Router questions

The laptop I am choosing has a Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN) wifi card. My router is a linksys range plus router. Will it work with a range plus linksys router? And how much speed does the rangeplus router give? Is a rangeplus faster then a G?

 

Yes, your 5100 wifi card will work with your router. The RangePlus technology doesn't enhance the speed of your connection, but gives you greater wireless coverage.

From Linksys

 

But it says on the linksys website
RangePlus-n Wireless Router
(WRT110)
Faster and more coverage than Wireless-G.
Easy to set up. Industrial-strength security protection.
Excellent for families who share files and the Internet.

It says it is faster then G

Oh and its a RangePlus-n Wireless Router

 

The "faster" speed they are referring to is the Local Area Network speed and not the actual Internet speed; Meaning you will only truly notice it when transferring files between computers on the same network etc. This speed they talk about supposedly goes up to 600Mbit/s which is 802.11n standards; whereas 802.11g maxes out at 54Mbit/s.

Having an N Router versus a G or vice versa would not make much of a difference if any when it comes to Internet speed.

 

So if I were to have a G router and a N router and test them on interent speed it wouldnt be much of a difference? So by speed they mean when you transfer files between computers? And what does it mean to transfer files to another computer

 

Most likely no difference on internet connection, as the throughput from your ISP would be the limiting factor, and that doesn't change depending on what router's attached.

By "speed" they mean the speed you can achieve sending things on your own private, local network, which would typically include whatever computers you have that connect to the internet through your router, plus any networked printer(s) you might have attached to the network, plus any NAS (network attached storage) solutions you might have connected to your network.

So, for example, if you had an external hard drive connected to your network, for example, by being plugged into one of the four wired LAN ports on the back of the router, then - depending on whether or not the drive itself can run at those speeds - you would be able to read/write files to/from that external drive over your private network at the speeds advertised by the router company; keep in mind, that would still be limited to the slower of the hard drive's read/write speed or the router's actual throughput speed.

 

Oh I get it. So by speed they mean files through different computers right? So the G or N doesnt effect the internet speed. But if you have a N wifi card built in your laptop does that make the internet faster or does it just mean to transfer files in that network speed?

 

an "N" card won't make the internet any faster.

 

Then besides your internet service what else makes your internet speed faster?

 

Everyone else on the internet with a system online through which your packets pass upgrading their hardware and increasing their bandwidth.

 

IS it true youcan increase your bandwidth speed by 20%?

 

By what means?

 

Well it says that microsoft (windows computers) Use about 20% of your bandwitdth to use updates. Oh and also if you have a slow computer does that also effect the speed like interent? Because my old laptop had super super fast internet and my familys home computer is connected to a modem and the modem is connectd to the router and the internet is slower then my laptop. My familys computer is pretty slow.

 

Anyone know why?

 

I'm not even sure I can follow what you're asking any more. Microsoft may, for all I know, use 20% of available bandwidth when it's updating, but the operative thing there would be that it uses that bandwidth only when it's actively downloading an update, which (a) doesn't happen that often, and (b) you can control by setting the time to d/l updates, or by turning it off altogether (which I wouldn't suggest). The rest of the time (probably 99% of the time) Microsoft update isn't doing anything that requires any significant bandwidth, and so it wouldn't be taking anything away from you.

"If you have a slow computer" - as in, a low clock frequency for the CPU, or as in a slow ethernet card/wireless card?

Your family's computer is connected to a modem, which is connected to the router, and ... that causes the internet (which part of it?) to be slower than your old laptop - slower how?

 

Please define, exactly, what you mean by "well it says that microsoft....".

Without complete context (source, reference, etc) it's hard to offer advice.

 

Sorry about that. The internet is slower on the familys computer then my laptop. Like it would take longer to load a page. And by slow computer I also mean it has low ram, and a low processor speed

 

All of those factors could cause it to appear as if the internet were slower because it would take the computer longer to get everything done, like downloading an image and then painting it up on the screen.

But that wouldn't have any effect on the internet, it's just an internal aspect of that computer.

 

Lets separate the idea of 'web browsing' from the Internet. The Internet is just the data stream. The speed of that stream is what you pay your ISP for.

Web Browsing/browsers (MSIE, FF, Opera, Safari, etc) takes that data stream and formats it in your computer for on-screen display and interaction. The speed/efficiency of this is mostly dependent on the capabilities of your computer.

If your laptop is working fine 'on the internet', then your connection is probably ok.

So it's time to concentrate on the capabilities of the family computer. Would you post the hardware and OS specs and what browser is in use. Also what kind of internet connection the house has and how your in-home newworking is set up.

If you have some $$ available, new, very speedy computers with a 19" or larger screen can be had for $600- At that point you need to ask how much time do you want to invest in troubleshooting this and how much $$ would be wise to invest in teh old family computer.

 

I'm not really sure we're "troubleshooting" any longer....