802.11a Thru a Wall?

[mwsmith824]

I've been told by a friend of mine that if I want to set up a wireless lan in my apartment that I'm pretty much stuck with 802.11b. He claims that 802.11a has serious trouble going thru a wall or 2. Now these aren't concrete walls, it's just crappy apartment drywall.

Anyone have any ideas what kind of range I could expect with an 802.11a setup or am I stuck as he says? Any recommendations on hardware would also be appreciated.

Thanks!

-Mike

[ECGriffith]

802.11a, which uses the 5GHz radio spectrum, does indeed have less range than 802.11b. I've had most home access points that use A drop out once i get more than two stories away. That said, even one story away the through put is still more than double that of 802.11b. Careful placement of an 802.11a access point/router could easily make up for any range problems with the technology.

[Peregrine]

I agree with Eric. It has everything to do with WHERE you put the router/AP.