Network Capacity

Another consideration when selecting a protocol is its overall capacity. Network capacity can be expressed as the throughput multiplied by the number of available channels. Because 802.11g has access to the same three nonoverlapping channels, the only way to increase total capacity is to increase throughput on individual channels. Table A-2 shows approximate network capacities for different Wi-Fi technologies.

Table A-2. Network Capacity Comparison

Protocol	Throughput (Mbps)	Channels	Capacity (Mbps)
802.11b	6	3	18
802.11g (with 802.11b clients)	14	3	42
802.11g (with no 802.11b clients)	22	3	66
802.11a	25	23 (assumes the use of both indoor and outdoor channels)	575

As you can see, 802.11b clients have the lowest capacity, whereas 802.11a clients have almost 32 times as much capacity. As you can see in the next section, however, there is a tradeoff in ranges when it comes to these technologies.