Uh, the speed of the console's wireless adaptor has bugger all to do with your internet line speed, but rather your local network. Not just for media streaming from local devices, but also for moving between your console and modem / router. Wireless connectivity necessarily incurs higher latencies than wired - i.e. there's lag between your console and modem / router, as well as lag between your modem / router and remote servers - so the idea is to minimise this as much as possible.
Hey Azi,
I understand the dynamics of a network (really well). My question was supposed to let people understand that having a faster wireless standard in your XBOX would not really improve much in terms of using the console for online gaming and downloading. The ONLY time a faster wireless adapter would benefit you in a XBOX console would be for LOCAL media streaming and file copying.
Btw, the lag between your console and your router is so minimal that there is going to be NO noticeable difference between this new wireless adapter and the currently available one. That's a fact/
So to summarize:
Pros :
It will provide a slightly higher file transfer speed between your xbox and your PC. This means streaming will be better, and if you were a person copying a lot of files between your xbox and your pc (????) you will have a better experience.
Cons :
It will NOT improve your online experience with your XBOX at all. Your latencies will be the same and your "downloading speed" is dictated by your line speed going OUT of your router (Telkom 4mbps for ADSL). Your XBOX's wireless adapter (even the current one) is MUCH faster than the fastest broadband available in South Africa at the moment anyways.
Remember this: a network is only as fast as the SLOWEST part in that network. In a WAN situation (going to the internet) it's going to be your line speed out of your house. You can upgrade the wireless adapter in your xbox until you're blue in the face...it won't make a hint of difference. That 0.00001ms that your gaining with a better wireless adapter to your router won't mean a single damn thing because it's the latency going from the ROUTER to the OUTSIDE that dictates your overall experience.
In a LAN connection, and ONLY in a local LAN network will upgrading the wireless adapter in your XBOX show ANY improvement - and even that will be dependent on your router supporting that wireless standard.
Nuff said. That's how the technology works. Period. I work on a multi-billion rand network every single day for the past 8 years...you can really trust me on this.
