Wireless Router

[Flower]

Which range of wireless router do you use?

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Mine's through Verizon and I think I have a range of 30'. Am I understanding the question correctly?

[Flower]

I just bought one and it is rated G, which I realized does not give it much range/distance.

I think I will take it back for a better one, it looks like there are 4 categories with N1 being the highest. Just wondering what people recommend?

[DizneyRox]

I assume you're talking 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and finally 802.11n.

Currently, the only STANDARD is really 802.11g. 802.11a, and 802.11b are pretty much obsolete and 802.11n is still up in the air. There ARE devices that are 802.11n available for purchase, but it is my understanding that the standard has not yet been finalized (should be in 2009), so you may end up with an incompatible product.

Now, what are your concerns about range? Placement of the device is key, it may be that you do not have your wireless router in a good position. Mine is in the basement under pretty much ALL my heating and A/C duct work and the signal is horrible. I'm working on moving it to the first floor and putting it into a central closet which will greatly improve the signal strength through the entire house (and probably outside).

Another solution is to setup a WAP (Wireless Access Point) that will basically extend the range of your current router. You would say put the router at one end of the house and the WAP on the other side. I belieive you will have to run a wired connection from the router to the WAP. I was THIS close to implementing this in my house, but I'm just going to move the router instead. I may end up with a WAP once I finish up a room over the garage or if I want to extend the signal outside on the patio or front porch. I'll have to see what it's like where I end up putting it.

There also exists some third party firmware for many of the popular brands of router (Linksys is a good one) that allow you to boost the signal strength of the device to try to get a better signal. I tried this and didn't really notice a difference, but I didn't push it too far. I forget the actual numbers, but I think by default the value was like 17, I upped it to 100, and the max setting was like 255 or something. More power means more heat and you're pushing it beyond the design limits. Mine being in the basement, heat isn't an issue. Using third party firmware is probably not an option for a novice.

Me? I'm using a Linksys with SpeedBooster. I think they have a RangeBooster option, but both are only good if you have a compatible Linksys wireless cards in the PC(s) as well. Most laptops DO NOT support the SpeedBooster/RangeBooster options. Straight 802.11g is really what you're going to end up with. I haven't had much luck with Netgear or D-Link products. Others will say the same for Linksys I'm sure.

I'll also take this opportunity to push that it is ABSOLUTLY NECESSARY that you secure that router during the installation. DO NOT use WEP encryption, use WPA at least and really look at implementing a very strong (64 character at least) passphrase. DO NOT rely on MAC filtering or just turning off Broadcasting the SSID on the router. WPA at least. Failure to secure your connection allows others to use your Internet connection and in doing so you may enable someone to perform illegal activities, like downloading child pron, or illegal music downloading When push comes to shove, YOU will ultimately be held accountable in a court of law.

[magicofdisney]

Before we moved last year, we used an 802.11g for a 1700 sq ft home. It worked fairly well throughout the single story home. I agree with DizneyRox in securing your connection. We had several homes around us that were unsecured. Our router picked up signals from about 4 homes around us and half had no password protection.

[DizneyRox]

For comparison, my house footprint is about 2000 sq/ft and the router is in the center of the basement and I still get a signal on the second floor. 802.11g is more than adequate for a normal sized home. Placement is key. When I had the router near the electrical panel (one corner), the same 2nd floor opposite corner room would drop connection at times. My current connection is at 48Mb/s. It drops during the day and I'm sure everyone notices the same thing; better WiFi connections at night. If anyone has a reason for that I'd love to hear it.

Also keep in mind, at 54 Mb/s you're at least double the speed of what your Internet connections is capable of. 54Mb/s is about 19MB/s and many ISPs are offering tiers up to 6MB/s. The 19MB/s speed is probably only used within your local area network, in other words, between computers within your household.