Wireless Routers
Brett Ashley
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi,
I just started renting an apartment and I had comcast hook me up with internet. If I want to go wireless, can I buy a G-Wireless Router? I don't know if there's a difference with a G-Router or a W-Router. I have a Dell Inspiron notebook and my roommate has an HP. Which router should I buy?
Thanks!
I just started renting an apartment and I had comcast hook me up with internet. If I want to go wireless, can I buy a G-Wireless Router? I don't know if there's a difference with a G-Router or a W-Router. I have a Dell Inspiron notebook and my roommate has an HP. Which router should I buy?
Thanks!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Brett Ashley on
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802.11 went through a number of different "stages", the stages went A, B, G, and now N. It's basically a security system for your network, but also effects speed and range of the router. Which one your laptops support is most dependent on how old they are. If you google your laptop models you can probably find out which versions of 802.11 your laptops support. Basically its worth buying whatever the newest version that both of your laptops support is, I believe G routers support A and B, and N routers also support G, but I'm not sure about support for A and B.
Again, what I would recommend is find out what your laptops support and go for that.
also, most likely, if you bought your lappy in the last 8 years, it has wireless G, maybe only B, but if it has an integrated card, i'd bet my hair its G. G runs at about 54MB/s you honestly will probably not notice a difference between this and a wired connection unless you're trying to get signal through a concrete wall.
I think the most popular wireless router is still the Linksys WRT54G (or whatever the newest variation of it is) and you would be best off with this if you can find someone you know/trust that is tech savvy enough to fully update the firmware, or (better yet), use one of the many linux based custom firmwares for this device. there is dd-WRT, and i think another called Tomato. (small chance of totally forking it up and bricking your router, i've done it a couple times successfully, with no failures)
another think about it is that a lot of devices are wireless these days, and many of them broadcast on channel 6 (there are 11 channels total in the 2.4GHz frequency). 1, 6, and 11 don't overlap at all, but I think they are the most commonly used. if you get set up but have a crappy signal, change the channel around and it can probably improve your signal quality.
Unless your laptop is old, buy one of these.
Eh, if your laptops are capable of N I'd recommend it. The extra range really reduces the amount of problems you'll have (G routers can't seem to get all the computers in my house within their range, or one or two of them end up just on the edge and only get a weak signal.) If you can use N I'd recommend the D-Link Extreme N (its the white one with three antennas) cause its awesome, a bit pricey, but really good performance.
If you're using Comcast's modem, I thought they had a combo box now (modem and router)?
I'm not sure you have this quite right. Wireless N actually will have a smaller radius than wireless G. What N does have is a different frequency, which can reduce interference from other household appliances. though I think cell phones and radio can still be in the 5GHz range.
For those saying get a Linksys WRT54G, NO, THAT IS WRONG (for what you're likely to find in the stores, anyway).
Most of the regular 54G and 54GS ones you're going to find now are newer hardware revisions, and due to certain changes (i.e. lowering of flash memory to 2MB), don't work with third party firmware such as dd-wrt and tomato. There's an outside chance you'll find an old revision that still works, but you're taking a chance.
What you want the Linksys WRT54GL, found here. The L supposedly stands for "Linux", but it's essentially the one they launched in 2005 after everyone complained about third-party stuff not working anymore.
I've been using one, flashed with the Tomato firmware, for years now. No issues, great connectivity, etc. It is only G. The problem with the N standard is that you essentially have to upgrade everything on your network for it to work at full N speeds. For some people, this is a big issue depending on various devices, consoles, handhelds, etc. I'd say wait on N for a while until it becomes the norm in consumer electronics; G is going to be fine for pretty much all of your needs anyway.
Alright, the N router I recommended has "14X the range of G routers!" and "11X the speed of G routers!" is what it says on the box. All the N routers seem to advertise greater range and speed.
I think you're both right in a sense. I'm trying to hunt down the benchmark graph I saw on it, but it has to do more with the signal/speed vs distance. If I recall, N has a longer range, but speed drops off around the same point, if not sooner, than G. Close to the router, N is faster, but G has a more consistent speed throughout it's connective range. I think it also depends on whether there unobstructed line of sight versus stuff (walls, furnature, etc.) in the way, n winning in the former and g in the latter. I'll keep looking.
dd-wrt released a micro firmware just for the smaller ROM size on the newer hardware. it's what i'm running in my house. by all means, go with the wrt54gL, its nothing to me :P
as far as greater range on N... i have no experience myself with it, but all the articles and reviews i read on it stated that in tests, wireless G had greater range. also, as i recall, higher frequencies (such as the one that N uses) don't perform well over high range.
they could also guarantee you and orgasm while setting it up... that doesn't mean its true. besides, only max throughput speed can be 600 MB/s (based on 802.11 wikipedia article) but after performance testing lots of networking equipment, rarely will a company be able to pull max throughput out of these. let alone would the average consumer be able to see/take advantage of this speed increase. and if you look at the typical throughput rates of these 2 standards, you'll notice that N is maybe 6x or 7x faster.
(i'm not calling out you here, only the advertising that companies do to move their product)
also, sorry for the derailment.
This device is called a gateway. there are models from netgear and linksys.
you do not want this.
sorry for the double post, but this was easier than re-editing my last post.
lower frequency will pass through obstructions much better than higher frequencies. so using N, you'd still need to be using the 2.4GHz range if there were many obstructions (like in a house, an apt might be small enough as to not matter)
I'd be interested in seeing benchmarks. I'll look around for some later.
I understand, the one i have is HW version 6 i believe. I was simply stating that dd-wrt does have a solution for this. I only mention this because saying that the newer wrt54g routers don't work with 3rd party firmware is factually wrong.
That's actually really good to know. Since I've been using Tomato most recently, I haven't been keeping up with dd-wrt's new releases very much and assumed it still didn't work on the new revisions. I don't think Tomato's got a small one out, but I could be wrong. That said, unless you already have a new hardware revision, it's still sound advice to recommend not getting a 54G and instead a 54GL for the flexibility.
My WCG200 served me well for a number of years. I was just reminding the OP they'll need both in case they thought a router was all that's needed.
But yeah, gateways are like TV/DVD/VCR combos - usually more trouble than they're worth.