Will different brands of networking equipment (Linksys, D Link, etc.) work together, or do I need to buy all the same brand?
by 
HungryGuy
ANSWERS: 2
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They will work together as long as they are support the same data link protocol, ie 802.11. 802.11g is newer is most things that support and will be backwards compatible with 802.11b. but if those 2 are connected, they can only be as fast as the slower one.
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Actually, brands that have Wi-Fi certifcation have been tested by the Wi-Fi alliance. Wi-Fi certification means that they conform to the standards as set forth by the IEEE for 802.11, 11b, 11g and 11a. There is usually a Wi-Fi Logo on retail boxes if it is tested. Now certain manufacturers add things that arent really outlined in the standards, such as WDS (Wireless Distribution System) which can be used for bridging and repeating. These devices are only guaranteed to work with the same manufacturers devices. Another thing that was not in the original standards was 128 bit WEP (only 64), so the wi-fi alliance did not test for compatibility, therefore some people experienced problems using 128 on different manufacturers equipment. It is my experience that same manufacturer equipment works the best with same manufacturer equipment because it has been designed and tested to do so although it is not 100% necessary to do, unless you are buying something that uses proprietory methods, such as Pre-N, SuperG and Turbo modes. These require a same manufactured device to get the full benefits.
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