the limits of Extreme's 5 GHz wireless range. Is that possible?

Although the 5 GHz spectrum is capable of higher transmission rates, it's also more susceptible to range reduction due to intervening obstructions. 802.11g in 2.4 GHz sometimes works better in those situations.

Placement tends to be more critical also - a few inches one way or the other can make a difference.

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