Think about going wireless...need some thoughts...

Nessal

Senior member
Oct 13, 2002
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I'm thinking of going wireless but I'm afraid that it won't be good enough for gaming. However my house is cluttered up with cat5 cable running everywhere. I've got 4 computers in my room all hooked up and I can barely walk around without tripping. I'm looking at the Netgear WG511T which has 108mbp capabilities if used with their router...but I was wondering if there are anything else out there that is faster, better, and at a comparible price? They currently have a sale for the WG511T with the router for $55 after rebate at Amazon. Speed is most important to me and range is so-so. I live in a small house so it's not a big deal with range. This is my first time going wireless and I'm a bit confused to say the least. Recommendations with experience please. Thanks in advance guys.
 

oogabooga

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2003
7,806
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just a questions : when you say gaming, you mean lan play or internet play?

i realized that wireless B bandwidth was faster than my cable modem speeds, and have been using wireless B with my roommates, transfering files sucks (but we rarely do this), but gaming online has been fine for me.

also since i was moving in with these guys, i had no choice, they were already on wireless :p
 

Nessal

Senior member
Oct 13, 2002
380
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Internet play. I was wondering how much slower it really is compared to wired. So the B bandwidth was actually faster then your wired speed? Wao that's crazy ahahah.
 

drew726

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
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When I am at my school apartment with a 48mbps 802.11g, my ping is +5 compared to my house which is in a completely different city. That +5 ping could just be from the ISP instead of being wireless. As far as packet loss, I could not really tell the difference. The only real difference I see is, I do not peak as close to the max bandwidth as I do when im wired. An extra 5 ping isnt really anything in my opinion.
 

D1gger

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
5,411
2
76
I think what oogabooga was saying is the at the wireless connection is faster than his cable modem internet connection, so for internet gaming the limiting factor is your internet connection, not your wireless connection. If on the otherhand you are gaming between computers on your local area network, then the wired lan is much faster than the wireless lan. Wired lan can be up to 100Mbps, while my wireless lan connects at a maximum of 11 Mbps.
 

airfoil

Golden Member
Jan 17, 2001
1,643
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Go with the Netgear 108 MBPS, you wont regret it. Bandwidth on the wireless LAN may be a bottleneck (as compared to your current wired setup) but overall, I believe it will be worth it.

Keep in mind that you'll need to use Netgear's 108 MBPS adapters on the client PCs to fully utilize the bandwidth the WG511T offers.
 

Chubasco

Member
Sep 28, 2004
56
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I don't play many twich / shooter games anymore but have played quite extensively over wireless for the past year. Below are some of my thoughts and info.

THOUGHTS:
- The difference in speed has been negligible, that is if and until your wireless connection is interfered with or dropped.
- Use a wireless NIC that comes with it's own connection management software (i.e. allows you to NOT use Windows' Wireless Zero Configuration.)
- Get rid of any cordless 2.4Ghz phones in your house/apartment. Mine conflicted with my wireless network, on every broadcast channel, causing my connection to drop for the duration of the call.
- Consider getting hardware that supports 802.11A. It's more expensive but is supposed to be faster, cover a wider area, and provide more bandwidth.
- Consider using the same manufacturer equipment for your NIC's and router to take advantage of any "Speedboost/Turbo" features that they offer, but that are usually not compatible across OEM's.
- Keep your network away from your microwave.
- Try the various security options WAP vs. WEP-PSK to determine for yourself whether or not the overhead is noticeable.
- Use of some form of security is a must.

INFO:
- Aside from having to replace it, under warranty, within a year of buying it I've been very pleased with my Linksys router.
- Windows XP Pro SP1
- Play on a notebook with a Linksys PC card.
- Have played games including Tribes2, Tribes Vengence, City of Heroes, Asherons Call, Splinter Cell PT, Unreal Tournament, etc. with little to zero noticeable lag.
- Have played wireless using both DSL and cable connections.
 

Sideswipe001

Golden Member
May 23, 2003
1,116
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Originally posted by: Nessal
Internet play. I was wondering how much slower it really is compared to wired. So the B bandwidth was actually faster then your wired speed? Wao that's crazy ahahah.


Unless you have a super internet connection, it will be faster for you too. My cable modem will download 400-500 k/sec when it's at it's absolute best. That's less than 1/2 of 1 Mbit. Even wireless B does around 5 Mbits on average.

It's just dirt slow compared to wired for local connections, unless you spring for that 108 Mbit/sec stuff, and even then you're unlikely to hit max theoretical speed.
 

Kalvin00

Lifer
Jan 11, 2003
12,705
5
81
Originally posted by: Sideswipe001
Originally posted by: Nessal
Internet play. I was wondering how much slower it really is compared to wired. So the B bandwidth was actually faster then your wired speed? Wao that's crazy ahahah.


Unless you have a super internet connection, it will be faster for you too. My cable modem will download 400-500 k/sec when it's at it's absolute best. That's less than 1/2 of 1 Mbit. Even wireless B does around 5 Mbits on average.

It's just dirt slow compared to wired for local connections, unless you spring for that 108 Mbit/sec stuff, and even then you're unlikely to hit max theoretical speed.

Ummm..you're confused.

400-500KB/Sec is 3.2-4mbit. Since B is 11mbps, that is ~5mbps either way, so it's more like 3/4 of the bandwidth. :p