State of the 802.11n: Draft 2.0 coming along nicely

There’s been a lot of buzz about 802.11n, the next standard for wireless networking. Much of it, of course, having to do with Apple’s decision to charge $1.99 for enabling the 802.11n functionality on their Core 2 Duo machines. But how is the spec itself progressing?

According to Ars Technica, Draft 2.0 should be moving to approval by the IEEE at the end of this month, and the timeline has been accelerated somewhat. You want a final date for the glories of 802.11n? January 2008. Yep, still a year away. However, that doesn’t mean that the gear you purchase now won’t work; most of the gear based on Draft 2.0 will be able to merely update their firmware. Early adopters of Draft N equipment may not be able to reap the full speeds of 802.11n.

But excepting any major speedbumps, we’re well on our way to wireless devices with better range, higher speeds, and better coverage. It’s a win-win-win situation.