Going to WiFi N

sathyan

Senior member
Sep 18, 2000
281
0
71
After tripping over an ethernet cable last night, I've decided to upgrade to a wifi-N network. I live in an apartment so drilling through the walls/floors/ceilings is out of the question. Currently I have:

Cable Modem
Wifi-B router (sitting next to the cable modem, wired to modem)
VOIP appliance (sitting next to the Wifi router, wired to router)
Laptop with Wifi-B (WinXP)
Switch (ethernet wired to router and two desktops)
Desktop #1 with no wifi (Win7)
Desktop #2 with no wifi (Ubuntu - this is my file server)

The desktops are located next to each other in the same room. Unfortunately, they cannot be placed near where the cable modem must be.

I plan to get a Roku/Boxee box in the future for Netflix streaming and maybe an iPad Wifi.

So I need a new router. What's a good one? The router will be located in the center of a single floor apartment with no computer more than 30 ft away. Is dual-band a worthwhile feature? A printer server is not needed.

For the laptop, I need a USB wifi. What's a good one?

For the desktops, should I get
1. two USB wifi adapters
2. two PCI wifi adapters
3. a wifi bridge (not sure if that's the right word - I want to grab a Wifi signal and send it to a switch by wire) and use my existing switch and wired LAN ports

The most demanding use would be Netflix streaming.

I'm hoping to spend under $150 for everything.

thanks,
Sathyan
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Even N with 4 machines and video streaming will have issues if concurrently.

I have my setup as cable modem and my Linksys WRT320N next to it. My WRT320N feeds my alarm system via ethernet and two machines wirelessly. My wife's macbook pro via it's built in device and my PC via a Linksys WMP600N.

If you have a tigerdirect you can score some savings with refurbished Linksys they stock.

Dual band is only important if you are running certain consoles I believe. I am running single band 2.4GHz. The 5GHz's range was piss-poor even within 10' through walls. I only have 2 nearby neighbors and I have no issues.