Need Help Picking a Wireless Router
December 15th, 2013
my room is 2 floors above where the cable line is,
and i want to be able to download average 500-700mb files, watch YT vids and overall use of internet in my room (not online gaming really)
im clueless what to look for, there wont be more than 2 computers connected to this router, plus i want to make sure no neighbors can access my net either.
any suggestions what to look for?
Can you send a link of an online store from where you are interested to buy? Like newegg.com… Mostly to see what is available in your country…
You want speed so it must be an N wireless router, which must be supported from your computer’s wireless card also, and living 2 floors above, you need some really good db antenna in your router, so you can have a decent signal…
I would agree with 802.11n (wireless N) but mainly due to the fact you will be using it 2 floors away from the router. Probably best to get equipment capable of 300 Mbps.
I am using a Netgear WNR3500 (with my ISP’s crappy router in bridge mode) and have had no problems with it, (can still connect if I am in my neighbours house 3 houses away, and they are pretty thick terraced house walls, lol).
I highly doubt you will need a range extender (eg WN2000RPT) but you won’t find out until you have actually set it up. You will need also need 802.11n (up to 300 Mbps) wireless card for your puters, you can get USB dongle type if you prefer. It will connect with wireless A,B, or G cards, but obviously it will be slower.(don’t go for the 150 mbps cards)
Most these days come with WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup ) – you just push a button on the router and your dongle etc and it sets it up the connection for you, no faffing about.
If you have it set on WPA2-PSK (AES encryption) then it’s fairly secure. You may find if you want to connect older devices via wi-fi that you have to use WPA-PSK (TKIP).
There are many other similar routers on the market, but if you post back as countStrahd suggested with where you are, then people can maybe offer alternatives
*EDIT – you may want to consider getting dual band equipment, that also works at 5Ghz, you can often get interference on 2.4 Ghz (standard frequency) if you live in a very busy area.
Tips for router placement also,
Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate,
In an elevated location such as a high shelf,
Away from potential sources of interference, such as PCs, microwave ovens, and cordless phones,
Away from large metal surfaces
thank you guys!
so im looking for a dual band wireless N, 300 mbps router?
also one of my laptops may be wireless G, will it still work?
and i would like to connect my ps3 sometimes as well, any issues i should look for?
also heres best buys router deals of the week, any recommendations?
http://bestbuy.shoplocal.com/bestbuy/default.aspx?action=entryflash&adref=header
MARTIN STERN replied: ...also heres best buys router deals of the week, any recommendations?
That’s an excellent price on that NETGEAR WNR2000 for $49.00
They have good ratings and the regular price is normally about $80.00
wwsmithe replied: MARTIN STERN replied: ...also heres best buys router deals of the week, any recommendations?
That's an excellent price on that NETGEAR WNR2000 for $49.00
They have good ratings and the regular price is normally about $80.00
The only thing is that it is only single band. But they are good routers.
Belkin N1 Vision is also supposed to be good, I bought 2 used off E-bay UK for £30, and have already sold them on.
*Edit – I can’t get to that Bestbuy link as it prompts me for a zip code
Also wireles N routers are backwards compatible – so you can connect a wireless G device, or B, or A. A solution would be yo use a Netgear 300 mbps dongle on your laptop, or get an internal wi-fi n card for your laptop and fit it yourself (quite easy) and would cost about £10 on E-bay.
Another option is to use a Powerline AV Adapter (Or in more simple terms,Ethernet over power lines)
WD Livewire is very popular in this department,But you could probably find a cheaper alternative.
MARTIN STERN replied: plus i want to make sure no neighbors can access my net either
This can easily be done with any router,Just log into it’s interface and enable WPA2 encryption,That along with
a solid,random password will be good enough.
gilly replied: A solution would be yo use a Netgear 300 mbps dongle
Unless his connection speed is faster than 54 Mbps this will not be needed,It’d only contribute to improvement
in local network transfers,Also,Just for the record,A USB wireless card of any company would do,Not just Netgear,Just
thought I’d point this out.
gilly replied:
Belkin N1 Vision is also supposed to be good, I bought 2 used off E-bay UK for £30, and have already sold them on.
I have to be honest,You would not make a good salesman!
First you recommended it,Then you were like “Oh btw,I had 2 of these but got rid of em”
The most reliable router out there for us PC users and one that has a good signal is funny enough the Apple Aiport Extreme. So if reliability and signal is your top priority, then you can’t buy better than that. Be prepared to spend $180.
Unless his connection speed is faster than 54 Mbps this will not be needed,It'd only contribute to improvementActually, just because you it says 54Mbps on the sticker doesn’t mean you’d get near it. A g dongle wont pick up a great signal 2 floors above.
in local network transfers,Also,Just for the record,A USB wireless card of any company would do,Not just Netgear,Just
thought I'd point this out.
Roberto400 replied: Another option is to use a Powerline AV Adapter (Or in more simple terms,Ethernet over power lines)
WD Livewire is very popular in this department,But you could probably find a cheaper alternative.
Just make sure you have no HAM radio geeks living near you as they cause huge amounts of RFI (radio frequence interference) because the cabling is unshielded and acts as an aerial, lol
Roberto400 replied:
gilly replied: A solution would be yo use a Netgear 300 mbps dongle
Unless his connection speed is faster than 54 Mbps this will not be needed,It'd only contribute to improvement
in local network transfers,Also,Just for the record,A USB wireless card of any company would do,Not just Netgear,Just
thought I'd point this out
Yep – I just said the first one that was in my mind because I use them, and they are very reliable, and fairly inexpensive. The same goes for a mini pci-e (more than likely) wireless N card for his laptop if he wants, I always used to use Atheros over Intel for connection stability, but have recently changed to Marvell.
If he uses wireless G – then I doubt the signal will even reach 2 floors up, that’s why I suggested N in the first place.
Roberto400 replied:
gilly replied:
Belkin N1 Vision is also supposed to be good, I bought 2 used off E-bay UK for £30, and have already sold them on.
I have to be honest,You would not make a good salesman!
First you recommended it,Then you were like "Oh btw,I had 2 of these but got rid of em"
You read it the wrong way – I am that good I had sold them on before I had even received them
I was going to try one myself as I like flashy gadgets, but the setup I am using is rock solid, so at least I made some money for doing very little
OH WOW im confused lol
what is a dongle?
and my connection is 100.0 mbps
MARTIN STERN replied: OH WOW im confused lol
what is a dongle?
and my connection is 100.0 mbps
It’s a USB wireless adapter
eg.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-N-Wireless-USB-Adapter/dp/B001HO3ZTQ
(as Roberto pointed out there are others on the market, lol)
You can use them instead of an internal card.
eg. The wi-fi card in your laptop is probably only capable or wireless G, so if you want to upgrade then you can either use one of these, or replace the internal wi-fi card.
gilly replied: oh ok i see, is N thatm uch better than G ?MARTIN STERN replied: OH WOW im confused lol
what is a dongle?
and my connection is 100.0 mbps
It's a USB wireless adapter
eg.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-N-Wireless-USB-Adapter/dp/B001HO3ZTQ
(as Roberto pointed out there are others on the market, lol)
You can use them instead of an internal card.
eg. The wi-fi card in your laptop is probably only capable or wireless G, so if you want to upgrade then you can either use one of these, or replace the internal wi-fi card.
MARTIN STERN replied: oh ok i see, is N thatm uch better than G ?
It is much better to go through 2 floors.
You probably could get away with wireless Super G (108Mbps), however the signal would be very much weaker.
gilly replied: ok i see thnx, so im gonna go for a dual N router, and see how G is, if its not great ill get the dongle card.MARTIN STERN replied: oh ok i see, is N thatm uch better than G ?
It is much better to go through 2 floors.
You probably could get away with wireless Super G (108Mbps), however the signal would be very much weaker.
thnx for all the help!