cheap Dlink BEFW11S4 vs Linksys WRTS4G ?

[dxpaap]

any opinions, on my pro vs con debate (

very inexpensive D-link BEFW11S4 802.11b ($10 w/ price match) or the Linksys WRTS4G 802.11G ($105 price watch).

Price vs speed !

a friend was saying G is the only way to go because the performance is night & day plus can use encription with G and not notice any performance hit (so your buy protection from neigbors also).

I'm wondering if we are seeing great prices on .11b routers because they will be obsoleted (soon) by new apps that require higher speeds.

Spend $10-20 now, hold me over until prices on G come down some ???

any thoughts ??

thanks

 

[JackMDS]

On Wireless:

802.11b vs. 802.11g.

For Internet surfing it does mot matter since Internet broadband connection is slower than 802.11b

For traffic across Internal LAN, 802.11g is significantly faster.

General Wireless info.

802.11b = 11Mb/sec. Network "Speed" (Carrier transmission 2.4GHz)
802.11g = 54Mb/sec. Network "Speed" (Carrier transmission 2.4GHz)

Wireless Ethernet needs additional protocol over head for the transfer. In addition, it is not as stable as Wired so it needs extra processing procedures.

As a result the 11Mb/sec. of the Network chipset is translated to a much lower actual performance. Usually 4-6Mb/sec.

Few 802.11b hardware units are also capable to work at 22Mb/sec.(usually referred to as b+) it is nice if it works, in real term will yield 20%-40% more than 11Mb/sec. systems.

The 802.11g line that is rated 54Mb/sec. in the real world it yields 18-22Mb/sec.

The differences between the first set of graphs to the second represent the performance differences between 802.11b to 802.11g. It might give you a good idea about indoor?s distance coverage*.

Link: 802.11a/b/g SOHO Routers & Access Points: Performance

*Your actual distance might be different. Indoor coverage depends heavily on the envioroment, graphs like this should be used to understand the relation in performance between Wireless hardware.

 

[Matt2]

sorry, double post

 

[Matt2]

I have 2 differnet 802.11b networks in different locations and i've found that they work very well for internet surfing and gaming. However it is very difficult and frustrating to transmit large amounts of data over these networks from computer to computer.

Also the BEFW11S4 is a Linksys router, not a d-link. So if a website offered u a "D-Link BEFW11S4" then it has idiots, or scam written all over it.

The D-Link router u are probably looking for that is 802.11b is the DI-614+.

I use both the above mentioned routers and they both work good.

Also, go to your local best buy, they have some great deals on wireless networking stuff after rebates.

I bought D-Link USB adapters and notebook adapters for $40 after rebates and the D-Link router for $69 after rebates and the linksys router for $79 after rebates I think.

That may seem steep for a lot of u, but if you're new at this, it's the best idea since Best Buy has a 30-Day open box, no question return policy on the wireless networking stuff.

Hope that helped.

 

[Colebert]

go for the G. i recommend getting the AP and buying a router separate because you can hack the AP firmware to go 84mW (thats damn good.)

 

[dxpaap]

thanks everyone, very helpful - nice link JackMDS - significant drop off points as distance increases.

Colebert, which model of AP are proven to be effective &easly hackable ? (got any urls that might be helpful ?).

This next question maybe a real newbie, but here goes: the Wireless unit is hard wired to your router (assuming not getting an all in one unit) and that distance can be at least 100' ? is there ability to extend the AP unit by hardwiring another AP and extending it to a different part of the house (assuming such a thing - AP thats not a whole other main wireless unit but a small / cheaper extension unit).

hope I explained that clearly ?

thanks

 

[Colebert]

The WAP54G is the hackable unit i'm referring to. Here's a link to some info on it and the firmware hack. LINK.


I don't totally understand your question, but i'll try to answer it. Assuming you've got a router right now, you'll want to take one of your switch ports on your router and connect it to your AP. You can put the AP whereever you want. Since the AP connects to the router with Rj45 (ethernet) It doesn't have to be next to the router so you can run it to a better place for a better signal. Now, some APs you can "bridge" to another AP (the WAP54G has a bridge mode). So in that sense, you can setup an AP in one part of the house and then an AP in another, set them to bridge mode in the firmware, and they'll talk to each other. The other option is to buy a bridge (usually more expensive) and have it talk to the AP.


Now let me put it a different way. I'm assuming you've got two "clusters" of computers you want to connect that are too far apart to just hardwire. One cluster has the internet and you want to extend connectivity to the other cluster. What i would do is get the AP, hardwire it to the router, then move the AP as close as you possibly can to cluster #2. If the signal isn't reaching cluster two's wireless nic, get another AP (or a bridge), hardwire it to a nic on cluster #2 and move it as close to cluster #1 as possible (make sure AP is in bridge mode.) If that doesn't work, you'll have to get a wireless repeater to make up the signal gap that results.


Hope that helps.

 

[Colebert]

The best thing to do is just buy the most powerful nic you can (an Orinoco by Proxim) and the most powerful AP you can (WAP54G) and cross your fingers. Orinocos generally have about 65mW on the G band, and the linksys AP pumps out about 84mW on the G band. If they won't talk to each other, you're wireless adventure might be a pipedream w/o some big yagi antennas or super expensive equipment.

 

[dxpaap]

Colebert, what you said makes sense to me and will give it a try - thanks.

What I was tring to describe was a setup in an new office I visited. They went wireless for all the desktops (entire floor of a building with winding hallways etc.. They had these bell shaped modules (about size of an inverted 20oz CokeCola glass) - strategically located on the ceilings all over the office, in hall ways, even outside near the picnic tables. I think they called them SAP - but they were connected to a fiber LAN and all the desktop PC "talked" to these modules that lead to the server room.

Although this was a commercial configuration (more costly then what I'd want for my house), was wondering if these small modules are available for home application ? I'd like to put one on my top floor and on in the basement and just run the cable from attic to basement crawl space with my router in the middle. Coverage through out the house

cheers

 

[Colebert]

i'm not very familar with commerical grade wireless products. whatever it is, its probably gonna be more than you'll wanna pay. for home applications you've got NICs, APs, Routers, and Bridges. ;-)