This technology has been on sale in laptop and other equipment for many years but was still not approved by IEEE, a body that oversees all Wi-Fi standards.

There is nothing new that has been discovered now. In fact this technology was created seven years ago. This next generation Wi-Fi offers speeds at least six times faster than current approved technology. Many manufacturers were hesitant to use this technology as there were no guarantees that future networking equipment would be compatible with the devices from using it, as it did not have a rubber stamp from IEEE. The approval from IEEE has changed that.

Electronics firms have sold PCs and routers using the standard for many years, labelled “802.11n draft”
But without the IEEE’s approval, there were no guarantees that future networking equipment would be compatible with the devices.
Under ideal conditions, 802.11n technology can offer speeds of 300 megabits per second (Mbps) and above, many times higher than the previous 802.11g, which operates at speeds of up to 54 Mbps.

It is also able to transfer data over distances of 90m (300ft) indoors, double that of previous technologies.