Wireless

[Namoric]

back in the day, I hard wired our whole house with Cat-6 stuff because I was in the attic and figured I'd do it while I was up there.

Anyway

The Wii and the garage will not be hard wired and the iTouch and the PSP's and yada yada all need a wireless connection.

So - what kind of wireless router thing do I need?

I was thinking somthing like

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8639967&st=router&type=product&id=1194054018722

or maybe

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833129183

but I don't know what data rate is good, what security I need to look at or anything.

So - help a brother out.

please.

[onstill]

The linksys is a good choice im actually running that model inhouse. Security across all the residental units are about the same just make sure you set it up and put in a good password. in your rural area that should be good enough. Personally I stick with linksys and netgear. alot of the other brands use crappy embedded nics that die easily. putting it on surge/ups helps too from random lockups.

[Kamui]

Linksys.
by far.
I've been using that one for a while now. It's hand over fist better than D-Link.
Best residential router/gateway at that price, IMO.

Don't need to think about data rates, just wireless standards: a,b,g, and N.
G is still the standard. N is superior is every way, but still fairly new. A lot of devices don't support it yet.
(note: N routers will be backwards-compatible with B and G devices. Not always A)

I suggest WPA2 personal for wireless security. Just about any router will support it and all other security protocols.

[ThaMan]

What they said. I'm a linksys fan. I use them at work as well.

One thing, you will probably want to keep the router closest to the outside wall close to the garage. The more walls you go through, the more diminished the signal can become. 4 walls can kill a signal.

If you are using it for internet, it doesn't matter what speed you go, because the router will be faster than your connection to the internet, unless you are running FIOS. Unless you live in Dunwoody, it isn't available in your area ;)

[Barbedweir]

I used a linksys with my old router... did a great job for the laptop, Wii, and iTouch.

My new Modem has it built in that I got from At&t.

[Namoric]

So is "up to 54 mbps" good for normal use (WOW, Wii, 360, etc...) or do I need to find something to 108 or whatever?

[Shinzou]

Well for internet, any wireless will be fine. It is the range you should look at if range is an issue.

Any wireless speed will be higher than your max download speed by far.

For example, residential internet usually goes at 5-7mbps. So 54mbps is fine, even for the fastest connections.

The only time higher wireless speed comes into play is for network file transfers. If you plan on just using the wireless for your consoles and handhelds and don't plan on doing any file transfers over the network from device to device, you don't need an uber-fast wireless speed.

Wireless N right now is the fastest wireless type at 300mbps, which isn't even the theoretical limit for N. N also has the longest range. Though I don't think there are any consoles or handhelds out right now that use N, except maybe the PS3.

So yeah, just need to worry about range. Some routers have an option built into the firmware to increase the range, some don't. My D-link gaming router can increase the range.

[Deviq]

If you get almost any Linsys router that starts with a WRT* in the model number you can hack it to increase range if you ever need to. I'm with everyone else, I've used Linksys for years and highly recommend it. (WRT models above all else just in case you need the extra options.)

[Brigadiir]

I'd also recommend Linksys. Hawk and I have our PCs wired to it (they're all in the same room), but it works wonderfully for the mac in the next room and the wii/360/ps3 etc downstairs.

[ThaMan]

If you are using it for internet, it doesn't matter what speed you go, because the router will be faster than your connection to the internet, unless you are running FIOS. Unless you live in Dunwoody, it isn't available in your area ;)


So is "up to 54 mbps" good for normal use (WOW, Wii, 360, etc...) or do I need to find something to 108 or whatever?



Well for internet, any wireless will be fine. It is the range you should look at if range is an issue.

Any wireless speed will be higher than your max download speed by far.

For example, residential internet usually goes at 5-7mbps. So 54mbps is fine, even for the fastest connections.

Did you think I was kidding?

[Namoric]

you were rambling and unclear and brought up thing that confused the point. so i clarified

[ThaMan]

Sorry for rambling. I'll try to stick to the point the next time, and be more clear. :)

[Barbedweir]

Not to worry...we are used to it.

[Leaasa]

I'm a fan of the WRT54G. There are so many of them out there already, I figure most any problem you might have with another router has already been worked out with this one. 802.11G is plenty fast for almost anything, and on the rare occasions where you need more, I'd expect to plug the machine in question in with a wire anyway.

Odds are, if you really have a need for 802.11n, you already know it. I have one friend who moves large pieces of code around on his LAN, so 'n' is a good idea for him. For pretty much everyone else, 'g' is more than enough.

[Jormagund]

Does anyone use a third-party firmware for their Linksys router... such as DD-WRT or Tomato? If so, do you feel it's worthwhile to void the warranty for the benefits gained? Any good or bad experiences to share?

[Kasu]

Does anyone use a third-party firmware for their Linksys router... such as DD-WRT or Tomato? If so, do you feel it's worthwhile to void the warranty for the benefits gained? Any good or bad experiences to share?

Yes, I have 3 buffalo router's in my house (2 act as a wireless gateway to the main router allowing me to plug in multiple LAN devices from different locations). I've been running DD-WRT for over a year and half on all these devices. I love the firmware and its extremely stable.

Ive not once had to restart any of my routers or troubleshoot any issues since putting them up.

The Buffalo was stupidly high rated on Newegg and a customer choice award winner. Here is the newer model of the router I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833162134

HIGHLY recommended. And I would flash with DD-WRT if you feel comfortable, instructions are pretty good on their website.