Wireless N questions

Does wireless N really make that much of a difference to e G network?

Anyone tried changing the G card in a 1350 for an N? Anything to be aware of or avoid?

Are all 3 wires in the 1350 (sales person trying to sell me the N card claims they will be).

 

all the wires are there no matter your configuration... they just add the card and connect the wires to the card

if u have money, go for wireless N... if not, then its ok....

 

Yes, N is much better than G. My G desktop gets 1-2 signal strength bars while my N laptop, at the same spot, gets 4-5 signal strength bars.

 

true, the signal is much better, i have compared it many times and im just amazed of how much better the signal is with my wireless N card.

sad part is, most of the speed advantage is bottlenecked by a G router and a really bad internet service....

 

It's going to cost me £19. My laptop has the G card fitted currently, so it would be a home DIY install job. That's why I wanted to make sure that they put the 3 wires in by default and not only if required, because if it's just 2 wires installed due to the G card being there then I don't feel like stripping the monitor etc. to put a third in.

The seller of the card claims it's a dead easy install and that all 3 wires are there, so I may have a go.

I presume the wires just pop off?

 

The extra distance sounds good, I want to use my laptop in the garden and currently it's a poor signal out there in some places.

The bottleneck part concerns me though. My PS3, wife's laptop, Wii and other kit are all wireless G standards, so I'd have to leave N and G signals coming from the N router. Would that cause a slow down as is often witnessed if you leave a G router also covering B signals??

 

i have experienced this, while playing in Lan with an N card on my computer, a G card on another, and other 2 computers with cable there is this really bad lag... but this only happens when you use the router for LAN gaming, witch involves heavy data conversion from wire to G to N, using it only as an internet gateway has no problems at all

 

To resolve the G/N inter-operability issue, why not try a simultaneous dual-band N router.

What this will do is broadcast on both the 5 gHz N frequency and 2.4 gHz G frequency so the N runs at full speed in spite of the slower G devices running at only their max of 54. It will also increase the likelihood, in my estimation, that the router's processor will better handle the data distribution among the various interfaces, certainly better than a plain $40 N router would.

 

Sounds interesting, do you have any links to any please?

 

I've found 3 that look interesting. Any views on these? (I like the Dlink one) Or any others recommended?



http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=548

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/wif...ra-rangeplus-dual-band-wireless-n-router.aspx

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2308066,00.asp

 

Another option (and cheaper option if someone already has an N router that isn't dual-band) is just add a cheap "G" wireless access point in the existing network. Set the router to N-only and the WAP to G.

This is what I did as I have a DIR-655 that isn't dual band, but is a rock solid router that I just didn't want to replace. I added a $50 dlink access point and the G clients use that. My M1530 and netbook connect via N to the DIR655. No conflicts and cheaper than a new router.

 

Interesting thought. And I already have a spare WAP lying about somewhere.

And I presume with the different frequencies used by N and G that there'd be little or no interference despite both units being close to each other?

 

Well in my case they're both 2.4 GHZ devices, but on different channels, and thus slightly different frequencies. I notice no interference between the two, and they sit right next to each other. One thing I use the N for is streaming SD video from a server downstairs. It was a problem when I was trying to use just the DIR-655 in N&G mode, but is fine with the two separate devices, one N only and one G only.

Of course with the newer dual band routers you get the N in 5 GHZ which allows for greater speed. I've shy'd away from those thus far because I seem to read a lot of complaints about the 5 GHZ having a pretty limited range compared to 2.4 GHZ, and I need my N to reach pretty far.

Your mileage may vary, but if you've already got a WAP laying around it's pretty easy to give it a try.

 

Currently I only have a B/G router though, so I'd still have to buy an N router and an N internal card for my laptop (currently B/G). So the difference in price may not be a great deal, however I'll look in to the 5ghz and 2.4 ghz issue.

 

It depends on how's the radio freq usage in your neighborhood and what kind of N router that you (will) use. If there are too many wireless routers & access points around, especially if they are close to each other such as living in a condo situation, then adding G wap to existing single band 2.4GHz wireless N router might end up being in too crowded 2.4GHz place. Not to mention a wireless N router/ap occupied many channels at once in order to provide above 130Mbps connections, using standard 20MHz & wide 40MHz at different channels.

In this kind of sittuation, a dualband 2.4GHz & 5GHz setup is preferred, that is to dedicate the 2.4Ghz band for G and 5GHz band for N. This could be done using a single dualband wireless N router, or using 2 devices. But since a wireless N router/ap which can operate in 5GHz only is not the common one in the market or a wireless A devices which operates in 5GHz band are also the least common ones, then a dual band wireless N router still the best choice.

But if your area is not too crowded already, then go ahead with 2.4GHz wireless N + your old B/G wap.