After years of consumers being able to buy “draft” wireless-N routers, the 802.11n standard has finally been approved. Yes, it’s admittedly hard to believe, and one cynically had to begin wondering if the standard would ever be approved.

It only took seven years after the ratification process began for the standard to be approved. The good news: routers, adapters, and access based on the final version of the standard will be completely compatible with draft-N hardware.

Wireless-N uses multiple antennas, multiple “spatial streams” and “channel bonding” to increase data transfer speeds. Routers and access points can utilize the 2.4 Ghz frequency band shared by wireless-B/G, and the 5 Ghz band used by wireless-A. Some routers allow use of only the 2.4 Ghz band, while some offer both bands, and some offer simultaneous use of both bands, allows you to, say, segregate your wireless network between different clients.

The wireless-N standard supports up to four spatial streams, which would offer a theoretical limit of 600 mbps, but current hardware has two streams and is limited to 300 mbps. Expect hardware supporting three and four spatial streams to appear, offering 450 and 600 mbps speeds later this year, but at a higher price.