Wireless Networking

[IsoSpEEDriX]

Is Wireless Networking as good as it sounds? Cauz i see lots of promotion but i haven't heard from anyone using it. Do any of you network wirelessly? And pros and cons?

 

[Bglad]

I've used it extensively. It works and installs exactly like a regular network nic/hub etc. It works great once you know the x-mit limitations (boundaries). It is not as fast as a wired nic but I never really measured it to be sure. Note, I used wireless strictly for work, file sharing, web surfing, networking etc. I never tried it for games or anything. For basic uses it is great as long as you don't xfer huge files every day over the network.

 

[Hoober]

IT should be fine for online gaming because the max you'll ever see out of a SOHO connection is never going to come close to the 7-11Mbps you should get with wireless. Of course if you're far enough away from the access point to only be getting 1Mbps connections, then you might have problems.

I use wireless at home for my laptop and I've never had any problems with it. Huge file transfers take a little longer than over wired, but that's to be expected because of the speed difference. All in all its a great product if you have the money to do it right.

 

[JackMDS]

It is very easy to setup, and very comfortable to work with a Laptop.

However, effective speed is around 6-8Mb/esc. OK for Internet surfing, and low load of file transfer.

Range Capacity is VERY exaggerated by the manufactures, it amount to around 100? when there is no serious obstacles, less then 100? when a wall or two get in between, less then 50? when few walls gets in between.


I use it, and enjoy, but you have to know the limits.

 

[HansXP]

I have been using it for a few months and it has been absolutely fantastic. Make sure you get yourself an 802.11b-compatible setup. The speed has been fine for my uses - basically Internet access - and the latency is VERY low (<10ms) although I have been told that I may have gotten lucky with the latency. Online games work great. If you want high-quality wireless equipment, I'd suggest WaveLAN/ORiNOCO Good luck!

 

[vegetation]

The bottom line is that it's superb enough for Internet use, but not LAN activity. For example, I had to trash my wireless setup because I need extensive access to my LAN server for application sharing. With 128-bit WEP (mandatory for security reasons -- you don't want someone sending kiddie porn on your Internet network and then you get arrested!), the wireless connection becomes very sluggish. Significantly slower than a wired 10mbps connection.

 

[HansXP]

I would disagree. While encryption does add more stuff to send, it doesn't significantly reduce your bandwidth, at least from what I've seen.

 

[EricHagen]

I'm hoping to put together an article on various home networking setups including PNA, wireless, etc sometime later this summer.

Any suggestions?? Obviously I'm going to look at 802.11, and a variety of homePNA setups. I may also look at some of the proprietary wireless systems. Is there anything I need to add??

Will definately investigate performance and distance claims, as well as scalability to multiple computers and performance under heavy traffic (which can tell us about collision detection capabilities). That might lead into security and how easy it would be to snoop the data from outside your house. Those should be some interesting experiments =-)

Other things you guys are interested in??

Let me know,
Eric

 

[HansXP]

You should probably talk briefly about HomeRF...which is being backed by a few companies, although I don't know why they back it...

You might also want to talk about emerging standards, like 802.11A and new encryption algorithms.

 

[Eug]

<< effective speed is around 6-8Mb/esc >>

I have never seen a review give a speed that fast. More like 4-5 with no WEP, and depending on the equipment, sometimes MUCH slower with WEP active. For me, it's about 4.6+ beside the access point, and 4+ a couple of floors down, WITH WEP active.

Note however, it's faster (by almost 1 Mbps) if I originate the file transfer from my wireless laptop and transmit it to my wired desktop rather than the other way around. Ie. in the first situation, my laptop encrypts the signal and the access point decrypts it. In the second situation, my access point encrypts the signal and the laptop decrypts it. Ie, it would seem that the CPU of the access point is the limiting factor - it can decrypt at very good speed but it can't encrypt as fast. Indeed, one guy with a Linksys has stated he get significantly faster transfer speeds if he uses a laptop with a fast CPU vs. a laptop with a very slow CPU.

As for lag times, it seems that wireless connection adds maybe up to 5 ms, but it's nothing major. I can game with it no problem if I have a good signal.

So decide if 5 Mbps is enough, and if your setup will allow you to have a good connection (ie. not too many walls). If so, read the reviews, and select the equipment accordingly.

EDIT:

P.S. I use the Netgear access point and PC Card. Tim Higgins gives them a favourable review at Practically Networked (and that's why I bought them) but I'm confused as to why he seems to favour other brands when they actually consistently perform slower (with WEP active) and less reliably than the Netgear, even according his own measurements.

P.P.S. While it's fine to get only 64-bit WEP for home, I wouldn't get a wireless PC Card for a laptop without 128-bit WEP support if you plan on using the laptop anywhere else. Many places with WEP support now ONLY 128 bit.