Are wireless N routers compatible with B/G adapters?

Question

Or do I need wireless N adapters aswell?

Just want to know what I need to buy for an upgrade to wireless N.

Answer 1

IEEE 802.11n is a standard.  It is controlled by a sub-committee of IEEE 802.11.  The other (commonly known) standards are IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g.  Each is a standard in its own right.  These standards define different wireless protocols.

Your answer isn’t if these protocols are compatible because they are not.  What you want to know is; if these protocols are supported by your wireless devices.

For example, if you have a wireless router that states 802.11n capabilities.  And you have a mix of 802.11n / 802.11g/b Network Interface Cards.  Will the 802.11g/b devices communicate with the 802.11n router?  The answer is, probably, yes.  But the thing to check is:  Does the router support 802.11g/b?

It’s not the job of IEEE 802.11n to support other IEEE802.11 standards.  It’s the job of the manufacturer to do so.

All good network devices (LinkSys, DLink, etc) will have devices that are IEEE 802.11n that support IEEE 802.11g/b.  Look at the specs for the device.  If the router, in the above example, supports 802.11n and 802.11b/g then if your other devices are all 802.11b/g then they will open a conversation.

Answer 2

B and G adapters are compatible. You you only need to upgrade if you want the higher speed that N provides. The N won't make any difference on your Internet speed even if you do use the N adapters but it will if you intend to send large files between computers.