Will setting an access point to 802.11n mode only restrict the ability of 802.11g devices to connect?

Question

I have an access point that allows for 802.11n and 802.11b/g/n modes. If the AP is set to 802.11n mode in the 2.4Ghz spectrum, are 802.11g clients able to connect?

Answer 1

No, 802.11g clients will not be able to connect. And unfortunately, depending on how the AP implements N-only mode, it may completely disallow 802.11g rates, even for 802.11n-capable clients that would like to use G rates for the sake of greatest range.

There's a common misconception among geeks who know "just enough to be dangerous" about 802.11 that setting N-only mode will make your network faster, when in fact it can hurt range. If this is your own home network, leave B and G enabled for the sake of range, but go upgrade your devices to one of the better flavors of N (or better, AC) if you care about performance.