Need help choosing a router and a PCI wireless adapter

ArgusMercenary

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2014
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0
0
I need to get a new router, my old D-Link Dir 600 is utter garbage and has always been garbage, according to everyone else that router just plain sucks. I believe it is also starting to die on me, aside from that it never worked the way I wanted it to. It's range is very small, it can't cover the entire house, even with a repeater bridge expanding the signal.

Anyway, I need a an N router that has long range, which operates at 2.4GHz, I have no issue with it if it brings a 5.0GHz radio but I won't be able to use it since where I live those sorts of frequencies are not available. I want to use it for streaming video, maybe gaming(I'm not much of a multiplayer person) and it should also perform well when there are about 5 devices connected to it. Speed probably won't matter since my connection isn't the greatest, but if the router can improve it, that'd be fine, although this is all up to how much the people at home are willing to pay the ISP.

Been looking at some routers, but I've been having a hard time deciding, looked up some Netgear routers and some Trendnet routers, but I didn't find anything. Any brand is fine, except for DLink I didn't have a very pleasant experience with them after all.

As for a wireless adapter, I've got an old EnGenius adapter, but it is outdated, it's drivers haven't been updated since 2009 and I believe it is also part of the reason why my PC has frequent disconnects. I should mention that I require a PCI Adapter for a desktop, but I'm open to suggestions with any USB adapters that might come to mind. I don't know if there's any difference, I just prefer having it inside my case instead of outside.

Thanks, in advance, any help will be appreciated. Price isn't an issue, in fact I'm looking for some of the more expensive routers, maybe the ones above $100.
 

JackMDS

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 25, 1999
29,513
407
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5GHz has nothing to do with your neighborhood, it has to do between you Wireless Router and computers that have Dual band Wireless card.

Good Dual Band Wireless Routers and Wireless cards are vastly superior in performance and flexibility to Single Band hardware.
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Dual band Wireless Router.

Asus RT-N66U - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320091

Dual Band Intel and PCIe Wireless card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833106135

Dual Band Rosewill USB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833166046


:cool:
 

ArgusMercenary

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2014
12
0
0
5GHz has nothing to do with your neighborhood, it has to do between you Wireless Router and computers that have Dual band Wireless card.

Good Dual Band Wireless Routers and Wireless cards are vastly superior in performance and flexibility to Single Band hardware.
----------

Dual band Wireless Router.

Asus RT-N66U - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320091

Dual Band Intel and PCIe Wireless card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833106135

Dual Band Rosewill USB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833166046


:cool:

But how? I was told that ac routers are not a good idea to use in my country? Does it really have anything to do with that? If that is not so, then the only reason not to get 802.11ac, is that it is not yet finalized as a standard and that its new tech.

Also on another note, does it matter if the wireless card and the router are not the same brand? Some reviews say that if they're the same brand they might treat each other better, then again most reviews I saw didn't help me make up my mind.
 

JackMDS

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 25, 1999
29,513
407
126
But how? I was told that ac routers are not a good idea to use in my country? Does it really have anything to do with that? If that is not so, then the only reason not to get 802.11ac, is that it is not yet finalized as a standard and that its new tech. .

The Wireless Router that I recommended is a/b/g/n, it is Not ac. (both are Dual Band but the ac has additional technology.

A similar Router with ac would be this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320174 (notice almost twice the price).

That said, technology wise I do not see why ac would be No no in Costa Rica unless there are some government bandwidth regulation that do not allow it.

Also on another note, does it matter if the wireless card and the router are not the same brand? Some reviews say that if they're the same brand they might treat each other better, then again most reviews I saw didn't help me make up my mind.

If the Wireless Router and the card are good ones they donot have to be of the same Brand.



:cool:
 

ArgusMercenary

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2014
12
0
0
Yeah, I know its an a/b/g/n but I was just asking because if there are more benefits to getting ac then I might choose that.

I don't know if there are any regulations against, it all I've heard is that it couldn't be used and that it wasn't exactly legal. In short, if it turns out that it isn't illegal, should I go for ac then? Other than that my only worry is that the standard isn't finished yet, but it must be pretty advanced by now.
 
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smitbret

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2006
3,382
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Yeah, I know its an a/b/g/n but I was just asking because if there are more benefits to getting ac then I might choose that.

I don't know if there are any regulations against, it all I've heard is that it couldn't be used and that it wasn't exactly legal. In short, if it turns out that it isn't illegal, should I go for ac then? Other than that my only worry is that the standard isn't finished yet, but it must be pretty advanced by now.

Outside of doing large file transfers between devices, there is not a lot of advantages to AC. A good n300 or n450 setup will let you stream HD movies from the Internet and will max out most Internet connections.

I had an AC wireless bridge setup between two ac1750 routers that was pretty cool at first. I loved that I could get 400mbps over wireless but the novelty soon wore off and when one of the routers came up defective, I just sent it back and put my Cat6 cable back in. Don't get me wrong, it was nice and if it was my only option it is a pretty good one. The problem was that I only used the bridge to its full potential when I was testing the LAN speeds.

If I didn't already have an AC router, I'd get a dual band n600 or n900.
 
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ArgusMercenary

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2014
12
0
0
Ah, I see. That's what I had been hearing too, I guess I'm going for the N, maybe in the future if AC turns out to be a lot better I'll look into it.

Thank you for your help.