NOTES:
• "Signal Quality" readings taken with the ZyXEL client utility
• Testing was done with a ZyXEL B-100 client card in a WinXP Home Dell Inspiron 4100 laptop unless otherwise noted

Even though ZyXEL's ZyAIR B-100 802.11b card (based on Intersil's PRISM chipset) can't take advantage of the B-4000's 802.11b+ 22Mbps raw data rate, the pair turned in one of the best 802.11b performances that I've ever seen!

Figure 11: Four location throughput
(click on the image for a full-sized view)

Figure 11 shows that the results from my four location test were so consistent, that I had to double check to make sure that I didn't accidently forget to run some of the tests! I also checked performance with 128 bit WEP enabled and saw no throughput change.

I should note that the test results are taken through the router, since the B-4000's V-LAN feature prevents all communication between LAN-side clients. But since routing throughput is more than 3X the speed of the wireless connection, I can safely say these results truly reflect the actual wireless speed.

802.11b Wireless Performance Test Results

See details of how we test.