Can you use an 802.11n router with an 802.11g wireless card?

Answer 1

Yes. An 802.11n card should be backwards compatible with 802.11g/b. If you have a router that supports 802.11g, then the 802.11 card will work. But you are not gaining anything by using the n card with a g AP. The card will simply function as a 802.11g card.

Answer 2

Yes. 802.11n routers support backward (so-called mixed mode) compatibility with 802.11g and 802.11b equipment. Some also support 802.11n-only operation that prevents 802.11b/g clients from joining the network but increases the router's 802.11n performance over mixed mode. The Belkin N1 does not support 802.11n only mode. However, as an alternative you can use its Bandwidth Switch setting to enable the 40MHz mode of 802.11n signaling to potentially improve performance.

Answer from http://compnetworking.about.com/od/routers/gr/belkin-n1.htm

---> I replaced a G router with N Linksys E2000, and found laptop with Linksys G pcmia adapter card (and Windows ME) would link, but not communicate with the network. Linksys support said I needed a new driver for the laptop, and updated driver has a "fee" of (COSTS) $29.95.

Answer 3

You can use the N-standard cards, since N-standard is backward compatible. That means N-standard will work with B,G standards. But the speed will be according to the standards,N-300Mbps,G-54Mbps,B-11Mbps

802.11bIEEE expanded on the original 802.11 standard in July 1999, creating the 802.11b specification. 802.11b supports bandwidth up to 11 Mbps, comparable to traditional 802.11a802.11a supports bandwidth up to 54 Mbps and signals in a regulated frequency spectrum around 5 GHz. 802.11gIn 2002 and 2003, WLAN products supporting a newer standard called 802.11g emerged on the market. 802.11g attempts to combine the best of both 802.11a and 802.11b. 802.11g supports bandwidth up to 54 Mbps, and it uses the 2.4 Ghz frequency for greater range. 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b, meaning that 802.11g access points will work with 802.11b wireless network adapters and vice versa. 802.11nThe newest IEEE standard in the Wi-Fi category is 802.11n. It was designed to improve on 802.11g in the amount of bandwidth supported by utilizing multiple wireless signals and antennas (called MIMO technology) instead of one.

When this standard is finalized, 802.11n connections should support data rates of over 100 Mbps to 300Mbps 802.11n also offers somewhat better range over earlier Wi-Fi standards due to its increased signal intensity. 802.11n equipment will be backward compatible with 802.11g gear.