Topic: wireless Networking....Linksys or the other guys.

[Andi]

I have got my eye on both a Linksys WRT54G and WUSB54G for wireless networking in my parents house to hook up 2 desktops and a laptop....
I have seen both the NETWARE, BELKIN and of course DLINK stuff while shopping around.  Has anyone had any experience with the Linksys stuff or any of the other?  I would love to hear any ooos and ahhs before I go out and grab one.  Also, Linksys has both of the above in an "S" model which is supposed to increase your speed from the access point by 35%..... Anybody heard anything on that

[chase]

The WRT54g is a pretty popular wireless router although if it is at all possible, use cables for the desktops.  the cables are much cheaper than buying wireless NICs for the 2 machines and also much more stable.  The WRT54g works like a regular router in that it has 4 ports to plug into on the back as well as being able to serve wirelessly.

I would get the linksys.  They are proven to work well and are owned by Cisco, a company that does professional large scale networking.  Belkin, D-Link, etc may be more hit and miss in terms of quality.

Depending on your connection to the internet, you will not feel the 35% increase in speed as the "g" protocol offers 54Mb bandwidth, which is significantly higher than most ISPs offer.

[Brian Skalinder]

I've had positive experiences, in general, with Linksys and Netgear products.  Mediocre experiences with Belkin.  Not so good experiences with DLink.  Chase is right on...

If the wireless is primarily for broadband internet connectivity and distribution within the home, no need for the "S" model's increase speed. 

If the wireless is primarily for sharing large files across a home network (and not so much for broadband internet access), run wires if you can, instead.

[Andi]

appreciate the advice.....I cant run wires because the computer that I am needing to network is way to far from the access point.  Not saying i live in a mansion, but where I am living in my folks crib is far far from the access point.  So you guys dont think that the speed boost on the S" model will be noticed.

Also the Netgear has an Airplus Xtreme USB adapter that boasts a 100mbps transfer rate as upposed to the 54.0 on the Linksys.  Can you mix....Like say have a Linksys WRT54G with a Netgear USB adapter.

[Brian Skalinder]

So you guys dont think that the speed boost on the S" model will be noticed.

Unless you're transferring large files across an internal network, or have an uber-fast broadband connection, you'll never realize the slightly higher speeds offered by the "S" model.

Also the Netgear has an Airplus Xtreme USB adapter that boasts a 100mbps transfer rate as upposed to the 54.0 on the Linksys.  Can you mix....Like say have a Linksys WRT54G with a Netgear USB adapter.

I think you mean DLink, not Netgear.  Anyway...looks like it's 802.11g compliant, so yes - you could mix the two.  But you wouldn't be able to take advantage of the Airplus' extra speed capability.  The Airplus must be used with other Airplus Xtreme compatible gear, which of course the Linksys WRT54G is not.  And again, unless you're transferring large files within your home network, or have an uber-fast broadband internet connection (unlikely), you'll never benefit from the increased speed b/c most broadband doesn't achieve those speeds, anyway.

[terrapinj]

Also the Netgear has an Airplus Xtreme USB adapter that boasts a 100mbps transfer rate as upposed to the 54.0 on the Linksys.  Can you mix....Like say have a Linksys WRT54G with a Netgear USB adapter.

for best results I have read and have some experiences that sticking with the same brand router and adapter will provide the best compatibility/reliability for your connection

[Andi]

I think you mean DLink, not Netgear. 

Gotcha.  yeah you were right, it was DLink.  I think that I am going to go with Linksys.  +Ts all around.

[mmedley.]

Must fluff Netgear.

Have you looked into 802.11a? Less interference and better signal coverage. I'm running this one and love it. My lappy supprts 108mbps on 802.11g.

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WGU624.php

[mhibbs]

Must fluff Netgear.

Have you looked into 802.11a? Less interference and better signal coverage. I'm running this one and love it. My lappy supprts 108mbps on 802.11g.

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WGU624.php

Agree w/ the Netgear fluff.  Their routers continue to have more/better configuration options than Linksys.  Haven't used anything from DLink.

[Andi]

Been using the linksys stuff since the beginning of this post and it been working just okay....One question though.
I was stayin in a Hampton Inn and I used a public PC located in the lobby where a USB adapter was used to allow the computer to connect to the internet.
Now I checked the signal strength which read as "excellent" and the 2.0 was the mbps reading.  It was fast as hell.

Now here at home I have a cable connection and there is no one sharing the hub on the block where I live.  At the router (wired computer)  I am getting speeds of about 4M at least. My question is this, On the computer that is hooked up using the WUSB54G  I have a "Very Good" signal always and I am showing a transmission rate of 54.0 (which I know is not right), but my internet surfing speed is allot slower than any of the public computers that I have used that have much slower transmission rates(Like the Hamption computer which showed 2.0 mbps)  What do you think I am doing wrong/ Is there anything I can configure on the router to increase my surf speed?  The browser just kinda lags when loading pages sometimes instead of just getting it done.

[Andi]

any advice on the above would be appreciated