Forced to upgrade from 802.11b. What?

[DaveC426913]

According to Linksys tech support's conclusions, BOTH my 802.11b 2.4GHz routers have gone belly up on the same day. I don't know how likely thi is, but one now has a solid red DIAG light, and the other has a flashing red DIAG light. Upgrading the firmware does not seem to be working (it does not ever seem to finish the upgrade.)

I may have to get a new router just to get some technology that isn't six years stale.

But I'm not sure what I should get. There's new technology since I last went to the store. I could use some advice.

I have a Dell desktop that I wire up to my router and a Dell laptop with a wireless adapter. Both have 802.11b adapters.

My carrier is Iristel DSL, with a 3Mbit download, according to Speakeasy's Speed test.

My primary questions:

What do I upgrade to? I just don't know what the next level up is. State of the art used to be G. Now there's somerthing called N as well.

Do I need to buy new adapters for the computers? Or will my 802.11b's still work? (Even if, for now, they don't take advantage of the higher-speed router.)

Will the 5GHz have interference problems with my 5.8GHz wireless phone? (This is why I resisted for so long.)

My secondary questions:

With a 3Mb throughput from my provider, will I benefit from a performance improvement in the laptop by going to a 5GHz network?

I work from my living room as well as from my backyard. I added a second router to get better reception. I hear these 5GHz routers are even more susceptible to blockage. Will I need to boost it?

 

[DeathRayLoveMachine]

Are you looking for consumer gear, or something pricier? If the former, make sure it runs DD-WRT (or equivalent firmware). Note that many routers nowadays are ALREADY running DD-WRT when you unbox them, although that doesn't necessarily mean they'll have all the same features you'd get from "official" DD-WRT. (For instance, I have an Asus router running DD-WRT. It has no Client Bridge mode, which sucks, but it has some extra UPNP and network management tools built in, so I forgive it.)

This page has the most complete list of router chipsets I'm aware of. You might want to take a look at it. What you may immediately notice is that pretty much every brand of router you're likely to find at retail is probably running a Broadcom chip of some sort. Not only that, but it's probably the SAME chip you'd find in similar routers from competitors (assuming the "similar router" was manufactured around the same time). As it happens, most routers you can buy are functionally identical (except for their features - b/g or b/g/n, etc), with the only real difference being what firmware you can use on each model.

There's much more I can say about this subject, but to avoid boring you, I'll just say that my personal favorite brand is Asus, unless you're willing to consider an Apple router.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: DaveC426913

What do I upgrade to? I just don't know what the next level up is. State of the art used to be G. Now there's somerthing called N as well.

If your budget is tight, you may be able to get a good 802.11g router for under $30. If the wireless units in your machines are wireless "g," you should notice an immediate increase in speed.

If you want the fastest current technology, it's 802.11 draft n. It's called "draft" because the spec isn't finalized, yet, but the latest units are stable and even faster than wireless "g."

Sorry I've got dinner on so I don't have time to go through giving you a tutorial or recommending specific units, right now, but the above should be a start for your homework.

 

[DeathRayLoveMachine]

Originally posted by: HarveyIf you want the fastest current technology, it's 802.11 draft n. It's called "draft" because the spec isn't finalized, yet, but the latest units are stable and even faster than wireless "g."

Actually, they finalized the spec last September.

 

[DaveC426913]

Originally posted by: DeathRayLoveMachine
Are you looking for consumer gear, or something pricier? If the former, make sure it runs DD-WRT (or equivalent firmware). Note that many routers nowadays are ALREADY running DD-WRT when you unbox them, although that doesn't necessarily mean they'll have all the same features you'd get from "official" DD-WRT. (For instance, I have an Asus router running DD-WRT. It has no Client Bridge mode, which sucks, but it has some extra UPNP and network management tools built in, so I forgive it.)

This page has the most complete list of router chipsets I'm aware of. You might want to take a look at it. What you may immediately notice is that pretty much every brand of router you're likely to find at retail is probably running a Broadcom chip of some sort. Not only that, but it's probably the SAME chip you'd find in similar routers from competitors (assuming the "similar router" was manufactured around the same time). As it happens, most routers you can buy are functionally identical (except for their features - b/g or b/g/n, etc), with the only real difference being what firmware you can use on each model.

There's much more I can say about this subject, but to avoid boring you, I'll just say that my personal favorite brand is Asus, unless you're willing to consider an Apple router.

Ah. Uh. This is much more technical than I wish to get. I just want a regular router for my home network, based on my needs.

 

[DaveC426913]

Originally posted by: Harvey

If your budget is tight, you may be able to get a good 802.11g router for under $30.

Money is a bit of a concern over teh next month or two, so a short-term fix would work. But in the long run, money is not a driving factor.

Originally posted by: Harvey
If the wireless units in your machines are wireless "g," you should notice an immediate increase in speed.

I specified that the units in my machines are wireless "b".

Will they work with a "g" router?

Originally posted by: Harvey
If you want the fastest current technology, it's 802.11 draft n. It's called "draft" because the spec isn't finalized, yet, but the latest units are stable and even faster than wireless "g."

Sorry I've got dinner on so I don't have time to go through giving you a tutorial or recommending specific units, right now, but the above should be a start for your homework.

Asking here is me doing my homework...

 

[DeathRayLoveMachine]

Oops, sorry. I've been doing research to write an article ABOUT consumer routers, so I'm overflowing with information you probably don't need.

Linksys are total dicks and I don't like recommending them, but you can find the WRT54G2 pretty much everywhere. It's cheap, it works, and you can install DD-WRT if you need to later on. (DD-WRT is software you can install on your router to make it much more useful. You probably don't need it, though.)

If you want to give your money to a company with actual ethics, I recommend Asus or Apple. Unfortunately Asus is hard to find in stores, and Apple is a bit pricey.

It sounds like you don't need anything fancy, so don't spend money on a bunch of features you can't use (like "dual band"). If you can wait, those expensive routers will get a whole lot cheaper.

Try this.

 

[DeathRayLoveMachine]

Sorry again. Come to think of it, I didn't even bother to answer the questions you asked in your first post.

Do I need to buy new adapters for the computers? Or will my 802.11b's still work?

Anything that has the "WiFi" logo on it should be 100% compatible with your current gear - backwards compatibility is a requirement for the WiFi trademark.

What do I upgrade to? I just don't know what the next level up is. State of the art used to be G. Now there's somerthing called N as well.

G has been standard for several years now. It's really just a slight enhancement to the B standard (it allows higher speed at short range, and at medium/long range, it's just regular B again). You can mix B and G equipment.

N is a new standard that allows much higher speeds and somewhat longer range. It's (mostly) backwards compatible with B and G network equipment, although B and G clients can slow down an N network.

Because the N standard was in development for so long, manufacturers got impatient and released "draft N" equipment, which only partially implements the full WiFi N specification. There are basically three categories of N routers:

2.4 GHz only : Fully compatible with B/G. Not compatible with 5 GHz-only equipment. Current price: $50-70
dual-band : Operates at either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, but not both at the same time. Compatible with B/G equipment, but only when running at 2.4 GHz. Current price: $90-120
simultaneous dual-band : Operates at both 2.4 and 5 GHz, at the same time. Fully compatible with B/G equipment, while still allowing 5 GHz clients to connect. Current price: $150+

Once again, your wireless B equipment is NOT 5 GHz compatible, but you CAN use a 5 GHz-capable router with your current equipment (make sure you set it to 2.4 GHz mode, if it's not simultaneous).

Will the 5GHz have interference problems with my 5.8GHz wireless phone?

Hopefully not, because the 5 GHz spectrum has so much more available bandwidth than the 2.4 GHz spectrum that the probability of interference should be much less. It doesn't matter though, because from the sound of it, you don't have any 5 GHz gear yet.

With a 3Mb throughput from my provider, will I benefit from a performance improvement in the laptop by going to a 5GHz network?

Probably not, unless you do local file transfers. If all you need is 3 megabits per second plus uploads, even wireless B was fitting your needs pretty well.

 

[Emulex]

i have found the atheros based apple router to be one of the most stable N dual band routers.

Even my DD-wrt wrt600N runs out of ram alot . never had that issue with the apple product. odd usually not something i'd recommend at all.

 

[JackMDS]

Get this device and start to use it. as is it would work well in terms of what you have for a Network.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833320023

After a while, when you are calm, and the Anxiety is gone, think about flashing it with the firmware mentioned above.

 

[kornphlake]

I've seen lots of wireless B routers at thrift stores for $5-10, you could probably find a similar deal on Ebay, Craigslist or Amazon if you looked. I don't think you'll find a wireless B router new, a decent wireless G router will run you at least $30, but you wouldn't benefit from the faster speeds since all the clients you have are only wireless B. Unless you foresee buying a new computer in the next few months I wouldn't even worry about a newer router, just get a second hand wireless B and call it good until you have a reason to get something newer.

For some it is easy to spend other people's money, I have a hard time doing it though. I don't see any reason to spend $50 or more, and honestly I doubt you'd benefit much from flashing the firmware to DD-WRT. If you've got the curiosity and want to do it just for the experience that's fine, but if you've never thought about QOS or needing to operate a second router in wireless bridge mode I doubt you'd see any advantage to the DD-WRT or tomato firmwares.

 

[DeathRayLoveMachine]

Checking thrift stores is a good idea if you want to save money, but remember that not all routers are equal. There have been tons of "lemon" routers over the years, which only just barely work. Many of them crash often, meaning that you lose your network connection until the router is rebooted; this gets tiresome, especially when it happens several times per day.

Also, the biggest advantage of DD-WRT isn't the features; it's the stability. Routers running DD-WRT are very reliable, so you won't be needing to reboot them very often (or at all). In my experience, I've also found Asus and Apple routers to be very stable without requiring special firmware, which is why I recommend them.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Harvey
If the wireless units in your machines are wireless "g," you should notice an immediate increase in speed.

I specified that the units in my machines are wireless "b".

Will they work with a "g" router?[/quote]

The answer is a qualified "yes." A few very old "b" tranceivers have problems with "g" routers. You should still get a faster router so its ready for your next machine(s).

You may also be able to find inexpensive wireless "g" adapters for your old machines. They are occasionally offered in combo deals with routers.

The age your laptop would be to have wireless "b," it may be time to consider getting a new one.

 

[DaveC426913]

Originally posted by: Harvey
The age your laptop would be to have wireless "b," it may be time to consider getting a new one.

Boy, you're not kidding!

Did I mention that it's a PCMCIA slot card? The laptop does not have a internal card. That's about six years ago...



By an astonishing coincidence, my wife just WON a laptop out-of-the-blue (through our grocery store) so it looks like that's in my future too - and a new laptop is factoring in to my future network plans.

 

[DaveC426913]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Get this device and start to use it. as is it would work well in terms of what you have for a Network.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833320023

After a while, when you are calm, and the Anxiety is gone, think about flashing it with the firmware mentioned above.

Hey that looks like a great idea. It's got a print server too, whcih is someith I've tried and failed twice to hook up to my network. (BTW, anyone need a wireless print server and/or a wired print server? Never used...)

 

[DaveC426913]

I ended up getting a Linksys N Ultra range. It works fine wqith a minimum of reconfiging.

Thanks guys.

I'll be asking more ?'s as time goes on.