[Wireless G vs. Wireless N] Will I notice a Difference?

I just order the HP HDX16t with the Wireless N card. Currently I only have a Wireless G router at my home. Should I upgrade? Is the speed noticeable?

I will be gaming, downloading lots, web browsing.

Also is Wireless N is draft? What is draft anyways? Should I wait till its actually released?

Thanks

 

if you have a very fast internet connection

 

The difference isn't in the browsing, its in the network speed. Wireless n allows for much faster file transfers over a network than wireless g, worth it if you work on 2 or more ,achines.

 

You won't notice the difference unless you're transferring very large files around between computers that are on your own private subnet - with respect to the internet, the limiting factor will be your ISP's speed, not your internal router's speed.

 

When I look to see when Wireless N will be available it says 2010..
whats that mean? The full version or what? What is draft n?

Should I purchase a N router now? I have comcast, fast speeds.

 

even with comcast the fastest service they provide is 16mb down and thats the cap, i have it as well and dont even see past 10mb.

wireless g i believe caps at 54mb/s and runs on a 2.4ghz frequency vs a n that does 108 that runs at a 5ghz frequency.

wireless n is good if you plan to stream media around the house, if you're just browsing the net and playing games a G is sufficient enough and you'll never use it to the full extent.

 

Draft N is an incomplete version of the Wireless N technology which hasn't complied with the standards as of yet...

 

Wireless N is greater than Wireless G by all standards. Every darn Wireless G router I had always gave at least one system a problem to connect wirelessly, especially when that system was taken out of the house and connected to a different network then brought back home. Not with wireless N, everything just connects and works. No more headaches.

 

So buy a new router? Any ones you recommend? Under $100

 

11n usually uses MIMO or basically more than one antenna to receive and send at once.
This can give much better range than single antenna 54g.
Some cards come with 3 antenna's, most older draftn come with 2.

11n routers and WLAN cards will also have the latest security features. WPA2 etc
If you have a NAS device attached to your LAN you can access it much faster then a 54g connection.
Intenet will make no difference if you have 54g or 11n the limit as already said is you connection speed.
ADSL2+ maxes at 24Mbps and that is if you live in the exchange.

Go 11n, 54g is so yesterday.

2.4Ghz (G) = better range but often very populated in build up areas.
Only 3 non overlapped channels so lots of chance of interference from other 11n routers and phones, some remotes and video senders.

5Ghz (A) = less range (shorter wave lenght) but hardly anyone uses this so not many devices to interfere with connection.
12 non over lapped channels, more room to change channels if one or more are busy.

I have a Buffalo dual band 11n router that can simultaneously transmit/receive in 11na and 11ng, the ultimate solution.
I'm currently using a Gigabyte GN-WS30N Ralink based WLAN card, it's only 11ng but it's awesome Client Utility in Vista makes up for lack of 11na.

 

Unless you use 802.11a, which has less range than 802.11b/g, you are not missing anything. Just a little FYI - there is no 802.11ng or 802.11na - it is 802.11g, 802.11n, and 802.11a.

 

That assumes you are close enough to the router to operate at a speed higher than your ISP's connection. As you move further away, wireless speed drops. 802.11g and 802.11b drop faster than 802.11n so depending on how far you get from your router, it could limit Internet connection speed. Another way to look at this is that 802.11n gives you more flexibility when locating a router on your premises.

Don't you mean that 802.11n devices comply with a draft standard that has not yet been ratified? The risk is that the standard could be changed before it is ratified. Depending on the change, existing (draft n) devices could become obsolete or (more likely) would require new drivers and/or firmware.

About the least expensive solution I've seen yet is a Linksys WRT150N which can be found (refurbished/recertified) for about $45 in the US.

Personally I prefer a router capable of running DD-WRT firmware so I'm not dependent on the original vendor for features I might need. That said, the WRT150N seems to have all the features I need. At present I've had it running slightly less than 24 hours and have not yet flashed it to DD-WRT.

HTH,
hank

Edit: fixed to indicate that N has better range than B and G.

 

You know what I mean

As for routers, if my money tree would ever flower I'd get a Dlink DIR-855.
Dlink update firmware often so any issues are often fixed quickly.
I have a DIR-655 that I use to test Atheros based WLAN cards with it's great but only works with 11ng

For best DSL speed and connections get your self a modem that can go into Bridge mode.
I have bought a Linksys AM300 and bridged it, worked wonders.
Now the router does the Firewall etc which it does much better then modems.
Huge difference with Torrents.
The AM300 is very good for this as the Web based control panel is still available once bridged (most need a factory reset to do so).
Was a breeze to setup, unlike numerous other modems I tried it on.

 

Actually.... Wireless N offers GREATER range and speed than Wireless G.

Wireless G will suffer signal loss and drop in speed BEFORE N will. Why are people saying otherwise?

 

So if you planned to buy a new laptop to replace an older one you would recommend the new laptop have a wireless "N" card? Could I still use my Linksys wireless "g" router, ( Model #WRT54G ) if I bought a new laptop equipped with wireless "N"? Or if I bought another laptop with wireless "g" could I still use my current "g" router which is almost 3 years old or should I upgrade to a newer wireless "g" router and if so which one? All I do on a laptop is surf the web and send and receive emails.

 

Skip N unless you transfer large files like video's from one computer to another or perhaps from a computer to a media player of some sort. 802.11g is 54Mpbs, but that's counting both directions so the actually max theoretical throughput is 27Mbps each way, but reality puts it closer to 22Mbps. If your internet connection is faster than 22Mbps or you frequently transfer large files from computer to computer/media player, then you might want to think about 802.11n, otherwise it won't make a bit of difference to your internet speeds.

Yes an 802.11n card will connect to an 802.11g router (including your Linksys WRT54G)

 

Right now its mostly extra money to spend

 

So if I stay with wireless "g" rather than "N" can I continue to use my old wireless "g" router or should I upgrade to a newer model and if so, which one? I read on another board to be sure for extra security to go with WPA? WAP? Forgive me for not remembering which technology is today considered the safest and most secure on wireless "g"? Thanks for your comments.

 

i have a g router also, how is the qulaity of watching video on a wireless laptop whene the videos are on a wired desktop

 

Get a D-Link DIR-655, with wireless N and WPA2 security. $95 on Amazon. The best range and speed out there. Don't worry about the Wireless N spec not being "final". The final spec will be a simple firmware upgrade to all wireless N routers, and so you won't have to worry at all.

There are three types of security: WEP, WPA, and WPA2. WEP is hackable by a total idiot in under 2 minutes, and also significantly slows down your speed while having it on. WPA is much better security, but still a decrease in speed. Hackable, but much much harder. And WPA2 is virtually unhackable (and definitely not worth someone's time). It also runs so fast, it's like you have no security on.

Wireless N is especially noticeable during file transfers, but with its increased range and speed, it also means you don't have to be right next to your router to get a good signal. I'm upstairs right now, at least 50 feet away, and get good speed.

 

Dyslexics Untie!

Opps! You are right of course and that is what I had meant to say. Thank you for pointing that out. I have corrected the post where I had it backwords.

thanks,
hank

 

Wireless N does have greater range than G. i tested it using 3 laptops connecting to an Apple Store WiFi Network:
1 with wireless N
2 with wireless G

Distance: more than 17 meters away from the source through a few thick walls.

Results:

Wireless N could get up to 60% signal strength, @200 Mbps (a lot faster than my wireless internet at home)

Wireless G could only get around 15 to 20%.


Now i just love the wireless N.