Wireless Router Recommendation

Tony Hwang wrote in news:aBpLm.10649$Sw5.9661 @newsfe16.iad:

The slowest router you can buy is 54Mbps, TEN TIMES what the average cable company modem delivers in North America. The router speed isn't the problem, the cable company throttling data speed is.

I never had a bad Netgear....just for information.

54 Mbps is a wireless raw data rate (for 802.11G or 802.11a schemes). The new N systems potentially are faster, but use more bandwidth so more likely to interfere / contend with your neighbours.

real thruput over that channel will be around 20 to 25 Mbps aggregate in both directions under ideal conditions - and many wireless systems will slow down, have interference so YMMV.

Note cable can be fast - virginmedia in the UK top speed is 50 Mbps.

If you only used a wireless LAN to get to this, the wireless speed would be the limiting factor.

You should set it up so you can use an Ethernet cable - when you have issues it will help decide if it is wireless or something else going wrong.

Netgear seems OK.

FWIW the issues i get are with negotiation and reliably keeping the link as things change - the difference between good kit with good drivers and the rest seems to make a big difference.

So - ignoring all that "G" may well be fast enough if you can get a good signal between PC and router.

802.11A might suit you better - there is less equipment out there, and 8 rather than just 3 non overlapping bands, so less potential contention.

If you use "N" (or any other standard) then the PC and router both must support it, or you get little or no speed benefit as the systems will fall back to the lowest common denominator.

At home i have 1 x G access point on ground floor, and another 2 floors up to provide the coverage, and a UTP cable link between them.