Wireless router work OK?

[john63401]

Ive been thinking of selling my current LinkSys wired
router....and getting a wireless one. And then a
laptop to use around the house.

Im curious if anyone out there is using such a
setup....and how well it is working for you?

 

[John Smith]

A friend of mine does exactly that with a Netgear wireless router. He is
very happy with it but he has noticed that the connectivity speeds between
his other PCs is not as fast when they were hard-wired together. Seems to
work fine though otherwise.

J.

 

[john63401]

I'm using a Netgear wireless router and it works fine for sharing an

internet connection. If you swap large files often between computers, it is
a bit slow.

Since I already have a wired router..... would you
recommend just getting the "wireless access point" or
WAP as it is called? That way I can set the access
point up high or wherever I want in the house?

Or....is the all in one unit just handier as there are
less cables.... mess... etc?

 

[john63401]

I'm using a Netgear wireless router and it works fine for sharing an

internet connection. If you swap large files often between computers, it is
a bit slow.

Also.....dont all wireless routers also have ports for
traditional WIRED ethernet?

I mean..... I could hard wire my desktop to it
(wireless router)...... but use the wireless features
on a laptop or tablet PC?

 

[Pen]

Wouldn't it be cheaper, more secure and more reliable to just add
a wireless access point to your existing network?

 

[john63401]

Get one that has a built in wired router as well.

OK

Any brands or models I should look at?

 

[john63401]

Wouldn't it be cheaper, more secure and more reliable to just add

a wireless access point to your existing network?

I don't know. Would it?

Or..... just as easy and maybe better to buy a whole
new wireless router box?

 

[John Smith]

Um, still Linksys and Netgear - if I recall correctly they have models which
are wireless and allow hard-wired cabling connections, built in fire-wall, a
DMZ, DHCP server, and I think the netgear has a Print Manager also.

J.

 

[John Smith]

John...

You need to do a couple of things:

1) Decide if you really need Wireless or not? Think about the pros and cons

2) Work out how many Ports you need?

3) If you opt for Wireless do you want 802.11a, 802.11b, one than handles
both or do you want the newer 802.11g?

Go here:

http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=415 -
wireless version

http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?grid=34&scid=29&prid=20 - 4 port
version

http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?prid=155&scid=29 - 8 port
version

http://www.netgear.com/products/wireless/dualband.asp - wireless

http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=140&view= - 4 port
version

http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=157&view= - 8 port
version

J.

 

[john63401]

1) Decide if you really need Wireless or not? Think about the pros and cons

Yes... I want it

2) Work out how many Ports you need?

Hmm.... at least 4?

3) If you opt for Wireless do you want 802.11a, 802.11b, one than handles
both or do you want the newer 802.11g?

The newer 802.11g

 

[Hawkeye]

I have a Zoom Telephonics Internet Gateway Model 4165. It has two hard
wired ports and wireless. It has a printer port and a dial-up modem port
as well as the DSL/Cable Modem port. It has worked perfectly for me and
I highly recommend it. I use it in a small network with one hard wired
desktop and two wireless laptops sharing a cable modem internet
connection as well as the usual network stuff.

Hawkeye

 

[John Smith]

Well, from your answers I think you are venturing more towards the Linksys
products.

One other point - I worked on VPN for a very well known Internet networking
company and when we were developing new products, such as VPN Pass-thru
Clients, the only two makes of SOHO Cable/ADSL Routers that always worked
with them were from Linksys and Netgear. Sometimes our own products would
not work but Linksys and Netgear would.

I think Linksys have been bought out by someone now! ;-)


J.

 

[DCWhitty]

Since I already have a wired router..... would you
recommend just getting the "wireless access point" or
WAP as it is called? That way I can set the access
point up high or wherever I want in the house?

Or....is the all in one unit just handier as there are
less cables.... mess... etc?

Ironically, the all-in-one wireless routers (these usually come with 3 - 4
wired ports) are about the same price as a standalone WAP, and probably
would be a better price value . . .

BUT placement may be an issue as you alluded to. I have a WAP connected to
my network, which is in the same room as my wired router. I tested the
placement of the WAP in several locations within the room, and found that
placing the WAP on the floor, about 12 feet away from the router, gave me
better reception for the use of my laptop downstairs. In fact, I can get a
decent signal two floors down in my basement (and a half decent signal in
the backyard on my deck), which I could not get leaving the WAP next to my
router (and moving the router was not practical).

SO, flexibility in the placement of the wireless signal may be very
important. The construction of your house may affect where you place your
wireless signal (particularly if you have central A/C with all of its
ductwork; an open hallway design vs. closed doors/hallways, etc.). It's
easier to move a WAP (and one CAT5 wire), rather than moving a router (with
several wires). Besides, if you like to look at your router's lights in
front of you (like I do 8-} ), then something else (i.e. the WAP) has to
move.

I say get the WAP (you already have a perfectly good router anyway, so why
not use it? Besides, you wouldn't make any money on the sale of it, since
brand new 4 port Netgear wired Routers are selling as cheap as $20 after
rebate this week). And you are already looking at the 802.11 (g) variety of
wireless equipment, as you noted earlier.

Some WAPs are better than others, so look around. I have a "multi-brand
setup" (Netgear FVS318 Firewall/VPN Router; an SMC 2655 WAP (802.11 (b)
only); an SMC PCI wireless card for one of my PCs; a Lucent Orinoco Gold
PCMCIA wireless card (802.11 (b) only) for my laptop; and a Xircom wireless
module for my Handspring Visor. The SMC WAP is at the center of my "wireless
world," and everything works fine.

The key to having decent wireless reception (aside from a good WAP) is
getting a really good PCMCIA card with good range (assuming your laptop
doesn't already have the wireless capabilities built-in). This is where you
should really do your homework

Go to http://www.practicallynetworked.com, where they have reviews of the
various products. The user comments are really useful in determining which
products people are most satisfied with.

Good luck.

Des

 

[john63401]

The key to having decent wireless reception (aside from a good WAP) is

getting a really good PCMCIA card with good range (assuming your laptop
doesn't already have the wireless capabilities built-in). This is where you
should really do your homework

Thanks Des!!

You make very good sense. I will just go ahead and get
the WAP..... and keep my router.

Like you said tho.... a whole new combo AP/router costs
no more than just a WAP alone. Weird huh?

Question....suposing I bought a combo unit anyway....
could I plug it into my existing router.... to get
better placement.... but then I STILL have more ports
and a router if I needed em to boot?

Hope that made sense. <G>

 

[GBH]

[...]

Question....suposing I bought a combo unit anyway....
could I plug it into my existing router.... to get
better placement.... but then I STILL have more ports
and a router if I needed em to boot?
[...]

Yes, the WAP can be used as a hub. Plug the ethernet cable from a LAN
port on the router to a LAN port on the WAP (leave the WAN port on the
WAP empty), then turn off DHCP on the WAP when you configure it.

 

[DCWhitty]

Thanks Des!!

No Prob!

Question....suposing I bought a combo unit anyway....
could I plug it into my existing router.... to get
better placement.... but then I STILL have more ports
and a router if I needed em to boot?

Hope that made sense. <G>

I can't help you on that one (i.e. multiple routers on the same network).
But I can imagine that you would be asking for trouble.

If you're looking for extra ports, get the WAP and a 10/100 network switch
(instead of a second router). A switch is much cheaper than a second router
(except for those Netgears this week!), and would not have a complicated
configuration scheme that you might have with the second router. With a
switch, all you have to do is connect it to your existing router, and plug
your extra PCs into it - you don't have to configure anything. You still
want your "upstream" router (the Linksys) to control Internet access, NAT,
the assignment of IP addresses, etc. A second router might complicate that.
A switch wouldn't compromise that setup at all, and would have the same
speed as a router. I have a Gigabit switch on my network - just plugged it
in and zoom!

Note: Get a switch, not a "hub"! (a switch is better).

Switches can be 4-ports, 8-ports, etc. depending on your needs.

So, for your setup, I'd say do the following:

Router (keep the Linksys);
WAP (wireless "g"); also wireless "g" PCMCIA wireless card;
10/100 Switch (4 or 8 port).

IMHO, this is your best "simple design/best performance/added expansion
capability" combo.


Des