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Finally going wireless. 802.11b or 802.11g???

K

krackato

Golden Member
Hey,

I'm finally planning to wireless since I've moving into a new place. My question is, what's the best equipment to buy at the moment? I know that the 802.11g stuff isn't exactly set in stone, but that hasn't stopped companies from releasing products. Is it possible that I'll buy an 802.11g router and then have it become instantly obsolete as soon as the official standard is hammered out, or are there specific products that will be guaranteed to work into the future?

Also, how does 802.11a fit into all of this? Is it even worth looking at considering that 802.11g is backwards compatible with the populator 802.11b?
 
I thought it was finalized. In the stores I've seen models that are almost identical and some say 802.11g certified and some just say 802.11g. You can guess which one costs twice as much.
rolleye.gif
 
MaxPC reviewed a couple of "G" routers this month. They weren't exactly impressed by the speeds, but then again, it was only two models they reviewed. You can occassionally come across some really good deals on "B" routers, but it will likely be a few more months before you see any decent prices on "G" routers.

So my suggestion: save some bucks (or if you're lucky, a lot of bucks) by going with a "B" for now, then upgrade later when prices, performance and standards are more hammered down.
 
What are you looking to do w/ your wireless network? I just made myself an 802.11b network using a D-Link wireless broadband router and a PCMCIA card for my laptop. It works fine for internet apps and I can stream DivX over the network just fine. It's not that wonderful at long, sustained file transfers, but it's not exactly slow. If you're a gamer or someone who surfs the web, you'll be more than fine w/ 802.11b. 802.11b is compatible w/ 11a, I believe. At least my router has an option of running at 802.11a speeds.

If you wanna make large file transfers and the like, aside from streaming a movie or moving some mp3s or something around, I'd recommend you stay away from wireless altogether unless it's totally nessecary. If you can't avoid it, then I'd suggest 802.11g, since you'll need all the speed you can get for that sorta thing.
 
Does Orinoco make G cards? Since Orinoco/Lucent client cards are by far the best, I recommend using whichever they have a card for. I spent alot of time messing with many other brands of wireless cards and I can only recommend Orinoco/Lucent.
 
I would suggest going with a linksys G. I think they have committed to releasing firmware updates when the standard is finalized. Also, it wouldn't make sense to buy a B if it is already being replaced by G, unless you are on a tight budget, and don't want to spend the extra money. Either way, make sure to by a dual mode wireless NIC (one that works with both B and G), as they have better range, and usually built better (better antenna built in).
 
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