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    Which is the best router for wireless N?

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by laptopmom3, Aug 6, 2008.

  1. laptopmom3

    laptopmom3 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm upgrading a current wireless G network to wireless N and adding 2 new wireless N computers to the network.

    Is there a particular router that receives the strongest signal and works fastest and more reliably than others? Linksys or D-Link or any other?

    Thanks.
     
    laptopmom3, Aug 6, 2008
    #1
  2. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

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    Netgear has excellent routers, the 3500 extended range with MIMO is one of them.
     
    Wirelessman, Aug 6, 2008
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  3. kermit1979

    kermit1979 Notebook Evangelist

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    See I disagree, all the reviews I've read on netgear shows a significant issue with long range bandwidth.

    d-link or linksys seem to be the way to go. I'm just not sure which to settle on atm.
     
    kermit1979, Aug 6, 2008
    #3
  4. darkazally

    darkazally Notebook Enthusiast

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    Agreed. Netgear seems to always have issues. Stick with dlink or linksys.
     
    darkazally, Aug 7, 2008
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  5. roycer

    roycer Notebook Consultant

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    Is it worth paying the little bit of extra money to get N over G?
     
    roycer, Aug 7, 2008
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  6. kermit1979

    kermit1979 Notebook Evangelist

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    I can't see how it would hurt if you already have a wireless N card. Better range, better speeds.
     
    kermit1979, Aug 7, 2008
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  7. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

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    Better speed behind the router, but it doesn't impact the router-ISP speed.
     
    Wirelessman, Aug 7, 2008
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  8. RexB

    RexB Notebook Enthusiast

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    laptopmom, if you're still looking check out this Linksys WRT610N. Dual 2.4GHz and 5GHz, Gigabit speeds and good range. The internal antennas make it look smooth and easier to place on a bookshelf. I can surf from almost 200ft away inside the shop.

    WRT610N review
     
    RexB, Aug 31, 2008
    #8
  9. kegobeer

    kegobeer 1 hr late but moving fast

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    I like the D-Link Xtreme brand of routers and wifi cards. I use the DIR-655 and various Xtreme wifi cards with all of my computers (except my laptop, which uses an Atheros wifi card that works perfectly with the DIR-655, as they both use the Atheros chipset), and I've never had a problem.
     
    kegobeer, Aug 31, 2008
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  10. Signal2Noise

    Signal2Noise Über-geek.

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    +1 for the WRT610N.


    I got one of these babies a couple of weeks ago. Aside from one shortcoming (NAS = FAT32 only) it's a solid and fast router. I like it so much that I've decided to order my first wireless-N card for my lappy to see how that goes. I've been skeptical about the N-spec since it's still in draft mode but figure it's time to see what it's all about. The internal card should be here this week from Dell and I'll post the results.
     
    Signal2Noise, Sep 1, 2008
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  11. Signal2Noise

    Signal2Noise Über-geek.

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    Got the Intel 4965AGN card today! After about a 15 minute install everything was up and running. The included install guide only showed a connection for two wires but the card has a third, gray wire. After a bit of searching on NBR I found out I should hook the wire up. So I did. For some reason the drivers CD Dell provided would not load with my version of Windows. Go figure. Vista provided default drivers and I then went to Intel's site to get the latest set.

    I then enabled the N mode and 5GHz band on the router and reset my lappy to pick up the N signal. No fussing and it caught right away. Signal strength at first read 'good' but quicky changed to "Excellent". Display connection speed status read 216 Mbps with default driver. With the new 12.0.0.82 it reads 270 Mbps! However, I took about 70MB of music files and did a transfer wirelessly from the laptop to a LaCie 320GB external drive connected to the router's NAS. The transfer took 15 seconds. It's probably good, I don't know, but I do know on the 2.4 wireless-G it would have taken a couple of minutes.

    Well see how it goes over the long term but for the initial set up and use I'm pretty happy with both the router and N card.

    Hopefully any of you reading this will find the info helpful.
     
    Signal2Noise, Sep 4, 2008
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  12. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

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    Wow, 270Mbps, good for you.
     
    Wirelessman, Sep 4, 2008
    #12