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
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