11b results - Indoor

Since I wanted as close to an apples-to-apples comparison with the 802.11b-based ParkerVision gear, I set the NETGEAR router to b & g mode (there is no b-only mode) and the card to its 11b only mode. Forcing the Belkin gear to 11b mode was a little trickier, since neither the card nor the router has settings to allow this. Fortunately, with a little help from Belkin, I was able to get the router into an 11b-only mode so that I could run the tests.

Figures 12 and 13 show clustered bar charts of the indoor test results. The chart type was used because the indoor test locations aren't at successive distances from the AP under test.

The downlink (AP to STA) tests show very consistent performance for the ParkerVision D2D and True MIMO products. The Super G / XR had a surprisingly-high 6.6Mbps closest-range (Location 1) throughput, something I don't think I've ever seen in 11b-only products. Throwing a few walls and / or floors in the way, knocks throughput down a bit, but Super-G ended up besting the other two technologies in three out of four downlink tests.

Figure 12: 11b Indoor Throughput vs. Location - AP to STA
(click on the image for a larger view)

The uplink tests were interesting in that both the D2D and Super G / XR products' throughput hovered in the high 5Mbps range, while the D2D product dropped down to the 4Mbps range. Despite these differences, I'd say that any of the products would provide reliable "whole-house" coverage at 11b speeds.

Figure 13: 11b Indoor Throughput vs. Location - STA to AP
(click on the image for a larger view)

The next IxChariot plots will give you an idea of the throughput variation of the products at the indoor locations. I'll start with AP to STA and STA to AP plots at best-case Location 1 (Figures 14 and 15).

Figure 14: 11b Indoor Throughput - Location 1, AP to STA
(click on the image for a larger view)

Both plots show that everyone is well-behaved, which I'd expect with router and client sitting within 6 feet of each other! Plots of tests taken at the other three indoor locations (not shown) show similar well-behaved throughput.

Figure 15: 11b Indoor Throughput - Location 1, STA to AP
(click on the image for a larger view)