What to Look for in a Wireless Router?

[DigDug]

Thanks a bunch guys!

 

[rudeguy]

n > *

 

[Vehemence]

Draft N and cheap. Bizzangity!

 

[DigDug]

What is Draft N?

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: DigDug
What is Draft N?

802.11n > 802.11g > 802.11b

 

[Adam8281]

Originally posted by: DigDug
What is Draft N?

"Draft N" is essentially the same thing as 802.11n. The "Draft" just means that the standard hasn't been officially finalized by the slow-moving IEEE people. Personally, I don't think 802.11n is very important unless you have either a really big house, or you're streaming hi-def. I use an 802.11g router to stream video to my wireless media server, and it works beautifully.

If you think you'd enjoy hacking/tweaking a router, you might want to get one that can be flashed with the homebrew firmwares DD-WRT or Tomato. These firmwares essentially turn your $30 router into a $500 router, allowing all kinds of advanced network management. I have the ASUS WL-520GU 802.11g router which I got for about $30, and on which I'm using DD-WRT.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: DigDug
What is Draft N?

802.11n > 802.11g > 802.11b

There is no such thing as 802.11n. It isn't a standard yet. What is most likely to happen is that all of the fools that bought stuff before the standard is passed your stuff won't work with real 802.11n gear.

If you must buy the non-standard 802.11n stuff make sure you know that in all likelyhood it won't work with 802.11n stuff.

 

[Gibson486]

Ummm...do not buy N. It is not standrad. What that means is that once it does become standard, you will may not be able to use it with the non standard stuff you guys bought. Infact, N equipment usually has to be used with N equipment from the same manufacture..lots of times, different generations of N equipment from the same manufacture are not even compatible.

<----burnt by wireless N

 

[Vehemence]

Ensuring all your components are compatable before you buy them is always best. With that, draft N is fine.

 

[Leros]

Why not get Draft N? If it works great, if not you have G to fall back to.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: DigDug
What is Draft N?

802.11n > 802.11g > 802.11b

There is no such thing as 802.11n. It isn't a standard yet. What is most likely to happen is that all of the fools that bought stuff before the standard is passed your stuff won't work with real 802.11n gear.

If you must buy the non-standard 802.11n stuff make sure you know that in all likelyhood it won't work with 802.11n stuff.

The real fools seem to be the IEEE approval board. Rather than approve an 802.11n standard in a timely manner, they've sat on their asses with a draft copy of 802.11n for almost two years at this point. The manufacturers naturally got sick of waiting for their seal of approval, and came up with a quasi-standard on their own.

 

[MrChad]

DD-WRT compatibility would be up there on my list.

 

[Injury]

http://forums.anandtech.com/ca...tid=36&flcache=5675104

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

The real fools seem to be the IEEE approval board. Rather than approve an 802.11n standard in a timely manner, they've sat on their asses with a draft copy of 802.11n for almost two years at this point. The manufacturers naturally got sick of waiting for their seal of approval, and came up with a quasi-standard on their own.

It's the manufacturers pushing for their features which their positions are strengthened by having product in the market.

So it's really the fault of people buying the stuff coupled with the manufacturers. If folks would stop buying pre-standard stuff then the manufacturers don't have a position or reason to push their wishes.

In the SOHO world marketing is everything and it's working.

 

[Madwand1]

Here are some recommendations:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1226866

Of course you shouldn't consider just that to be enough and just pick one off the list, but it is useful as a starter guide to some of the better models around.

SmallNetBuilder is a decent source of reviews on consumer networking gear IMO -- certainly better than nothing, and they have some detailed router reviews.

 

[darkxshade]

wires

 

[venkman]

Originally posted by: darkxshade
wires

well, you do need to get power to the wireless router somehow.

 

[lokiju]

N and USB ports so you can hook up printers and external hard drives.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: venkman

Originally posted by: darkxshade
wires

well, you do need to get power to the wireless router somehow.

That's just preposterous.

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: MrChad
DD-WRT compatibility would be up there on my list.

Absolutely. I love my Buffalo router for this exact reason.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: DigDug
What is Draft N?

802.11n > 802.11g > 802.11b

There is no such thing as 802.11n. It isn't a standard yet. What is most likely to happen is that all of the fools that bought stuff before the standard is passed your stuff won't work with real 802.11n gear.

If you must buy the non-standard 802.11n stuff make sure you know that in all likelyhood it won't work with 802.11n stuff.

This!

I used to work at CompUSA in like.. 2005 (i think, I have a shit memory.. it was more than 2 years ago) when the first 802.11n draft routers came out. They kept telling me to push this new, expensive shit on people when I knew that it didn't work all that well wasn't supported by anything and likely would never be supported by anything... I got fired from there for 'stealing' pizza from a fat chick...


Fuck working retail!!!@1111!!1

 

[JackMDS]

http://www.ezlan.net/wlan_router.html