Need some Help tonight.... 2 Routers...any advantage?

[jacktesterson]

Hi All,

I'm sort of a novice when it comes to networking. I've recently grown frustrated at transfering files from my laptop to my desktop for backup and how slow it is.... so tonight I went out and bought 2x Wireless N Dual Band USB Adaptors (Cisco Linksys) , and I bought a new Vizio Dual Band Router (sim. 5ghz and 2.4ghz).. all from Walmart as it was decent deal and I could have instantly. (router was $69 and USB cards $48 each).

What I've done...

My Internet provider is DSL and I have a 2 in 1 Router/Modem, Wireless G Speedstream by Seamans.

Now my laptop which is 2 weeks old already has Wireless N but would not see the 5.0GHz end of things so I bought a USB card for it. Now with some Testing I've discovered the speed difference of 5.0GHz vs 2.4GHz to not be worth the the extra $48 for a 2nd USB adaptor, so I am returning it and will just be using the N wifi built into the laptop.

Anyways my question is this.... In my house I've got 2 PC's on Wireless N (one is 5.0GHz, my HTPC box and storage, 1 is my laptop), 1 Desktop on G (its a 2nd desktop used upstairs by my mother who lives with us) .... a Wireless all in one printer on G, and 2 Ipod touches on Wireless G. I also have 2 mice that are 2.4 ghz, so not sure if that interferes or not. My phones are all dect 6.0.


ANYWAYS BACKGROUND DONE...

I noticed after setting up the Vizio Dual band router (which was CRAZY easy I must say), that the Wireless G router/modem also still works (I can disable the wifi in that if I want).

Is there any advantage of Setting up my Routers like this and keeping both active:

Bell Router/Modem- Wireless B/G Mixed 2.4 ghz
Vizio- Band 1- 2.4 Ghz Wireless N Only
Band 2- 5.0 Ghz Wireless N Only


or I could disable the Bell Wifi.... and have with the Vizio:

Band 1- 2.4 Ghz B/G/N Mixed Mode
Band 2- 5.0 Ghz Wireless N only



What would you do? Is there any harm in keeping both routers going like first example?


Also with Wireless G setup before, I transferred a 8GB file from my laptop to my desktop at a consistent speed of 1.2 MB/sec... With the USB 5.0GHz adaptor, I did the same file and got 7.1 MB/sec..... with the Built in Wifi on my laptop using 2.4ghz N mixed mode, I got 5.8 MB/sec.

Do these #'s sound about right? The difference between 5.8 and 7.1 was like 4-5 mins on a 8 GB file, which to me isn't worth the $50 plus tax I believe.



Any Input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Is the Visio router only "dual-band", or is it "dual-radio"? That's important, because to serve both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz clients at the same time, you want a dual radio unit. Dual-band is for one or the other, but not both at the same time.

Do you have any wireless B clients? Because those will definitely slow down an N router, when running in "mixed" client mode. (As will G clients, to a lesser extent).

I recommend keeping your existing wireless router/modem enabled, to serve B clients if you have any, and G clients. Keep your new router to N only for fastest speeds. Make sure to choose non-overlapping channels, appropriate to your wireless environment. (Do a quick site survey with your laptop's wireless, and find out what channels any other wireless routers in the neighborhood are running on.)

 

[jacktesterson]

It is dual radio.... I am running Wireless N only on one radio at 2.4ghz and Wireless N only on the other radio at 5.0Ghz at same time....

then have b/g running on the Modem/Router combo at 2.4Ghz.

I live in a rural area in Canada with no close neighbors so I don't even have any security set as there really is no need for it. I have the fastest Internet available here (only high speed choice to be honest) which is 1.5 megabit connection download, 512 kbps upload.

Everything is on channel 11.... should I change this?

 

[jacktesterson]

This is my router.....

http://www.vizio.com/xwr100.html

 

[Sahakiel]

There are primarily two advantages to having two routers.

1. Raw speed. Depending on router model, you may get better performance splitting B/G and N onto different routers. You will definitely get better performance if you have hundreds of users (public or apartment networks). Usually done if your routers have only one radio and/or the chip inside is simply too slow/inefficient to handle the load.

2. Security. Usually one (main) router is either open or dedicated to guests or casual users and the second router is locked down tight. Other configurations exist, but always due to separating security zones. For kicks, setup one as a honeypot.

An alternative option is installing third party firmware and using one router for other uses. It's pretty slow hardware to begin with so you're usually limited to simple functions like NAS.

 

[JackMDS]

Giving your Internet Speed it does not matter much what you would do.
Just do not use the Routers as Routers.

One device should be the Router and the other an Access Point.

Use a cable between them and spread them apart in away that will improve coverage.

Using a Wireless Router as a switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

 

[jacktesterson]

Giving your Internet Speed it does not matter much what you would do.
Just do not use the Routers as Routers.

One device should be the Router and the other an Access Point.

Use a cable between them and spread them apart in away that will improve coverage.

Using a Wireless Router as a switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

Speed for transferring files between computers in my network is connected to the speed of my internet connection?

 

[imagoon]

Speed for transferring files between computers in my network is connected to the speed of my internet connection?

He is saying it is unrelated. Internet speed does not affect the computer to computer connection. Generally the 5ghz band performs better however if you are truly out in the boonies it may not matter. You don't use both as routers however. You set up the one unit as a router, then the other as an access point. The second one you don't connect anything to the 'WAN' port.

Wireless sucks for bulk transfer as that is not what it was designed for. Depending on the N mode 6MB/sec to 12MB/sec is about the best you will pull out of it. Compare that to a gig cable where you would pull up to 125MB/s. These are theoretical numbers and tend to vary based on the wireless gear and the hardware supporting it.

Also G should be able to hit 54mb/s which is around 6MB/s. Getting only 1.2 MB/s is normally a sign of 2.4ghz interference.